Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe
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- Create Date：2023-10-31 07:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Guy
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Summary
A groundbreaking， freshly-researched examination of one of the most dramatic and consequential marriages in Henry VIII's long courtship， short union， and brutal execution of Anne Boleyn。 Hunting the Falcon is the story of how Henry VIII's obsessive desire for Anne Boleyn changed him and his country forever。 John Guy and Julia Fox， two of the most acclaimed and distinguished historians of this period， have joined forces to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways。 By closely examining the most recent archival discoveries， and peeling back layers of historical myth and misinterpretation and distortion， Guy and Fox are able to set Anne and Henry's tragic relationship against the major international events of the time， and integrate and reinterpret sources hidden in plain sight or simply misunderstood。 Among other things， they dispel lingering and latently misogynistic assumptions about Anne which anachronistically presumed that a sixteenth-century woman， even a queen， could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society。 They reveal how， in fact， Anne was a shrewd， if ruthless， politician in her own right， a woman who steered Henry and his policies， often against the advice he received from his male advisers--and whom Henry seriously contemplated making joint sovereign。 Hunting the Falcon sets the facts-and some completely new finds-into a far wider frame， providing an appreciation of this misunderstood and underestimated woman。 It explores how Anne organized her "side" of the royal court on novel and （in male eyes） subversive lines compared to her queenly predecessors， adopting instead French protocol by which the sexes mingled freely in her private chambers。 Men could share in the women's often sexually charged courtly "pastimes" and had liberal access to Anne， and she to them--encounters from which she gained much of her political intelligence and extended her authority， and which also sowed the seeds of her own downfall。 An exhilarating feat of historical research and analysis， Hunting the Falcon is also a thrilling and tragic story of a marriage that has proved of enduring fascination over the centuries。 But in the hands of John Guy and Julia Fox， even the most knowledgeable reader will encounter this story as if for the first time。
Reviews
History Today
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The life of Anne Boleyn life was utterly remarkable， but it was not destined to be so。 Initially the future queen seemed set for a conventional life as an upper class lady-about-court who might expect to marry into the nobility。 What made the difference in Anne’s case was the time she spent in France at the court of Queen Claude。 Arriving in 1515， Anne stayed at the French court for seven years。 Whether or not Anne’s experiences in France made her particularly attractive to the men at the Henric The life of Anne Boleyn life was utterly remarkable， but it was not destined to be so。 Initially the future queen seemed set for a conventional life as an upper class lady-about-court who might expect to marry into the nobility。 What made the difference in Anne’s case was the time she spent in France at the court of Queen Claude。 Arriving in 1515， Anne stayed at the French court for seven years。 Whether or not Anne’s experiences in France made her particularly attractive to the men at the Henrician court on her return， we can only speculate。 We have no evidence of what she did in France。 Acknowledging that French court culture was richer than its English equivalent is about as far as we can go。 What we do know is that Anne returned to England in 1521 and that sometime around 1525-26 – scholars have offered ingenious， but uncompelling， arguments for the precise dates – Henry fell passionately in love with her， as his letters show。 Not only did she become his only mistress， Henry was prepared to break with Rome to secure her as his legitimate wife and queen。That all makes for a substantial – and very well known – tale， but there was of course more。 Three years after the break with Rome， Anne Boleyn and her alleged lovers （one of whom was her own brother， George， Lord Rochford） were accused and convicted of treason， adulteries and incest。 It was a truly astonishing turn of events。 One might say you could not make it up， but for the fact that many have suggested that either Henry， or his chief minister， Thomas Cromwell， did just that。With a story this well known， and argued about for centuries， how should the modern historian approach Anne’s extraordinary life？ In his 1986 biography， Eric Ives presented Anne as a leading player among factional rivalries。 In my own Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions （2012）， I adopted a forensic approach， comparable to that of a judge probing and then giving his verdict。 The method chosen by John Guy and Julia Fox in this fine new study is to focus on narrative， adopting a biographical approach in which Anne’s story hurtles relentlessly forward towards her tragic end。 The book is executed with consummate skill。 As an exercise in storytelling， it is a formidable achievement。Read the rest of the review at HistoryToday。com。George W。 Bernard is Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton。 His latest book is Who Ruled Tudor England: Paradoxes of Power （Bloomsbury， 2021）。 。。。more
