The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel by British author Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory is an English novelist.-Early life and academic career:Philippa Gregory was born in Kenya. When she was two years old, her family moved to England. She was a "rebel" at school, but managed to attend the University of Sussex...

 which was first published in 2006. It is a direct sequel to her previous novel The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical fiction novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn. Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at palace life in Tudor England, while others have consistently...

, and one of the additions to her six-part series on the Tudor royals. (The other titles in the series are The Constant Princess

The Constant Princess

The Constant Princess is a historical novel by Philippa Gregory, published in 2005. The novel depicts a fictionalized version of the life of Catherine of Aragon.-Plot summary:Childhood:The book starts at Alhambra Palace, when Catalina is five years old...

, The Queen's Fool

The Queen's Fool

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory is a 2004 historical fiction novel. Set between 1548 and 1558, it is part of Philippa Gregory's Tudor series. The series includes The Boleyn Inheritance...

, The Virgin's Lover

The Virgin's Lover

The Virgin's Lover is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory. It belongs to her series of Tudor novels, including The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, and The Queen's Fool....

,and The Other Queen

The Other Queen

The Other Queen is a novel by British author Philippa Gregory, released in the United Kingdom in September 2008 and the United States in October 2008. It was released in Australia in June 2008. It covers the period of Mary, Queen of Scots' long imprisonment in England...

.) The novel is told through the voices of three narrators - Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...

, Katherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford was an English noblewoman who lived in the reign of Henry VIII. She was a sister-in-law of Henry's second wife Anne Boleyn and lady-in-waiting to his fifth wife Catherine Howard, with whom she was executed.-Early life:Born Jane Parker, she was the daughter of...

, who was mentioned in The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical fiction novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn. Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at palace life in Tudor England, while others have consistently...

. It covers a period from 1539 until 1542 and chronicles the fourth and fifth marriages of King Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...

.

Many of the same characters and themes from The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical fiction novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn. Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at palace life in Tudor England, while others have consistently...

are explored in The Boleyn Inheritance, particularly Gregory's criticism of the English Reformation

English Reformation

The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

 and aristocratic court. The novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 has received generally positive reviews and it has avoided the controversy created by its prequel. Much of the criticism aimed against The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical fiction novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn. Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at palace life in Tudor England, while others have consistently...

was based on that novel's apparent suggestion that Queen Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...

 and her brother, George, were guilty of the charges of incest

Incest

Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...

 and treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

 for which they were both put to death at the end of the novel; this suggestion is missing from The Boleyn Inheritance, with one of the chief witnesses against them actually confessing that the charges were false.

Plot summary

The book begins in 1539, after the death of King Henry VIII's

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...

 third wife, Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...

. Henry is looking for a new wife and settles on Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...

, daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves

John III, Duke of Cleves

John III the Peaceful, Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark was a son of John II, Duke of Cleves and Matilda of Hesse, daughter of Henry III, Landgrave of Upper Hesse.John III became Regent of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg in 1521, and Lord of Ravensberg in 1528.John represented...

, whom he has only seen through the paintings sent to him. Jane Rochford

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford was an English noblewoman who lived in the reign of Henry VIII. She was a sister-in-law of Henry's second wife Anne Boleyn and lady-in-waiting to his fifth wife Catherine Howard, with whom she was executed.-Early life:Born Jane Parker, she was the daughter of...

 is summoned to court by the Duke of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...

 to be a lady-in-waiting at the court of King Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...

. Jane has unpleasant memories of court, because she is the widow of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Henry VIII's second wife, Anne. George and Anne Boleyn were both executed in 1536 for "adultery, incest and plotting to murder the King." Katherine Howard is a young girl (the cousin of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...

) living with her grandmother at Lambeth Palace, where she has grown accustomed to a lax, licentious lifestyle. She has taken a lover, Francis Dereham

Francis Dereham

Francis Dereham was a Tudor courtier whose involvement with Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Catherine Howard, in her youth was a principal cause of the Queen's execution.-Life:...

, and the two have sworn to be married. Katherine's uncle informs her that she will be brought to court if she can behave herself and she swears to herself not to let anything, including Francis, get in her way of success.

