The Divorce of Henry VIII

'An eye-opening book, an intricate and fascinating story' Hilary Mantel

1527. Henry, desperate to marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor line asks Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce. Enter Gregorio Casali, an Italian diplomat hired to represent Henry's interests in the Vatican. Through six years of persuasion, threats and bribery Casali lives by his wits, playing off one powerful patron against another, negotiating with ambassadors from Spain, France and beyond, each crowding the Vatican to press their interests in the Tudor break up. Before it is done, Henry will decide to divorce not just Catherine, but the Church itself. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce of Henry VIII combines a gripping family saga with a highly charged political battle between the Tudors and the Vatican to reveal the extraordinary true story behind history's most infamous divorce.

(Originally published with the title Our Man in Rome)

Préface
The inside story of Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon - 'an intricate and fascinating story' Hilary Mantel

Auteur

Catherine Fletcher is a historian of Renaissance and early modern Europe. Her other books include The Black Prince of Florence, 'a spectacular, elegant, brilliant portrait of skulduggery, murder and sex in Renaissance Florence' (Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard Books of the Year), and The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance, to be published in 2020. She has recently been appointed Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Texte du rabat

1527. Henry, desperate to marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor line asks Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce. Enter Gregorio Casali, an Italian diplomat hired to represent Henry's interests in the Vatican. Through six years of persuasion, threats and bribery Casali lives by his wits, playing off one powerful patron against another, negotiating with ambassadors from Spain, France and beyond, each crowding the Vatican to press their interests in the Tudor break up. Before it is done, Henry will decide to divorce not just Catherine, but the Church itself. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce of Henry VIII combines a gripping family saga with a highly charged political battle between the Tudors and the Vatican to reveal the extraordinary true story behind history's most infamous divorce.

'A glittering debut... Drawing on the unexplored riches of Italian Renaissance archives, enlarges the well known story, and to magnificent effect' Sunday Times

'A marvel of close-up detective work' Daily Express

'She has managed here to reclaim a period of history all too often simplified Fletcher simply tells a cracking story well in plenty of detail with clarity and insight' The Times

Résumé
An eye-opening book, an intricate and fascinating story Hilary Mantel1527. Henry, desperate to marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor line asks Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce. Enter Gregorio Casali, an Italian diplomat hired to represent Henry s interests in the Vatican. Through six years of persuasion, threats and bribery Casali lives by his wits, playing off one powerful patron against another, negotiating with ambassadors from Spain, France and beyond, each crowding the Vatican to press their interests in the Tudor break up. Before it is done, Henry will decide to divorce not just Catherine, but the Church itself. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce of Henry VIII combines a gripping family saga with a highly charged political battle between the Tudors and the Vatican to reveal the extraordinary true story behind history s most infamous divorce. (Originally published with the title Our Man in Rome)