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Six Wives
Six Wives | David Starkey
5 posts | 11 read | 9 to read
No one in history had a more eventful career in matrimony than Henry VIII. His marriages were daring and tumultuous, and made instant legends of six very different women. In this remarkable study, David Starkey argues that the king was not a depraved philanderer but someone seeking happiness -- and a son. Knowingly or not, he elevateda group of women to extraordinary heights and changed the way a nation was governed. Six Wives is a masterful work of history that intimately examines the rituals of diplomacy, marriage, pregnancy, and religion that were part of daily life for women at the Tudor Court. Weaving new facts and fresh interpretations into a spellbinding account of the emotional drama surrounding Henry's six marriages, David Starkey reveals the central role that the queens played in determining policy. With an equally keen eye for romantic and political intrigue, he brilliantly recaptures the story of Henry's wives and the England they ruled.
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review
Sophronisba
Six Wives | David Starkey
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Panpan

Starkey did a formidable amount of research and it shows. But I did not care for his tone; he came across as both arrogant and misogynistic throughout the book. He describes Agnes Strickland's methodology as “She charmed (she was very pretty, especially for a scholar) her way into the national archives of both Britain and France“ and complains about an aging Catherine of Aragon growing “uglier and duller.“ (Has he noticed how Henry VIII aged?)

Sophronisba I also didn't care for his entire treatment of Catherine Howard's life, in which he holds a young teenage girl more responsible for her actions than countless adult men. Bleh. His research may be useful to historians, but I don't recommend the book as a whole to the average reader. 2y
10 likes1 comment
blurb
Sophronisba
Six Wives | David Starkey
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Have reached the Anne Cleves section of Six Wives, but I keep pausing to listen to her Six song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5xv7fyRFyI

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Sophronisba
Six Wives | David Starkey
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII is one of the world‘s great stories: indeed, it contains a whole world of literature within itself. It is more far-fetched than any soap opera; as sexy and violent as any tabloid; and darker and more disturbing than the legend of Bluebeard. It is both a great love story and a supreme political thriller.

#FridayReads #FirstLineFridays

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Librarybelle
Six Wives | David Starkey
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Henry VIII had the whole #GroundsForDivorce down to a science. He also knew how to sentence wives to death, but that‘s a discussion for another day... #RedRoseSeptember

arlenefinnigan The comedian Mark Steel once said "when I was at school we had a rhyme to help us remember Henry VIII's wives:'divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived". It'll be a lot easier for kids studying the modern Royal family:' divorced, divorced, divorced, divorced, divorced, crashed. '" 5y
Librarybelle @arlenefinnigan 😂 That‘s good! 5y
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CarolynM @arlenefinnigan 😂😂😂 I love Mark Steel. Have you read his book on the French Revolution? It's hilarious 5y
Maggie_Reads Oh man, I tried to read this a few years ago but I bailed. He had great info and it was well researched but it read like a dry textbook to me so I DNF it. 5y
Librarybelle @Maggie_Reads I‘ve heard that about this one - very dry writing. I haven‘t read it yet. Dryness in tone doesn‘t bother me, but I also need to be in the right mindset to read something dry. If I‘m super stressed or anxious, I can‘t read dry texts. 5y
79 likes6 comments
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Librarybelle
Six Wives | David Starkey
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Henry thinks #LayAllYourLoveOnMe . But, his idea of love is kind of skewed. He demands complete devotion from his wives, but he doesn‘t necessarily have to return it. Starkey writes an incredible history of Henry‘s six wives. #ABBAinAugust

Meredith3 Who doesn‘t love King Henry VIII 🤴🏼❤️ 6y
Cinfhen He‘s like the lonely polygamist...book sounds great 👍🏻 6y
Mdargusch Good one! He really took his power to a new level. 🤴🏼 6y
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Reviewsbylola That‘s definitely someone I would never want to be married to. 😂 6y
emilyhaldi Ha!! This is perfect!! And I am stacking this... so into it 👍🏻 6y
Librarybelle @Meredith3 @Cinfhen @Mdargusch @Reviewsbylola @emilyhaldi Part of me wants to be a fly on the wall in his court, but the rational side of me knows that‘s completely dangerous! Very interesting guy to read about... 6y
79 likes2 stack adds6 comments