Anne, who has heard of the less-than-pleasant fates of her would-be predecessors, is not sure about being the queen of England, but is eager to leave her family, as nobody really cares for her. Her arrival in England goes well until she is surprised by a drunken man (actually Henry VIII in disguise), who plants a sloppy kiss on her; she responds with an angry shove and curses him in German. Although she quickly tries to make amends once she is made aware of his identity, the King carries a grudge against her for the duration of their marriage because of this. Henry is also put off by Anne's looks, since she is dressed like a country bumpkin, and does not look at all like her portrait. Despite his misgivings, Henry goes ahead with the marriage, but he is already looking for a way out. Anne is at a great disadvantage during the first months of her new life as she hardly speaks any English, and she does not know Latin, the diplomatic language of the time. Due to her strict religious upbringing, she has not been taught how to play an instrument, sing or dance, and her mother has not made her aware of the facts of life. Despite this, Anne quickly befriends Jane Rochford, who is one of her ladies-in-waiting. Jane is as surprised as anyone at Anne's plain appearance and ill proficiency at English, but Anne is an honest, sweet young woman who wins over the English people, if not her husband. She makes an effort to befriend Prince Edward, and the princesses Elizabeth and Mary

Mary I of England

Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...

, even when it enrages her husband, and makes a point to learn as much English as possible. A few months after their wedding, Henry decides to rid himself of his new wife. Fearing for her life, Anne is all-too-eager to sign an annulment saying that she was previously betrothed to Francis of Lorraine

Francis I, Duke of Lorraine

Francis I was a member of the French nobility. He was briefly Duke of Lorraine from 1544–1545.-History:...

 and that her wedding was not consummated. She is given the title "Princess" and receives land, money, and the treatment reserved for the king's own sister.

Meanwhile, Henry has noticed the beautiful fourteen-year-old Katherine "Kitty" Howard, who has becomes one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting, thanks to her uncle, Duke Thomas Howard of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...

. Infatuated, Henry quickly divorces Anne and marries Katherine, his "rose without a thorn". Katherine has in turn fallen in love with one of the king's favorite courtiers, Thomas Culpepper. At first, Katherine enjoys the perks of being a queen, although she finds the condescension of her stepdaughter Mary

Mary I of England

Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...

 irritating (Mary is almost ten years older than she is and finds her frivolous). However, she quickly becomes aware of the drawbacks of being married to the King. Henry is no longer young and handsome; he is nearly 50 years old (her grandfather's age), weighs approximately 300 pounds, and has a festering ulcer on his thigh that permanently weeps pus and blood. Katherine's infatuation for Thomas Culpepper becomes harder and harder to hide. Encouraged by the Duke of Norfolk and Jane Rochford, who want Katherine to bear a child for the king (whom they now believe to be completely impotent), she begins an affair with the young courtier. She goes to bed with the king and once he is asleep, joins Thomas in another room, guarded by Jane Rochford.

However, young Katherine's life takes a bad turn when her past returns to haunt her in the shape of her former betrothed Francis Dereham

Francis Dereham

Francis Dereham was a Tudor courtier whose involvement with Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Catherine Howard, in her youth was a principal cause of the Queen's execution.-Life:...

, who turns up at court in order to get ahead. Katherine gives him a position in her household but does not like him being so close. When her affair with Culpepper is exposed by the enemies of her family, her friends and family desert her to avoid implicating themselves, and her previous affairs are used as further evidence of adultery (which is now a treasonous offence). Although Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...

, the Archbishop of Canterbury, tries to help her by telling her to state that she was engaged to Dereham, and therefore her marriage is invalid, Katherine is now so frightened and hysterical that she cannot understand him and continues to state that there was no engagement. She is found guilty of adultery and treason and is executed at only sixteen, along with her beloved Thomas Culpepper and many others involved. Jane Rochford tries desperately to get out of execution by feigning insanity, but cannot escape from the king's wrath this time. She is found guilty of treason and also beheaded. Anne of Cleves, after being cleared of any blame, remains in her new home in England and outlives not only her supplanter, but Henry himself.