Anne Morgan
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I've read a number of biographies on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn recently， and Hunting the Falcon has to be right up at the top。 I love how historians John Guy and Julia Fox take the wide view of the relationship。 It wasn't ever just about love， or even lust， it was always about power and politics- both on the small family scale and on the European scale。Guy and Fox do an excellent job of describing Anne's life in Europe before coming to Katherine of Aragon's court and Henry's attention， and how I've read a number of biographies on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn recently， and Hunting the Falcon has to be right up at the top。 I love how historians John Guy and Julia Fox take the wide view of the relationship。 It wasn't ever just about love， or even lust， it was always about power and politics- both on the small family scale and on the European scale。Guy and Fox do an excellent job of describing Anne's life in Europe before coming to Katherine of Aragon's court and Henry's attention， and how what she learned there greatly influenced what she herself would do when she was queen。 She modeled her court on Queen Claude， who she served in France， allowing both women and men into her court。 This probably allowed her access to more information than she might otherwise have gotten， certainly made her feel more accessible to those who wanted to ask for favors and knew the Queen was the one to go to， and in the end， helped Cromwell exploit chinks in Anne's armor that led to her execution。 We see what Anne did as queen for those around her， the changes she made and those she tried， but failed， to make。 But more than focusing on the power Anne wielded in England， Guy and Fox help the reader understand the ever-shifting power plays going on between England and France， the pope and Charles （Katherine of Aragon's nephew， Holy Roman Emperor， Hapsburg emperor， etc。）。 Who sided with who， when， where， and why changed regularly and Guy and Fox do the best job of explaining the players and their motivations （at any given time） that I've read yet。 I think that was what impressed me the most in Hunting the Falcon。 I always knew that Anne was pro-French， but here we get deeply into why sometimes it was to Henry's advantage to side with Francis and France， other times with Charles， who might support him against the pope， and who's wars in Europe would benefit him the most。Whether you think you know all there is to know about Henry and Anne， or are looking for a good book to start your exploration of this explosive relationship， Hunting the Falcon is definitely a book I recommend！I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
BAM so tired want blankie
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10/24
Rosann
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I do not usually read Tudor histories。 But John Guy and Julia Fox render this chaotic time in well researched， well written prose。 It is refreshing to see complex， intelligent， flawed figures re-created so compellingly。 Though Anne Boleyn is often portrayed in fiction and non-fiction as a victim or arch villain， Hunting the Falcon seeks to give the reader the portrait of an intelligent woman in an unprecedented situation， not wholly in control， and sometimes out of her depth。 The historical back I do not usually read Tudor histories。 But John Guy and Julia Fox render this chaotic time in well researched， well written prose。 It is refreshing to see complex， intelligent， flawed figures re-created so compellingly。 Though Anne Boleyn is often portrayed in fiction and non-fiction as a victim or arch villain， Hunting the Falcon seeks to give the reader the portrait of an intelligent woman in an unprecedented situation， not wholly in control， and sometimes out of her depth。 The historical backstories of the principal characters King Henry and Anne， as well as the other important characters， her family， his advisors， and European political and military maneuvers， make this relationship and its fallout all the more understandable。 。。。more
*TUDOR^QUEEN*
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4 StarsI've read an untold amount of biographies about The Tudors and specifically Queen Anne Boleyn over the last few decades。 I personally wouldn't call this one "groundbreaking"， but it is a very high quality biography on the subject with tons of detail and obviously well-researched。 At almost 800 pages， it is a mammoth undertaking， although at 65% （post Anne Boleyn execution） there is an Epilogue， Acknowledgements， and multiple Appendix entries and notes expounding on various topics in the b 4 StarsI've read an untold amount of biographies about The Tudors and specifically Queen Anne Boleyn over the last few decades。 I personally wouldn't call this one "groundbreaking"， but it is a very high quality biography on the subject with tons of detail and obviously well-researched。 At almost 800 pages， it is a mammoth undertaking， although at 65% （post Anne Boleyn execution） there is an Epilogue， Acknowledgements， and multiple Appendix entries and notes expounding on various topics in the book。 If you've never read about this topic and really want to dig into the subject， this would be an excellent choice。Thank you to the publisher Harper who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Sue Foster
