The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn: The Most Happy

Professor E.W. Ives, the author, is an acknowledged expert in Tudor history - specialising on the Boleyns. His 1986 biography, "Anne Boleyn," became the standard work on Anne's life - and deservedly so. It provoked two historical responses - George Bernard's "The Fall of Anne Boleyn" (which was quickly discounted) and Professor Warnicke's controversial "The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn" - which challenged much of what Ives had said.

The new book is an updated version of the 1986 copy, with extra chapters elaborating on Anne's role at Court and incorporating all the new research on Anne Boleyn's life and times. Ives writes well and the book (although long) is witty, insightful and extremely well-researched.

While I don't agree with everything Ives says in this book - I tend to believe she was born around 1507, not 1501 as Ives suggests and I think his famous version of her fall from the throne is a little too "neat" - it's clear that this book is the best currently in print about Anne Boleyn's life and death.

Ives convincingly shows that Anne was one of the most important women ever to sit on the throne of England and that she was far from the wicked-witch of legend. His greatest achievement is his complex exploration of her religious views.

In the end this book got 5* because of Ives' research, writing style and well-argued case. No-one who is interested in any of the Boleyn children or the era of Henry VIII should miss this book. Carlsberg-style, it is, probably, the best biography of Anne Boleyn in the world.


The best book about Anne Boleyn ever written!   February 4, 2005
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

Anne Boleyn is a very misunderstood character in English History. She is seen as an "evil" woman who tore Henry VIII from his wife and Catholic Church- Anne is a highly significant historical figure in her own right- not only for being the mother of the great Queen Elizabeth I.

Eric Ives captures Anne's personality and gives explanations for the events in Anne's life. It is a highly enjoyable read - especially if you enjoy Tudor History. I highly recommend this book.


The power behind the throne...   October 21, 2004
Kurt Messick (London, SW1)
57 out of 61 found this review helpful

Eric Ives' book `The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn' is a must read for people interested in British history, the British Royal Family history, the history of the Tudor period, and particularly for those interested in one of the key figures around that most colourful of English kings, Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn's influence in court, which dominated state and church affairs at a critical moment in European affairs, is shown here, in addition to the personal strife that Anne Boleyn both caused for others (her rival for Henry's affections, Katherine, is but the least of these) as well as the strife she herself endured.

Ives contrasts Anne Boleyn with Katherine of Aragon in terms of overall worldviews that they represented - Anne being far more a child of the Renaissance, intellectually curious and passionate, independent and full of ideas; Katherine of Aragon was representative more of the `old order', which included a staunch piety and adherence to Roman Catholicism in principle and political loyalty. This contrast is in part why Ives can state with reasonable certainty that Anne Boleyn was the most controversial woman ever to have been a queen of England (which, given that she's up against the likes of Eleanor of Aquitaine, among others, is saying something). Part of this controversy stems from the sources historians have for details about her life; being a pivotal person in the Catholic/Protestant split during the Tudor and post-Tudor world, she was constantly reinterpreted, and rarely for the better. Even the glorious reign of her daughter, Elizabeth, did little resurrect her image in popular or short-term historical opinion.

Ives' writing is lively and full of passion, as befits his subject. Ives also introduces new interpretations and contexts to the events of the time. For example, he describes the fall of Anne Boleyn as a coup, normally a term reserved for the removal of a reigning monarch or primary executive; it is a testament to the power of Anne Boleyn's influence over King Henry VIII that his advisors, such as Thomas Cromwell, saw need to remove her, for their own safety, as well as (possibly) the safety of the king. Ives concludes with Wyatt's elegy and a brief epilogue of the Tudor aftermath, not drawing too many conclusions, but rather, as a responsible historian, asking a few questions and leaving the reader to ponder the outcomes.

There is a good middle section of photographic plates, 64 in all, which includes many paintings, engravings and pictures of artifacts of Anne Boleyn. He also includes handy lists of titles and offices, genealogy charts of the European royal families, the Tudor court, and the Boleyn/Howard families (Henry VIII's last wife, Katherine Howard, was a cousin of Anne Boleyn). Scholars will appreciate the extensive endnotes, bibliographic/historical references, and index, together which comprise nearly 100 pages. However, this is a book for general readers as well as scholars, accessible and well-paced.


Detailed and enlightening about Anne Boleyn!   November 29, 2007
Sissel M. Ostdahl (Norway)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

If one is looking for mere entertainment, this is not the book to buy. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" written by Antonia Fraser, which contained only the most necessary historical facts in order to present the six Queens properly.

When I have given Eric Ives' book five stars, it's because this book is probably the most detailed and enlightening book ever written about Anne Boleyn. But the book is not an easy read, not if one is searching for pure entertainment. For me it is more a book of facts about Anne which I can go back to whenever I'm searching for more information about her. That does not mean the book lacks for numerous enjoyable anecdotes from Anne's life and vivid descriptions of her as a person.

The book tells about Anne's family and background, which was far more important than one is often led to believe. Originally, the family made its fortune in trade, but later on its relations with the Tudors became significant and Anne was by no means an unsuitable match for King Henry.

What I found most interesting was the picture of Anne as a very cultured and highly educated young woman. The time she spent at the Continent and how this influenced her in her role as Queen of England. It thoroughly explains why she became as powerful and politically important as she did. And not the least, the circumstances leading to her death.

For a complete picture of Anne Boleyn, look no further. This book gives all the answers.


One of the best biographies ever written about Anne Boleyn   January 23, 2008
Apocalyptic Queen (London, UK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This highly informative account of Anne Boleyn brings to life a Tudor woman once seen as elusive and obscure.
Due to the high volume of biased primary accounts of Anne Boleyn written by the likes of Chapuys (the Spanish ambassador to England at the time) and others, it has been notoriously difficult to make an objective and impartial assessment of Anne Boleyn however Ives succeeds in bringing the true character of Anne Boleyn to life using a variety of sources, challenges biased accounts of Anne's life (such as Chapuys' accounts of the ailing marriage) and also presents compelling evidence to support his assertions, such as the controversy surrounding Anne's birth date.

Whilst at times, Ives presents the not so endearing qualities of Anne Boleyn, on the whole Ives' account of Anne is largely sympathetic, particularly in the last two chapters of the book where politics and religion appear to play a pivotal role in Anne's downfall and destruction.

It is also refreshing to see Anne portrayed as human and not demonized as she has so often been portrayed.
Ultimately, this is a balanced, magnificently researched and a tribute to Anne, whose efforts helped shape the reformation in England, a sentiment even echoed by Thomas Cromwell, one of her bitterest enemies who helped bring down the "most controversial queen consort" of England.