Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe

The marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is one of the most remarkable stories in history: a long courtship followed by a shotgun wedding to Anne, who was already pregnant, and then a coronation, ending just short of three years later when a husband's passion turned to such hatred that he simply wanted his wife gone. Leading British Tudor historians John Guy and Julia Fox examine the most recent archival discoveries and peel back layers of historical myth to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways. They show how Anne and Henry's relationship was tied almost completely to the major events of international politics at one of the great turning points of European history, and dispel any assumptions that a sixteenth-century woman could exert little influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. It pays particular attention to the seven ‘missing’ years that Anne spent in France and explores how she organised her side of the royal court in novel ways that sowed the seeds of her own downfall. In this feat of historical research and analysis, Guy and Fox offer a unique retelling of one of the most consequential marriages in history and an exhilarating portrait of love, lust, politics, and power.

John Guy, Julia Fox. Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe / Translated from English by Irina Nikitina. Editor Svetlana Levenzon. Editor Natalia Galaktionova. — Moscow: KoLibri, Azbuka-Atticus, 2024.