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Excellent well written book。Concentrates on Henry VIII and Anne's courtship - marriage and the aftermath。 Introduces some new sources （letters） that I havenot heard before。The hardback is 581 pages of which 414 are text the remaining is index and other source notes。 Excellent well written book。Concentrates on Henry VIII and Anne's courtship - marriage and the aftermath。 Introduces some new sources （letters） that I havenot heard before。The hardback is 581 pages of which 414 are text the remaining is index and other source notes。 。。。more
Brigette
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I have read a number of books about the Tudors and in particular Henry and Anne。 I’ve visited places they lived and thought about them for many hours at this point， and about how Anne’s life was ultimately triumphant thanks to her daughter Elizabeth。So I was excited by the prospect of new archival information said to be unearthed in this book。 This is a personal preference but I wish they were footnotes not endnotes because it is much easier to read the item along with the text rather than flipp I have read a number of books about the Tudors and in particular Henry and Anne。 I’ve visited places they lived and thought about them for many hours at this point， and about how Anne’s life was ultimately triumphant thanks to her daughter Elizabeth。So I was excited by the prospect of new archival information said to be unearthed in this book。 This is a personal preference but I wish they were footnotes not endnotes because it is much easier to read the item along with the text rather than flipping back and forth （and honestly it is so cumbersome on the kindle it makes it impossible）。Anne Boleyn was savvy and this book argues she directed the break from the pope。 The book sets up their histories and courtship with great detail， so it was interesting to see the fast downfall and also the money amounts in modern values。Unfortunately Anne met her end thanks to an all powerful man child （and other men who just didn’t like her）。 She did a great deal for England in terms of its religion and also by giving birth to Queen Elizabeth。 Anne brought what she learned from influential women leaders back to England。 But it is ultimately a very sad story。 She couldn’t give Henry a son and that was her end。 If you haven’t read any books about this era of the Tudors， this is a great place to start。 Thank you NetGalley for the book！ 。。。more
Lissa00
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Covering the entire tumultuous relationship of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII， this book provides a wealth of research in a readable format。 Do not be repelled by the length。 A good portion of the book are appendices that include information about the resources used。 I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley。
Richard Pearce
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I read the book in 2 days couldn't put it down。 What i loved about it was that it goes at a cracking pace， almost like an adventure story。 It's very readable。 There were some neat new links， like the fact that Queen Claude， Anne's mentor， idolised the biblical Esther， which may well mean that Anne had more input into her chaplain's final attack on Cromwell than we hitherto knew。 The significance of just how unique Anne's coronation was and its meaning came across very clearly。 There were also so I read the book in 2 days couldn't put it down。 What i loved about it was that it goes at a cracking pace， almost like an adventure story。 It's very readable。 There were some neat new links， like the fact that Queen Claude， Anne's mentor， idolised the biblical Esther， which may well mean that Anne had more input into her chaplain's final attack on Cromwell than we hitherto knew。 The significance of just how unique Anne's coronation was and its meaning came across very clearly。 There were also some surprising omissions， Cromwell's role in Anne's downfall seems underplayed。 His humiliation and fight with Henry are barely mentioned and his subsequent retreat from court to build a case against Anne is not mentioned at all。 It seemed as if everything blew up on the 29th April in this account， but maybe i was just reading too quickly too avidly。 There is no account of Anne's execution， true this is well covered and much documented， instead the writers end with George's gallows speech， but given that the book is so dramatic it somehow seems an odd bit of the drama to ignore， it is a wonderful book though It is a fabulous read and really worth investing。 。。。more
Keely
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An interesting， different take on it all and really well researched。
Claire Ridgway
