The 1500's were a tumultous time in
Europe. The Imperial power under Charles V fought with France under
Francis I for dominion. The Italian peninsula was a battleground and
the Papacy was not safe from the depredations of war. All these
factors impinged on Henry VIII's divorce, not the least of which was
that Charlie V was the nephew of Queen Catherine, being the son of
her sister Juana, the mad, and Philip of Burgundy.
Although many of the characters in
Henry's drama, Cardinal Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, Queen Catherine, and
others, appear in the book. The Italian story of Henry's divorce is
really the story of Gregorio Casali. He served as England's
ambassador to the Vatican. It was his role to convince Clement VII to
grant the divorce. Set against the upheaval in Europe and
particularly on the Italian Peninsula this was no easy task. However,
six years later, it was concluded after Henry was already married to
Anne Boleyn.
The book is packed with interesting
information if you're a student of this period of European history.
Ms. Fletcher's ten years of research is well represented. However,
for the general reader, wanting a story, this is not the book. The
text is dense and full of Italian names. This can be quite confusing
to an English speaking audience, particularly since so many of the
names have the same of similar components.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and
recommend it for anyone interested in further information of the
political situation leading to Henry's divorce and the changes in
England.
I reviewed this book as part of the
Amazon Vine Program.
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