To celebrate the publication of our book George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat, Clare Cherry and I are embarking on a virtual book tour which will see us visiting 11 different historical blogs. At each stop, we will be giving away a copy of our book, as well as sharing an article or Q&A session.
Here is the schedule:
- Monday 26 May – Anne Boleyn: From Queen to History where we share what the sources tell us about George Boleyn the man.
- Tuesday 27 May – Nerdalicious, where Olga interviews us about George.
- Wednesday 28 May – The Tudor Tutor, where we share our thoughts on George’s relationship with Henry VIII.
- Thursday 29 May – Susan Higginbotham’s History Refreshed blog, where we talk about George’s position as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
- Friday 30 May – QueenAnneBoleyn.com, where we’re interviewed about George and our book by Beth von Staats.
- Monday 2 June – The Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide, where we discuss how we came to be writing this book together.
- Tuesday 3 June – On the Tudor Trail, to answer 20 questions.
- Wednesday 4 June – The Tudor Cafe for a Q&A session.
- Thursday 5 June – TudorHistory.org, where we share our favourite primary sources.
- Friday 6 June – The Tudor Roses, where we share an extract from our book about George’s love of falconry.
- Saturday 7 June – Gareth Russell’s Confessions of a Ci-devant, where we look at George Boleyn’s scaffold speech.
We’d just like to say a big thank you to Sarah, Olga, Barb, Susan, Beth, Tamise, Natalie, Bridgett, Lara, Darren & Emma, and Gareth for hosting us on their blogs, it’s lovely to have such support. I do hope you will follow our tour and take part in the giveaways – see you there!
George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat by Clare Cherry and Claire Ridgway was released in April 2014 and is available from the following book retailers or your local bookstore. Its ISBN is 978-8493746452.
- Amazon.com as a Kindle or paperback.
- Amazon UK as a Kindle or paperback. It’s also available at the other international Amazon sites.
- Kobo as an ebook.
- Lulu as an ePub ebook
- The Book Depository as a paperback.
- Barnes & Noble
You can find out more about the book and view articles and videos over at www.GeorgeBoleyn.com.
Having read this on my kindle I would recommend it to anyone with an interest In the Tudors.I also want to get paperback version eventually(sorry have to purchase ones I haven’t read first 😉 )..My library Ive started to would not be complete without it.
Thank you, Michael, that’s so kind of you to say.
i have 2 books to finish and then this book and one on Cranmer are next.
the thing that strikes me about George, and which I am curious to see if you address, is that he was known to be quite intelligent and witty, but his proudness turned people way off. In the tower and on the scaffold his true humanity was revealed and I think he really regretted having just attended to the intellectual debate side of religion, and not the meaning and day to day living of it. he actually said so, so I do not claim I am just divining this, so to speak. As Anne too was disliked on account of the above personality or behavior, i am wondering where it came from? We never hear anything about their mother at court or
wherever, I just wonder what she was like…
We talk about his pride in the book and, in fact, in one of next week’s book tour articles. I think he was being hard on himself in his scaffold speech, I know that I would be the same when facing death – there’s always so much more you could have done to spread your faith. Chapuys comments on how George was always debating religion and he was involved in the Reformation Parliament, so he did act as well as read. I find his scaffold speech and his behaviour in the Tower, when he worried about those who owed him money and those to whom he owed money, very moving.
Elizabeth Boleyn is a bit of a mystery. We know that she acted as chaperone for Anne when Henry was courting her, and we know Anne was worried about her mother’s health in 1536, but we don’t know about her personality. It’s a shame, I’d love to find a diary or something!
Thank you. I meant acted rather than read in terms of kindness to other people. If indeed he made the comment about Mary Tudor joining her mother (after Katherine’s death) that isnt Christian and I think he was referring to that kind of thing rather than political activities.
Schofield, in his book on Cromwell, makes the point that Katherine never had anything to do with her that we know of – did not have here as a lady in waiting – and Norlfolk, her brother, was a friend and supporter of Katherine’s, as well of a Catholic. Looks odd not to have that connection prior to Anne coming to court. I have to admit, even though I think Elizabeth Boleyn may have been sickly or something, it is very strange that we know nothing when we know more about her husband and children.
