The Divorce of Henry VIII

An eye-opening book, an intricate and fascinating story of an elusive man with an impossible job. A brilliant and impressive feat of original research, and necessary reading for anyone fascinated by the story of Henry’s divorce… Catherine Fletcher has allowed the story to tell itself, except that she’s been so clever in the telling of it, cutting through to what matters without over-simplifying * Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall *
A glittering debut…drawing on the unexplored riches of Italian Renaissance archives, enlarges the well known story, and to magnificent effect – Miranda Seymour * Sunday Times *
A marvel of close-up detective work – Duncan Fallowell * Daily Express *
Fletcher does her subject great credit. She makes no attempt to either embellish or simplify. She simply tells a cracking story well, in plenty of detail with clarity and insight. Above all she resists the temptation to overlay past events with modern cultural and emotional responses. Her protagonists are never anything but true to their selves and Fletcher richly deserves the title of historian. Jonathan Rhys Meyers need not apply. – Sarah Vine * The Times *
The greatest joy of this splendid book is that it dwells on context. You’ll emerge with a keener sense of why the dynastic priorities of Henry VIII (“a mid-ranking northern monarch, a player on the European stage but far from the star of the show”) managed to cause such a fuss – Jonathan Wright * The Herald *
An absorbing book – Julian Fleming * Sunday Business Post *
A masterly retelling of an event that changed British history and set the Tudors against the Vatican * The Lady *

Catherine Fletcher is a historian of Renaissance and early modern Europe. Her other books include The Black Prince of Florence and The Beauty and the Terror- An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance, to be published in 2020. She has recently been appointed Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University.

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