Chronology/Introduction Summary and Analysis

This book chronicles the lives and relationships of the six wives of England's King Henry VIII, one of history's most well known monarchs. Rich with well-researched and meticulously documented historical detail, the book navigates the chronology of one of the most spiritually and politically volatile periods in English history while maintaining a clear focus on the personal experiences of the people living through it. Themes relating to the role of women in medieval society and the destructive power of certainty emerge as the author weaves a vivid tapestry of ambition, lust, loneliness, idealism, and the occasional glimpse of grace.

The book opens with a chronology of important dates, beginning in 1485 with Henry VII (the father of Henry VIII) usurping the throne of England and ending in 1558 with Henry VIII's daughter, the legendary Elizabeth I, becoming queen. Other dates include...