No he didn’t make that comment about Mary. Chapuys never said he did. The comment of Chapuys has been misquoted.
I didnt say Chapuys said it. I actually dont recall wh owas quoted, but I have seen it refrered to by different people –
But I will bite – what do you say Chapuys did say that was misquoted? If you dont have time to write it out – that is ok. I will look back at my various books etc and see where that came from because I know I read it recently.
Anne made violent comments about Katherine being hung and Spaniards drowning etc. so I was willing to believe her brother would speak that way, too.
The quote is from Chapuys, and Chapuys didn’t say it. Chapuys says it’s what he thought Thomas and George Boleyn were thinking, not that they were thinking it or that they said it. No need to bite, just read some primary sources!
Clare is correct, Alison Weir says “Lord Rochford thought it a pity the Lady Mary did not keep company with her mother” which makes it sound like Rochford actually said that, i.e. pondered aloud, whereas Chapuys actually says:
“No words can describe the joy and delight which this King and the promoters of his concubinate have felt at the demise of the good Queen, especially the Earl of Wiltshire and his son, who must have said to themselves, what a pity it was that the Princess had not kept her mother company.” (Spanish State Papers, Jan 21st)
Chapuys is simply imagining what Thomas and George were saying to themselves, not what they actually said.
Anne did have a fiery temper and, according to Chapuys (who wasn’t present so it is third hand information), did say rather unsavoury things about Catherine and Mary. However, George was more level-headed. In 1534, when Anne threatened to put the Princess Mary to death if the King ever left her as Regent, her brother sensibly, if somewhat nervously, advised her that this would insult the King. (Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 5 Part 1: 1534-1535, 198, also
LP vii. 871.)
That is interesting, thank you.
But as I noted, I did not just read it in Alison weir’s book.
Interesting also that George would have to point out to Anne that threatening to kill
Mary would insult Henry. For her to say things like that in public was so stupid
And before anyone argues, George would not have repeated that or Anne’s
Sexual digs at Henry so she was around people who could hear her. She did this
A lot and it was her undoing.
First of all, Claire and Clare, great to hear about the tour and good luck. I have set a reminder on my computer to alert me to the dates and the tours so I remember to visit the sites. I have half read the book now and find it fascinating with ideas and information that either I was not aware of before of that I have not considered for some time, as we normally get a warped view of George Boleyn and his father from drama, etc. I read on one of your sites that there was a biograthy about Thomas Boleyn but have not as yet been able to get hold of it. I think I will try the library inter loan to view a copy. I have spent the last few weeks reading much of the best material on Anne and her fall and George does come over very much as an intelligent man through these sources. Interestingly; reading the book The Books of Henry VIII and His Queens; the book that George wrote in was according to their research given to him first by Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk for whom it was commissioned as an instruction normally given to men coming up through the nobility and their behaviour and passtimes. Interesting that Brandon should have been connected enough with the Boleyns to give such a prized present to George Boleyn, of course in the early days of their time at court he was an ally with them until after the fall of Wolsey when he seems then to have become Anne’s enemy. What strange times we live in or rather they lived in.
George and Anne seem to have really been the intelligent ones, but George seems also to have a more balanced and cooler head than Anne. His rebuke to his sister when she was babbling about ordering the deaths of Catherine and Mary that this would anger the King show that he realised how dangerously she was tredding. However, we have to remember that she was distraught at this time and under a lot of stress and her remarks were not made in public but in private at a time that she felt insecure and was expressing that fear to her brother, who quite sensibly forbade her. The fact that it was reported to someone else also proves that a member of her staff was present in her chambers and she was not entirely alone with her brother. We should also remember that Kings and Queens were always attended; save when sleeping with each other. Even when they slept, someone slept in a trussel bed next to them or under the bed to ensure their safety; she did not need to say anything in public for someone else to hear it. Simularly, any remarks that she made about her husband were made in private and confidence; but that does not mean that someone else did not hear and repeat those lies. Anne babbled when under stress and strain and did not always guard her tongue or realise what she was doing or saying. The words in the Tower show this to be true; George was obviously a steadying force in his sisters life, someone she came to rely upon and without his influence the poor lass was alone and afraid and not able to remain calm.
Good luck on the tour — virtual tour and look forward to visiting the sites for more.