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Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I

On sale

18th May 2023

Price: £25

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Selected: Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9781399705080

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A FRESH LOOK AT ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAODINARY MOTHER AND DAUGHTER STORIES OF ALL TIME, FROM BESTSELLING HISTORIAN TRACY BORMAN



Readers LOVE Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I:
‘A wonderful book and one I’m sure I’ll be reading again’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This really is a triumph! . . . A lucid and fascinating account’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘So well written and meticulously researched’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Anne Boleyn is a subject of enduring fascination. By far the most famous of Henry VIII’s six wives, she has inspired books, documentaries and films, and is the subject of intense debate even today, almost 500 years after her violent death. For the most part, she is considered in the context of her relationship with Tudor England’s much-married monarch. Dramatic though this story is, of even greater interest – and significance – is the relationship between Anne and her daughter, the future Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth was less than three years old when her mother was executed. Given that she could have held precious few memories of Anne, it is often assumed that her mother exerted little influence over her.
But this is both inaccurate and misleading. Elizabeth knew that she had to be discreet about Anne, but there is compelling evidence that her mother exerted a profound influence on her character, beliefs and reign. Even during Henry’s lifetime, Elizabeth dared to express her sympathy for her late mother by secretly wearing Anne’s famous ‘A’ pendant when she sat for a painting with her father and siblings.

Piecing together evidence from original documents and artefacts, this book tells the story of Anne Boleyn’s relationship with, and influence over her daughter Elizabeth. In so doing, it sheds new light on two of the most famous and influential women in history.

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Critical acclaim for Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I:

‘(A)sensational book by one of our greatest and best-loved historians… Astoundingly good.’ – Alison Weir


‘Masterful, captivating, page-turning, this is solid gold history at its best.’ – Nicola Tallis

‘(A) thought-provoking, impeccably researched, and moving account uncovering how Anne’s family, intellect, and tragedy shaped Elizabeth I’s extraordinary career.’ – Gareth Russell

‘Her extensive research… reveals them as the most dazzling female double act in history.’ – Sarah Gristwood

‘Incredibly well-researched, elegantly written, and overall genuinely ground-breaking,’ – Estelle Paranque

Reviews

Nicola Tallis
'With her extensive research and skilfully woven narrative, Tracy Borman successfully breathes new and enthralling life into the stories of two of the best known women in our history. In so doing, she introduces us to another side of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, and their relationship, one which is both refreshingly unique and fascinating. Masterful, captivating, page-turning, this is solid gold history at its best.'
Gareth Russell
'For centuries, we were told Elizabeth I never mentioned her disgraced mother. Tracy Borman explodes that myth in this thought-provoking, impeccably researched, and moving account uncovering how Anne's family, intellect, and tragedy shaped Elizabeth I's extraordinary career.'
Sarah Gristwood
'Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth I are usually treated as two separate - though both fascinating - individuals. Borman's stroke of genius is to overturn this simplistic view. Her extensive research, tracing the complex web of relationships around the Tudor courts, instead reveals them as the most dazzling female double act in history.'
Elizabeth Norton
In Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I, Tracy Borman sheds fascinating new light on the relationship between the most famous mother and daughter of the sixteenth century. As well as detailing the all too brief personal relationship between the pair, Borman delves expertly into Elizabeth's continuing relationship with a mother that she can barely have remembered. Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I is a compelling read, detailing the myriad ways in which the last Tudor monarch remembered, commemorated and promoted a mother that, to many remained a pariah. A must-read for anyone interested in Anne and Elizabeth, or of the Tudor monarchy in general.
Estelle Paranque
'Incredibly well-researched, elegantly written, and overall genuinely ground-breaking, Tracy Borman masterfully reveals the bond that existed between the mother, Anne Boleyn, with her daughter, Elizabeth I. Emotional, provocative (in a good way), and thoughtful, this is a history book that all Tudor lovers will want to read.'
Alison Weir
This sensational book by one of our greatest and best-loved historians is a MUST for Tudor fans. Never before has Elizabeth I's opinion of her mother, Anne Boleyn, been the subject of an entire book or examined in such fascinating detail. It's a compelling and poignant story, adding immeasurably to our understanding of Elizabeth and shedding new light on the way she saw herself. Astoundingly good.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'Beautifully envisioned and full of insight, this is a must-read for Tudor history buffs.'
Tudor Times
'In Borman's accomplished hands, the book makes its case quickly and smoothly - the information is compelling, but never over-burdens us with minutiae.'