The fascinating relationship of Mary and Anne Boleyn | Interview with historian Owen Emmerson

The Boleyn family have always (and will continue to) fascinated many historians and history lovers alike across the globe for their amazing rise in status, power and influence. Whilst the Boleyn family had seen a notable rise in status during the reign of Henry VII and the early years of Henry VIII's reign, it is mostly the courtship and subsequent marriage of Anne Boleyn to King Henry VIII that brought the Boleyns to their highest point in society and, very sadly, it also lead to their eventual downfall and almost complete disappearance from society.

However, today we shall be discussing two very important Boleyn women; Anne and Mary Boleyn, both of whom had relationships (or in Mary's case a carnal experience) with King Henry VIII yet Mary is often overshadowed by the success and downfall of her sister, Anne. Over the years, we have seen representations of the relationship between the two sisters yet we haven't seen much talk of what the sisters were like prior and during Anne's marriage to the King. Today, I am delighted to announce this year's first guest, Dr Owen Emmerson, who talks with me about Mary and Anne's relationship and take a look into what Mary's affair with the King might have been like.

Dr Owen Emmerson is one of the leading experts on the Boleyn family who was the Castle Historian and Assistant Curator at the Boleyn's family home, Hever Castle in Kent, for six years. He is the author of four amazing books including three on the Boleyn family, mainly Anne, and the recent discovery of Cromwell's Book of Hours and these are: The Boleyns of Hever Castle; Becoming Anne: Connections, Culture, Court; Catherine and Anne: Queens, Rivals, Mothers; Holbein's Hidden Gem: Rediscovering Thomas Cromwell's Lost Book.

You can find Dr Owen Emmerson via his website and social media pages which are listed below:

Website: Dr Owen Emmerson – Social & Cultural Historian

Twitter: Dr Owen Emmerson (@DrOwenEmmerson) / X (twitter.com)

Facebook: Dr Owen Emmerson - Historian | Facebook

TikTok: @DrOwenEmmerson (@drowenemmerson) | TikTok

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drowenemmerson/

YouTube: Dr Owen Emmerson - YouTube

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Until next time...

- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!