Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe

Fox (Sister Queens) and award-winning historian Guy (Queen of Scots) chronicle the tempestuous and passionate relationship between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII succeeded to the throne after the death of his elder brother, then fell in love with his brother’s widow, Katherine of Aragon, and married her. Their marriage, a happy one at first, deteriorated, and Henry took on mistresses. Boleyn, known to be smart, pretty, and a skilled dancer, eventually became one of Queen Katherine’s ladies-in-waiting. The book shows that Henry moved heaven and earth to marry Boleyn, casting aside his first wife, breaking with the Church, and ultimately establishing the Church of England. The authors stress Boleyn’s influence and shrewdness and note that Henry had seriously thought of making her joint sovereign. The book portrays their marriage as multilayered and dynamic. But eventually, their marriage collapsed, and the book delves into the myriad reasons for it. The book’s bibliography of printed primary sources for further reading is quite useful.