Six Tudor Queens Books In Order

Publication Order of Six Tudor Queens Books

Six Tudor Queens is the dramatic retelling of King Henry VIII’s affairs with the six women that shaped his reign. The novels are supposed to reimagine King Henry VIII’s most trying years from the perspective of these women whose lives he essentially ruined.

+The Story
The tale of the Tudors has been told and retold on numerous occasions. And yet the publishing arena and readers at large can’t seem to get enough of this particular portion of Britain’s contentious history.

King Henry VIII has proven to be an especially compelling figure for historical authors who have gone to great pains to bring his lusts and desires to life through the lens of both fiction and nonfiction.

King Henry VIII’s tale almost always hinges on his relationship with Anne Boleyn, the most famous of his wives. However, King Henry VIII was a man of rich appetites and, over the course of his life, his path was closely intertwined with that of quite a few women, many of whom shaped his future and the fate of the British Empire.

Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series provides an in-depth look into the lives and fortunes of these women.

Katherine of Aragon kicks the tale off. The daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, esteemed Spanish Monarchs, Katherine was only three when she was betrothed to Arthur Prince of Wales.

Their marriage would have created a unified front against France. But when Katherine migrates to England at the age of 16, circumstances conspire to marry her off to King Henry VIII.

The heir to the throne, Henry’s affections for Katherine are initially quite true and strong. And Katherine’s fondness for her king knows no measure. But then politics, tradition, and religion eventually come into the mix, threatening the foundation Katherine and Henry had built.

Anne Boleyn, Katherine’s lady-in-waiting and the woman who stole Henry’s heart, is the last straw. What should have been a glorious reign for the Spanish Princess ends in disaster when Henry turns on Katherine, stripping her of her title and her privileges, and eventually raising another woman to the position of Queen.

Most other women would have given way to their King’s demands, departing from the shores of England and giving Henry’s new Queen free reign to settle into her role. But Katherine was no ordinary woman.

Her resistance against Henry’s demands and the conflict that ensued between her and Anne Boleyn placed King Henry VIII on the path to a destination he could never have foreseen.

Even though Katherine’s story is introduced and explored extensively in ‘Katherine of Aragon’, the first novel in the Six Tudor Queens series, she makes several appearances down the line.

All the Six Tudor Queens books are connected. IN fact, there are several overlaps between the stories they tell. For instance, it takes Anne Boleyn quite a while to enter the equation in the first novel.

And by the time she catches Henry’s eye, Anne is a fully grown woman. SO one would assume that ‘A King’s Obsession’, the second novel in the series which focuses primarily on Anne Boleyn would pick up the heroine’s story shortly after she wedded King Henry VIII.

But that isn’t actually the case. Book Two of the Six Tudor Queens series takes readers back to Anne’s childhood. It chronicles the events that brought her to the castle, the manner in which she became Katherine’s lady-in-waiting and how she seduced Henry.

So events that were covered in Book One are also covered in Book Two but from the perspective of Anne Boleyn. Book Three also does this. Jane Seymour, who eventually replaces Anne as Queen, sees her story chronicled from her childhood all the way to her ascension to the throne.

As such, events that were initially explored from Katherine and Anne’s perspectives are told once more from the point of view of Jane.

The primary driving factor of the Six Tudor Queens series isn’t actually the plight of Henry’s wives, the reasons that compel them to marry Henry or even the rivalries they must overcome to take the throne.

This series hinges on King Henry’s determination to sire an heir. The Six Tudor Queens series takes readers to a time when England had fallen into and survived a series of Civil Wars, the result of many a messy conflict over the subject of inheritance.

King Henry VIII spends the Six Tudor Queens series determined to steer his kingdom clear of further strife. And he believes that a male heir will permit him to do just that. In fact, even though Anne Boleyn’s beauty ultimately stole Henry’s love away from his first wife, it was Katherine’s inability to give him a male heir that first fractured their relationship.

And every other woman that eventually shares Henry’s bed, including Anne, knows that their position is only as safe as their ability to conceive a male heir.

These novels have been praised for their meticulous attention to detail and the author’s ability to successfully convey perspectives that historical documents never fully fleshed out.

+The Author
Alison Weir is a British historian that has written numerous biographies on England’s famous Kings and Queens. Before writing fiction and nonfiction, Alison taught children with special needs.

+The True Queen
Katherine, a Spanish Princess, came to England to marry Arthur of Wales. But she ended up in King Henry VIII’s bed. For a time, Katherine was happy. She was Queen of England and her husband dearly loved her.

But then the people she trusted turned on her and King Henry VIII gave his heart to another. Once admired and feared, Katherine is now a virtual prisoner.

+A King’s Obsession
When Anne Boleyn came to the English Court, she just wanted to survive. But her family hoped that she would raise them out of their poor standing. And when the King came calling, they encouraged her to receive his advances.

Anne obliged, having understood the power her sensuality gave her over men. She realized that she was a woman worthy of the Crown and she was determined to squeeze every ounce of privilege and luxury she could get out of the position, unaware of the price she would have to pay as a result.