Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings

 

Summary (from the publisher): Mary Boleyn (c.1500-1543) was no less fascinating than her ill-fated queen consort sister Anne. In fact, her own claims to fame are numerous: She was not only an influential member of King Henry VIII's court circle; she was one of his mistresses and perhaps the mother of two of his children. In addition, the apparently prolific Mary was rumored to have been also a mistress of the King's rival, Francis I of France. Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn substantially redeems her subject's reputation by disputing her scandalous portrayal in Philippa Gregory's novel The Other Boleyn Girl. Our most detailed view yet of a power behind the throne. With titles like Elizabeth and The Lady in the Tower, Weir has carved out a niche as one of the foremost biographers of British royalty.

Review: This well researched biography covers the life of Mary Boleyn, the less well known but no less interesting sister to Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated queen beheaded by King Henry VIII. Likely briefly a mistress of Francis I of France, Mary was also a mistress of King Henry VIII before her sister caught his eye. Weir makes a compelling case that her oldest child was likely Henry's daughter and not the daughter of Mary's husband William Carey. After her first husband's death, Mary appears to have married William Stafford, who was much below her station as sister of the queen, for love. While given an unfair poor reputation over the centuries or forgotten about entirely, Mary had a much happier life than her sister and brother, who both were executed on orders by the king and it was she alone who had a happy love match. 

Much of Weir's book is spent unraveling the misconceptions and inaccuracies that surround Mary Boleyn and refuting earlier claims. While there is only so much information available on a woman who lived in the early 1500s, Weir does an excellent job of sleuthing through contemporary documents and making valid deductions based on what is known and historical practices of the time. Time and assumptions have significantly clouded the memory of Mary Boleyn, as illustrated by Alison Weir. For instance, history has painted her as a loose woman who took many lovers but all the evidence points to two brief liaisons with King Francis and King Henry, both of which were likely not fully her choice: "He was the King of France, all-powerful and commanding - how could a young, untried girl deny him? One brief amorous episode in youth does not define a woman's character. In fact, it tells us very little about her" (81). Similarly, her first husband William Carey has been labeled an undistinguished courtier by previous historians but in fact he held "one of  the most coveted positions in the royal household" and was a major figure at court, well liked by the king and many others, which accounts for a woman of high birth like Mary being married to him (97).  Weir also provides compelling evidence that Mary's daughter was actually King Henry VIII's child. While that of course can never be proven for sure, Henry's discreet provisions of grants and provisions for Mary and her husband, and later securing a position for the girl at his court where she was able to make a good marriage were likely discreet provisions for his daughter. 

Although it seems that Mary was not only overlooked in history but also largely dismissed by her family during her own lifetime, I found her just as compelling a character as her sister Anne. Despite only two letters surviving written in her own hand, she was prominent enough a figure at court and her family was significant enough that much can be deduced about her life. However, I did wish at times that more of the book was a straight forward biography rather than endless pages of text explaining why earlier assertions and biographies about Mary were wrong. I do wish more concrete knowledge of Mary could be known, but like most figures from hundreds of years ago, this is simply not meant to be and I was impressed with how much Weir could convey about her life with the scant resources available. I was impressed by Mary's perseverance, bravery to choose her own path, and survival in a ruthless royal world. While her sister Anne did become queen, she also died a violent death after being spurned by her husband and left her baby daughter behind. While Anne's memory survives, her line died out with her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. However, Mary's descendants are numerous and include such individuals as Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, Camilla Parker Bowles, Princess Diana, and Queen Elizabeth II. 

Stars: 4

Related Titles: 

• The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir
• The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
• The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
• Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World by Alison Weir 
• The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir 
• Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster by Alison Weir
• Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir 
• Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir 
• Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of Henry VIII by Giles Tremlett 
• Tudor: The Family Story by Leanda deLisa 
• Francis I: The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda