Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn - the first two wives of Henry VIII - are so often portrayed as opposites. Katherine as the loyal, scorned wife - Anne as the bright, bewitching upstart.
But now Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb returns to Hever Castle to explore what Anne and Katherine were really like - two well-educated women whose personalities and actions lie at the heart of the upheaval of Henry VIII’s reign. They shape this story - and play just as large a role in it as any of the men.
Suzannah sifts through the evidence, the love letters sent by Henry Viii and two near-identical bibles owned by Anne and Katherine that Hever have brought together for the first time in nearly 500 years. They are full of clues about the women's personalities and beliefs.
Although Anne and Katherine’s rivalry changed history, Suzannah poses a surprising question: did these fascinating, well-educated women have more in common than separated them?
And make sure you stay tuned right to the end - you won't want to miss the secret pink bathroom where Anne read Henry's love letters!
Up Next in Investigations
-
King Arthur's Round Table Revealed
The mystery and legend of King Arthur has fascinated mankind for centuries. Was there really a fifth-century warrior king at war with the Angles and Saxons? Did he have a round table of knights? Where was Camelot? Now, twenty-first century forensic archaeology allows us to suggest new answers to ...
-
The Real Peaky Blinders
19th century Birmingham was famous for its industrial might, but particular parts of it were also renowned for a more infamous reason: its gangs. Dan headed up to Birmingham to meet bestselling author and celebrity local historian Carl Chinn to learn the true history behind Birmingham's most noto...
-
The Princes in the Tower: The Mystery...
Wars of the Roses historian Matt Lewis visits the Tower of London to talk through one of the building’s greatest mysteries: the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower. He talks through the possibility that the two young boys were not murdered on King Richard III's orders, but in fact survived ...
53 Comments