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One of my favourite Tudor history books is John Guy’s biography of Mary， Queen of Scots， which， of course， served as inspiration for the recent movie， and I loved both of Julia Fox’s books， the first on Jane Boleyn， Lady Rochford， and the second on Catherine of Aragon and her sister， Juana。 All of these books were a perfect blend of meticulous research and a readable writing style， so I was very much looking forward to the couple’s book on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn， particularly as it was a joi One of my favourite Tudor history books is John Guy’s biography of Mary， Queen of Scots， which， of course， served as inspiration for the recent movie， and I loved both of Julia Fox’s books， the first on Jane Boleyn， Lady Rochford， and the second on Catherine of Aragon and her sister， Juana。 All of these books were a perfect blend of meticulous research and a readable writing style， so I was very much looking forward to the couple’s book on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn， particularly as it was a joint project – so much experience and expertise combined there！In its blurb， Hunting the Falcon is described as “A groundbreaking examination of how the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn sent shockwaves across a continent and changed England forever” and this is a very accurate description。 What I enjoyed about the book was it wasn’t just a biography of Anne Boleyn， it looked at how and why Anne rose to become queen， what her and Henry’s relationship was like， what kind of queen she was， and then what happened， all the while placing this relationship in a much wider context as something that was impacted by and had an impact on Europe。I very much feel that Anne Boleyn stood out from other women at court when she came back from France， that she was a Renaissance woman and that was a lot of the attraction for Henry， so I was pleased that Guy and Fox gave a lot of consideration to her time in Europe。 What she saw there， the role models she had there and the way that things worked there had a huge bearing on the queen she became。 For example， as Guy and Fox note， when Anne was queen， she didn’t just have ladies socialising in her chambers， men came too， and Guy and Fox described her style of court as a French style court of pleasure and courtly love， and this was something that could usefully be used against her later。My absolute favourite thing about this book， though， was its examination of Anne Boleyn as queen-to-be and as queen。 Anne was very much a political animal。 When she finally said “yes” to Henry， she didn’t let him and his advisors sort things out， she didn’t take a back seat， she was actually a huge driving force in the Great Matter。 Not only did men she acted as patron to act as experts in canon law etc。， Anne had her own theological arguments， she came up with ideas herself and was listened to。 Anne was an intelligent woman， she’d read theological books， she knew what she was talking about。 And Guy and Fox see Anne’s time in the early 1530s， before she became queen， as Anne at her zenith， as far as her influence on the king was concerned。 She was very much his partner， his equal at this time。 But she was also willing and able to speak out when she didn’t agree with the king and/or his advisors， and Guy and Fox look in detail at examples of that， for example， Anne’s views on the dissolution of the monasteries， which weren’t at all in synch with Henry’s or Cromwell’s。Guy and Fox see Anne Boleyn as the love of Henry VIII’s life， a passion he had never experienced before and a passion he never experienced again。 I completely agree with this assessment。 I enjoyed their section on his love letters to her and their courtship， and the points they make about Henry’s relationship with his mother， Elizabeth of York， and how this affected his views on women。And Henry， well， they see him as a narcissist， and they conclude that his marriage to Anne left an indelible mark on him， and although their marriage changed England for ever， it did not change him， he changed himself。 An interesting assessment， which is well argued。There are， of course， things I don’t agree with， for example， Guy and Fox’s views on Anne when Henry first noticed her。 They see her as modelling herself on Elizabeth Woodville and being ambitious， wanting the king to propose to her and holding out on him for that reason。 They also really don’t like Thomas Boleyn。 They see him as mean， greedy and grasping， and willing to do anything to rise at court and to save his own neck。 I definitely don’t agree with either of those views。Is the book ground-breaking？Yes， its examination of Henry and Anne’s relationship is fresh， and I particularly enjoyed the details about the French court and Anne’s time in France， which often gets passed over， and the details on Anne’s involvement in the Great Matter。 Guy and Fox have also found new documentary evidence， for example， a manuscript which backs up the argument that Anne was the younger of the two sisters， and they also go into a lot of details regarding the Baga de Secretis and the records regarding Anne and George’s trials。I won’t go into any more details as I don’t want to spoil the book， although I think this review would have to be a few feature length movies to do that！ It’s so detailed。The book also contains family trees， and， helpfully a section listing those mentioned， for example， members of Anne Boleyn’s household， with a sentence explaining who they were。 And， what I really love about the book， is it has a huge notes section， so Guy and Foxe properly cite their sources – hurrah。 You can see how big the appendices， notes and bibliography are if I hold up the book。 My bookmark is where the main text of the book ends。 It’s always good to know what source a historian is using to back up their views。As you can see， I’ve turned down lots of corners。 I do that when there’s something interesting， something that made me go hmmm…， something that I didn’t agree with or want to check out， or just something I want to go back to and re-read。 Lots of hmmm… moments！ That’s good。 I want to read a history book that makes me pause for thought， that challenges me and my views， successfully or unsuccessfully， and this book certainly did that。I’d definitely recommend Hunting the Falcon for anyone interested in knowing more about Anne Boleyn and wanting a fresh perspective on her relationship with Henry VIII。 。。。more
