Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII's Queens

This publication accompanies the National Portrait Gallery exhibition Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII's Queens. What were the real life stories and legacies of the six women who married Henry VIII? Discover these extraordinary queens through the court culture that recorded and shaped their often tempestuous lives: their letters, heraldic devices, books, love tokens and, of course, their portraits.

This publication reveals the extraordinary lives, and afterlives, of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr. The book begins with an examination of the women as cultural phenomena, looking at the ways in which their lives have inspired storytellers, from Shakespeare’s Henry VIII to the musical Six, and the role that portraiture has played in the performance of the queens’ stories.

An overview essay examines the queens’ self-presentation through portraiture before individual chapters consider each of their relationships with the king, their social and familial networks and their patronage. Each chapter is accompanied by a thematic piece written by an expert scholar, taking a closer look at an element of court culture, ranging from music and jewellery, to court pageantry and heraldry.

Format: 29 x 24.5 cm

Pages: 224 pages

ISBN: 9781855145290

Binding: Hardback

More about the author:

Charlotte Bolland is the Senior Curator for sixteenth century collections at the National Portrait Gallery. 

This text contains an essay by award-winning British art historian and author, Suzannah Lipscomb and other contributors include Nicola Clark, Brett Dolman, Alden Gregory, Benjamin Hebbert, Nicola Tallis, and Valerie Schutte.