"Katherine of Aragon was a staunch but misguided woman of principle; Anne Boleyn an ambitious adventuress with a penchant for vengeance; Jane Seymour a strong-minded matriarch in the making; Anne of Cleves a good-humored woman who jumped at the chance of independence; Katherine Howard an empty-headed wanton; and Katherine Parr a godly matron who was nevertheless all too human when it came to a handsome rogue." Introduction, p. 3

"[m]arriage brought no real security to women; in all too many cases, they died as a result of it." Introduction, p. 11

"Prince [Arthur] declared . . . that he much rejoiced to contract the marriage [to Katherine of Aragon] because of his deep and sincere love for the Princess his wife, whom of course he had never seen. Such courtesies were the order of the day, however superficial." Chap. 1, p. 23

"To the maturing [Katherine], exposure to these unfamiliar freedoms brought with it...