Erin Cartwright
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I've read many books on the marriage of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and this shot to the top of my favorites list。 It's very well read and meticulously researched and offers a fresh perspective to a very old story。This book reveals how much more involved Anne was in her own demise， how she was a skilled politician and conniving manipulator。 Their relationship changed Europe and the world and the lives of so many in the court of King Henry VIII。 The authors outline the impact of her choices a I've read many books on the marriage of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and this shot to the top of my favorites list。 It's very well read and meticulously researched and offers a fresh perspective to a very old story。This book reveals how much more involved Anne was in her own demise， how she was a skilled politician and conniving manipulator。 Their relationship changed Europe and the world and the lives of so many in the court of King Henry VIII。 The authors outline the impact of her choices and well as the Kings in an interesting and knowledgeable way。An excellent read for history buffs or novices alike。 Highly recommend。Thank you， NetGalley， for the ARC。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Stephanie P
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Thank you NetGalley， John Guy and Julia Fox， and Harper for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Hunting the Falcon。 I received an advanced reader copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 This one is written as a non-fiction book。 A lot of books in this genre tend to be written as a list of fact after fact， which reads rather dry and can often get quite boring。 Hunting the Falcon is nothing of the sort though。 It was written with such care that it actually felt like a beating Thank you NetGalley， John Guy and Julia Fox， and Harper for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Hunting the Falcon。 I received an advanced reader copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 This one is written as a non-fiction book。 A lot of books in this genre tend to be written as a list of fact after fact， which reads rather dry and can often get quite boring。 Hunting the Falcon is nothing of the sort though。 It was written with such care that it actually felt like a beating heart。 It read so much more like a novel。 The research that went into this book is so well presented from start to finish。 I will most certainly purchase this book for my shelf and reread it over and over。 Well done。 。。。more
Gail
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An extremely well written book about the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn。 Extreme detail on almost every facet of their relationship before and after marriage。。Many books I have read about this couple make Anne to be a victim which at the end she was。 I found her to be conniving and extremely hateful especially to those related in any way to Queen Katherine of Aragon and daughter Mary。 Katherine and Mary were separated and never allowed to see or communicate with each other after the king An extremely well written book about the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn。 Extreme detail on almost every facet of their relationship before and after marriage。。Many books I have read about this couple make Anne to be a victim which at the end she was。 I found her to be conniving and extremely hateful especially to those related in any way to Queen Katherine of Aragon and daughter Mary。 Katherine and Mary were separated and never allowed to see or communicate with each other after the king's relationship with Anne。 I have to admit when I first started reading this book I wondered if the book was about Anne Boleyn but the book did pick up after a few chapters and became much more interesting。Any one interested in the history of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and how their marriage changed Europe will want to read this book。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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This fascinating book about Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII offers a fresh look at a familiar story。 Dispelling myths， reinterpreting old evidence， and using newly uncovered artifacts， the book reveals Anne's impact on history as a skilled advocate and politician in her own right。 It shows how events in the wider European world affected Anne's marriage and were affected by it。 No matter how many books you've read about Anne Boleyn， this one will give you a new perspective。Thanks， NetGalley， for the A This fascinating book about Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII offers a fresh look at a familiar story。 Dispelling myths， reinterpreting old evidence， and using newly uncovered artifacts， the book reveals Anne's impact on history as a skilled advocate and politician in her own right。 It shows how events in the wider European world affected Anne's marriage and were affected by it。 No matter how many books you've read about Anne Boleyn， this one will give you a new perspective。Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
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hunting the falcon henry viii anne boleyn and the marriage that shook europe