Review - The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir

The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir
Publisher: Ballantine Books 2010
Hardback 438 pages


Tudor England may be one of the most written about times in Western History. Dozens of biographies have been written exploring the lives of the English monarchs and their exploits and they have been the subject of popular literature for centuries. That being said, Alison Weir manages in her newest biography to make new insights into the last months of Anne Boleyn, the second of Henry VIII's wives and the first to loose her head.

Accused of adultery, incest and plotting the king's death, Boleyn's trial and execution is shown in a new context based on Weir's exhaustive research into primary source documents. Weir offers an alternative portrait of the popular version of the scandalous Anne Boleyn. She argues that Anne was indeed a virgin when she met Henry and that she was passionate about reforming the church. She points to the Queen's downfall as a coo from the rival faction headed by Thomas Cromwell, who supported her against Katherine, but turned on her when he felt that he could gain more advantage somewhere else. While I found some of Weir's arguments to be too far reaching based upon the evidence available, for the most part she draws some interesting conclusions that I think should be explored farther.

While at times the biography gets too hung up on minute details and scholarly arguments that may turn off the reader that is more interested in a storyline than a true biography, for anyone with more than just an occasional interest in Tudor history this is a must read.