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The Life of the Queen's Mother
Remembered only as a wife and mother, Elizabeth Boleyn has been overlooked for centuries. However, she had a long and illustrious court career before her daughters Mary and Anne ever caught the king’s eye. Serving as Katherine of Aragon’s lady-in-waiting for eleven years, Elizabeth was at the heart of Henry VIII’s early reign, and she bore witness to the dramatic rise and downfall of her family.
In this first narrative biography of Elizabeth Boleyn, her story is finally told. Beginning with her family’s dramatic flight from Norfolk to London after the Battle of Bosworth, this book charts Elizabeth’s life at the early Henrician court, follows her as her family rise to the pinnacle of their power, and ends with her tragic death just a couple of years after two of her children were brutally executed. This is the story of the Boleyn family – and the dramatic events of Tudor England – from an entirely new perspective.
‘Elizabeth Boleyn has never been more than a name, a blank space attached to Anne Boleyn, marked 'her mother'. Now, thanks to Sophie Bacchus-Waterman's dedicated, scholarly, deep-dive into the archives, our knowledge of Elizabeth has been extensively enhanced. We will never see Elizabeth in full colour, there is just not enough information, but now we have the full-shaped shadow of a real woman, who was not just Anne's mother, but a daughter, sister, and courtier in her own right.’
Melita Thomas, author of 1000 Tudor People,
‘Together, Anne and Thomas Boleyn have become one of the most famous, or infamous, father-daughter partnerships in history while Elizabeth Boleyn has remained largely hidden from view. This book expertly fills the void where Anne’s mother should always have been. Meticulously researched and sensitively written, Elizabeth Boleyn is restored to us from the fragmentary records of her life and restored to her status as a key player in the life of her daughter. Elizabeth Boleyn, so nice to finally meet you.’ - Claire Martin, author of Heirs of Ambition
‘At long last, Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire and Ormond, is being brought out of the shadows and given the attention she so richly deserves. Sophie Bacchus-Waterman's ground-breaking biography not only explores her role as Queen Anne Boleyn’s mother, but also reveals her as a formidable and fascinating woman in her own right. A must-read for anyone interested in the Tudor period and the often-neglected women who helped shape it.’
Claire Ridgway, founder of The Anne Boleyn Files,
‘For the first time, Elizabeth emerges as a compelling historical figure in her own right: a woman with a long court career, political insight, and personal ambition. Drawing on new archival research, Sophie Bacchus-Waterman delivers a rich and nuanced portrait of a woman too long consigned to the margins.
Sylvia Barbara Soberton, author of Ladies-In-Waiting: The Women Who Served Anne Boleyn,
