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 More than Just the Tudors
-
Mary, Queen of Scots - Not Just the T...
Mary’s biography is enormously dramatic, packed with romance, betrayal, imprisonment and violence. Unsurprisingly, it has proved irresistible to film-makers, recreating a time when two queens vied for power - Mary in Scotland and Elizabeth I in England. Their relationship was blighted with mistr...
-
Charles II and the Restoration with R...
What did Charles II do in the English Civil Wars? Why was he known as the merry monarch? When did things start to go wrong for Charles II? What happened during the Great Fire of London? How did Charles II die? Stuarts and Restoration London historian Rebecca Rideal answers some of the key questio...
-
Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudors
Nicola Tallis comes on the show to talk about the extraordinary Margaret Beaufort: 'Mother of the Tudors' and the ancestor of all subsequent royals.
51 Comments