120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery πŸš€ Auckland Bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

The Six Wives Of Henry VIII

4.11 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 19,074 ratings, 542 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Lady Antonia Fraser vividly explores the lives, marriages, and political intrigues surrounding the six wives of the infamous English king. The book delves into their personal stories, backgrounds, and the historical context of Tudor England, offering insights into each wife's influence on the king and their own fates amidst the turbulent politics of the era. This historical narrative paints a comprehensive picture of the women who played pivotal roles in Henry's reign.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the Tudor era and want a detailed, engaging exploration of the lives and personalities of Henry VIII's wives. Lady Antonia Fraser brings history to life with rich storytelling that delves into the complex political and personal dynamics of the English court.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A new edition of Antonia Fraser's biography of Henry VIII's six wives.

Antonia Fraser's bestselling biography of Henry VIII's six wives; a subject of enduring fascination.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Six Wives Of Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr - have become defined in a popular sense not so much by their lives as by the way these lives ended. But, as Antonia Fraser conclusively proves, they were rich and feisty characters.

They may have been victims of Henry's obsession with a male heir, but they were not willing victims. On the contrary, they displayed considerable strength and intelligence at a time when their sex supposedly possessed little of either.

Inevitably there was great rivalry between them, and there was jealousy too - the desperate jealousy of Queens who found themselves abandoned, but also the sexual jealousy of the King who discovered himself betrayed.

The story Antonia Fraser tells is romantic and cruel, funny and sad, dramatic and enthralling.

Series: WOMEN IN HISTORY

View all
  • Mary Queen Of Scots
    Ground-breaking ... One of the greatest international bestsellers of the post-war period Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph Reads like an engrossing novel Sunday Times An infant queen. A teenage widow. Beautiful, flamboyant Mary Queen of Scots had a formidable intellect but her political sense β€” formed at the absolute court of France β€” plunged her country into a maelstrom of intrigue,...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Personal History
    Personal History by Katharine Graham offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman. Katharine's father, a multi-millionaire, left private business and government service to buy and revive the struggling Washington Post. The book movingly and charitably recounts her husband Phil Graham's battle with manic depression and his eventual suicide. Katharine Graham shares her own story in extraordinary...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Lady Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII is praised for its lively and enjoyable narration, adeptly exploring the comic possibilities within Henry VIII's matrimonial history while maintaining attention to the darker historical context. The book brings the Tudor court vividly to life, emphasizing the individuality and complexity of Henry's wives. Reviewers commend Fraser's thorough research and her ability to make historical figures resonate with contemporary vividness, offering a refreshing perspective by focusing on the wives' points of view rather than solely on Henry himself.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781842126332

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 July 2009

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 41.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 465g

Pages: 608

About the Author

Since 1969, Antonia Fraser has written many acclaimed historical works which have been international bestsellers, including Marie Antoinette, Mary Queen of Scots (James Tait Black Memorial Prize), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605 (St Louis Literary Award; CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger). Antonia Fraser was made CBE in 1999, and awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. She is married to the playwright Harold Pinter and lives in London.

Also by Lady Antonia Fraser

View all
  • Marie Antoinette
    Marie Antoinette's dramatic life story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still 'la reine mΓ©chante', whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; her indifference to popular suffering epitomised by the (apocryphal) words: 'let them eat cake'. Others are equally passionate in her defence: to them, she is a victim of misogyny. In...
    Paperback
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Lady Caroline Lamb
    From the outset, Caroline Lamb had a rebellious nature. From childhood, she grew increasingly troublesome, experimenting with sedatives like laudanum, and she had a special governess to control her. She also had a merciless wit and talent for mimicry. She spoke French and German fluently, knew Greek and Latin, and sketched impressive portraits. As the niece of Georgiana, Duchess of...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The King and the Catholics
    The story of Catholic Emancipation begins with the violent Anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in 1780, fuelled by the reduction in Penal Laws against the Roman Catholics harking back to the sixteenth century. Some fifty years later, the passing of the Emancipation Bill was hailed as a 'bloodless revolution'. Had the Irish Catholics been a 'millstone', as described by an English aristocrat,...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Mary Queen Of Scots
    Ground-breaking ... One of the greatest international bestsellers of the post-war period Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph Reads like an engrossing novel Sunday Times An infant queen. A teenage widow. Beautiful, flamboyant Mary Queen of Scots had a formidable intellect but her political sense β€” formed at the absolute court of France β€” plunged her country into a maelstrom of intrigue,...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from History & Military

View all
  • Saving Elli
    One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Spy and the Traitor
    The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Wager
    THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'I cannot think of anyone who would not love this book... It is an extraordinary true story, beautifully...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Discipline
    Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Keep Calm – We Are Coming
    Keep Calm β€” We Are Coming briefly backgrounds the New Zealand Special Air Service deployment in Afghanistan β€” then goes into action. While primarily training Afghan forces, in Kabul the NZSAS had to respond to a series of β€˜spectacular attacks’ by heavily armed Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests and determined to inflict major casualties. In the words of those who...
    Paperback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Golden Menhir
    Assurancetourix is entering the legendary Gallic bards' competition to win the golden menhir. But with the Romans keeping a close watch, Asterix and Obelix must protect him at all costs. Their mission? Keep him safe-no matter what... even if it means risking their own ears! First released as a book-disc in 1967, this adventure soon became a rare treasure, long...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Cauldron
    How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    Backorder
    Ships mid October
  • Biological War
    New Release
    Biological War
    There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A blistering new non-fiction thriller from the Baillie Gifford shortlisted author of Nuclear War (200,000 copies sold). A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Shattered Lands
    'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' – PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation … both original and important' – MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Salt
    Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over salt and, while salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia, they...
    Paperback
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.