Historical inaccuracy

• Mary Boleyn's daughter, Catherine, is referred to as Catherine Carey
  Catherine Carey
  Katherine Carey, often spelt Catherine Carey, after her marriage Katherine Knollys and later Lady Knollys, pronounced "Noles" Katherine Carey, often spelt Catherine Carey, after her marriage Katherine Knollys and later Lady Knollys, pronounced "Noles" Katherine Carey, often spelt Catherine Carey,...
  
   throughout the book. However, she married Francis Knollys
  Francis Knollys (the elder)
  Sir Francis Knollys , of Greys Court, in Oxfordshire, KG was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I of England, and was a Member of Parliament for a number of constituencies....
  
   in 1539 and would have been called Lady Catherine Knollys.
• There is no evidence that Jane faked insanity to save her life. She was, however, insane when she was executed and King Henry VIII repealed a law that said that insane people could not be executed.
• Jane and George Boleyn did not have a son. There is no contemporary mention of them having children. This rumour comes from the later prominence of George Boleyn, dean of Lichfield, who was probably a distant cousin. If they had had a son, he would have inherited the titles of Earl of Ormonde and Earl of Wiltshire. Instead, the inheritance went to the crown since there were no male heirs left from Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn, and King Henry passed the funds along to Mary Boleyn.
• In the book, when Jane Boleyn returns to the Queen's service she mentions being at Greenwich Palace and the last occasion she was there was when she nursed the dying Jane Seymour
  Jane Seymour
  Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
  
  . Jane Seymour in fact died at Hampton Court. Her son, the future Edward VI, did die at Greenwich fifteen years later.
• In the novel, once Katherine Howard is told by her uncle that she is to be sent to court, she promptly ends her affair with Francis Dereham
  Francis Dereham
  Francis Dereham was a Tudor courtier whose involvement with Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Catherine Howard, in her youth was a principal cause of the Queen's execution.-Life:...
  
  , finding her desire to go is apparently stronger than her love for him. When he comes to her that night, she orders him away. In actuality, Francis Dereham was not in the same place as Katherine Howard at the time she was given the opportunity to go to court. He was away traveling and was not informed of her absence at the home of the dowager duchess until after his return.
• In the book, Jane and the Duke of Norfolk plot to put Katherine on the throne. However, there is no evidence that they even talked after the fall of Anne Boleyn
  Anne Boleyn
  Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
  
  . The Duke of Norfolk, after the tragedy of his niece, Anne Boleyn, is highly unlikely to have played such a dangerous game.
• Anne of Cleves's mother was not cruel to her. On the contrary, Anne was said to be her favourite.
• In the novel, Jane is said to be aged thirty in the year 1539, meaning she would have to have been born some time in 1509. However, it is more likely that she was born in 1505 and aged thirty-four in 1539.
• In the book, Katherine Howard was said to be extremely beautiful (or as she herself says that she "was the most beautiful girl in England"). In reality, Katherine Howard was said to be only "moderately beautiful" but youthful looking.
• In the book, Katherine Howard is fourteen years old when she comes to court. Although her exact date of birth is not known, the most common date given is 1521, so she was actually in her late teens when she came to court.
• In the book, Anne of Cleves is elated to be free from her marriage, and is horrified at the idea of remarrying the King. In reality, although she agreed to the annulment, she had hopes of becoming Queen again after the execution of Katherine Howard, and was said to be quite unhappy on learning that the King was marrying Katherine Parr. Years after the King died, she attempted to have their marriage declared valid so that she could enjoy the perks of being Queen Dowager
  Queen Dowager
  A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
  
  .
• In the book, Henry's eldest daughter Mary I of England
  Mary I of England
  Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
  
  is openly referred to as Princess Mary but, in reality, she was legally illegitimate at the time and addressed as Lady Mary. His younger daughter Elizabeth, likewise, was only restored to the line of succession after the king's sixth wife, Katherine Parr, persuaded him to reinstate both of his daughters in the line of succession, although both Mary and Elizabeth remained legally illegitimate. Henry's daughters never regained their titles of Princess.

External links

• The Official Philippa Gregory Site