The story of Henry VIII and his six wives has passed from history into legend – taught in the cradle as a cautionary tale and remembered in adulthood as an object lesson in the dangers of marrying into royalty. The true story behind the legend, however, remains obscure to most people, whose knowledge of the affair begins and ends with the aide memoire ‘Divorced, executed, died, divorced, executed, survived’.

David Loades’ masterly book recounts Henry’s whole sorry tale in detail from his first marriage, to his brother’s widow Catherine of Aragon, to his more or less contented old age in the care of the motherly Catherine Parr.

• Hardback received ecstatic

  reviews: ‘Neither Starkey nor Weir has the assurance and command of

  Loades’ SIMON HEFFER, LITERARY REVIEW; ‘Incisive and profound. I

  warmly recommend this book’ ALISON WEIR.

• Surprisingly few books on this hugely

  popular subject of English history.

• This new edition will have a striking

  new cover, completely re-set internals and a new range of over 80

  illustrations, most in colour.

• Author is a recognised

  authority on the Tudors with nine books to his credit. ‘David Loades is one of

  our finest Tudor historians’ ALISON WEIR.