Out now in England and soon to be published in the US (20 June 2023), “Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I” is a fascinating look into the relationship between Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth I. Tracy Borman, a famous Tudor expert, has used all kinds of sources to examine the impact and influence that Anne and her family had on the life and reign of Elizabeth. Even though Elizabeth was just a toddler when her mother was executed, Anne had a huge influence on her life, which I had no idea about. Her influence on history is still felt to this day, which is quite astounding.

Beautifully written, the book follows Anne and Elizabeth’s lives in chronological order, and though there are many different people involved, Borman is adept at reminding the reader who is who in the complicated family trees of the Tudor and Boleyn families. I never really felt lost but I can imagine that some people might need to jot down some notes to keep track of everyone.

After reading this, I have a whole new appreciation for Anne and Elizabeth, understanding the choices they made, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they deeply cared for one another, even though they were separated by distance and death.

I read this book in May, when many countries celebrate Mother’s Day, which felt so perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and GroveAtlantic for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

We have read about Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I many times. But how often have we heard the story from a perspective where they were women of power and influence in a male dominated world? This book by Ms Borman gives a unique and fresh perspective on the Mother and Daughter and their impact on history.

If you want a different perspective not eh women, written by a woman, I highly recommend this book. Every single book I have read by Ms. Bornan is so well written that I can hardly put it down no matter how much I need to get some sleep at night. Her work is a true gem in the the world of historical writing.

Much has been written about this subject and the story is well known. Now told through the abilities of Tracy Borman, this story is well told and brings these characters to new light, I would highly recommend this for those with an interest into the lives of women like this.

In the crowded space that encompasses scholarship on Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth, it can be hard to find a gap in need of filling. The extent knowledge tends to be repeated ad nauseum in each new offering, so the focus has – by necessity – begun to shift towards reassessing what we already know through new prisms. In her newest work, Dr Tracy Borman, Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), aims to do just that. Comparing the tumultuous and trailblazing links between mother and daughter, Borman presents the compelling argument that Anne Boleyn’s life and tragic murder had far greater influence on her daughter’s personality and reign than has been previously credited. She asserts that, rather than regarding her mother with indifference, Elizabeth instead venerated Anne when opportunities arose and looked to her as a role model for leading a male-dominated court.

In her position as Joint Chief Curator, there is little doubt Dr Borman has access to all the best archives, and this is used to great advantage in the sheer variety of sources. All the usual collections are there, of course – the State Papers of Henry VIII and his heirs, multiple British Library Manuscripts, and the like. But the true nuggets of insight come from sources not often referenced in popular works: the Alnwick Castle Archives, Robert Carey’s Memoirs, the Journals of Ambassador Andre Hurault de Maisse, and several other primary and secondary sources. Though Anne’s story is woven throughout, the chronology spans the life of Elizabeth, explaining where the lived experiences of mother and daughter dovetailed, and where the evidence shows the elder’s influence on the younger. Borman makes her case well and it is solid. Indeed, the genetic strands of Anne Boleyn are neatly threaded through the tapestry of Elizabeth’s reign.

Borman’s book is ably written in her uncontrived style. It is sure to be adored by the popular history crowd. Unfortunately, the few critiques I had were too significant to dismiss, the first and most serious being the insufficient attribution to historian Sandra Vasoli in her discussion of Anne Boleyn’s purported letter from the Tower of London. Vasoli’s breakthrough research and theories regarding the letter’s provenance are laid out in detail, but if the reader were to miss the small footnote at the very end of a succession of several paragraphs, it would be easy for them to assume it was the work of Borman herself. Vasoli’s work is once again given short shrift regarding the discoveries of a carved falcon badge and walnut chair, both likely linked to Anne. Though Borman credits HRP’s restoration expert, there is no mention of Vasoli’s connection, though she did the preliminary research on both items and brought them to the attention of Borman and HRP, when she surmised the falcon originated in Anne’s apartments at Hampton Court Palace.

The second observation is far less consequential but may point to what could be a larger issue. In an early chapter, Borman says Anne was taken to spend her last days in the Lieutenant’s Lodgings at the Tower of London. Though the Yeoman Guards do insist that Anne was incarcerated in the lodgings that are now known as the Queen’s House on their tours, evidence has shown she was instead lodged in the royal apartments. Later, Borman mentions that Elizabeth’s Chamberlain at Hatfield House was the elder Sir Henry Parker, when in fact it was his son, the younger Sir Henry Parker. While these muddles are relatively small, they did cause me to question new information that was presented and wonder if there were other mistakes I missed. In an age where most lay people gather their knowledge from popular histories, it is important to get even the smallest details right.

Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I is an important contribution to Tudor scholarship in that it covers well-trod ground in a fresh and unique way. Though it is not without issues, there is much to like. For that reason, I recommend it with caution. My hope is that the errors and scant attributions are corrected in time for publication.

Anne and Elizabeth. The title of Tracy Borman’s new book really does sum up these two incredible women; they were the ‘mother and daughter who changed history.’ However, when it comes to how Elizabeth felt about her notorious mother, traditionally all we have received are question marks and supposition. Borman’s research, presented here in dazzling detail, finally brings to light a wealth of evidence and information that shows just how important Anne was to Elizabeth.

An incredible amount of research has gone into this book. Borman has meticulously combed through records and archives to uncover incredible new evidence about Anne’s motherhood, and how Elizabeth viewed and referred to Anne.

The first chapters show Anne’s upbringing and how it shaped the woman, queen, and mother she would become. Then we see the roles Anne and the baby Elizabeth played in the brief period they were in each other's lives. We then follow Elizabeth as she grows, and how the influence of mother's memory can be seen in Elizabeth's choices

The second half of the book is devoted to Elizabeth's recognition of her mother and her legacy throughout her reign. To me, whilst the first half of the book was very interesting, it was this second half that really drew me in. Although the idea that she never mentioned her mother has long been debunked, the sheer volume and extent to which Elizabeth was surrounded by reminders of her mother did surprise me.

The book follows a loose linear narrative of Anne and then Elizabeth’s lives, with a focus on their relationship; though I expected it to be arranged more thematically, the structure makes it accessible both to those new to Tudor history, and to Tudor aficionados.

I would like to thank Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book. And above all, thank you to Tracy Borman for writing this fascinating book which radically changes our understanding of Anne and Elizabeth.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book.
I've long followed Tracy Borman as a historian and curator, and her new book fits right into her mold of historical monograph for the non-historical audience. She takes two women (Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth II) who have countless biographies already written about them and pairs them side by side to show that despite a short amount of time together, Anne had a profound influence on Elizabeth's life. The writing is approachable for someone who doesn't have the full backstory on the Tudors, and also in depth enough to give those who have studied the era a new argument to the historiography of the family. Would recommend for anyone who likes period TV dramas and is looking to get more into the history of the drama that occurs.

Elizabeth I was one of those unforgettable people that books are still being written about. Tudor author and historian Borman has penned the latest biography of the Virgin Queen with the twist of also detailing the life of Elizabeth’s infamous mother, Anne Boleyn. Of particular interest is the increasingly powerful role Anne played in advancing the Protestant Reformation in England: she was not just Henry VIII’s excuse to abandon the Catholic Church, but a key instigator in bringing reformist theology to the fore. Her daughter learned valuable lessons from Anne’s successes and failures, and contrary to popular belief, as Borman demonstrates, Elizabeth cherished and put forward her mother’s memory throughout her reign. Intriguing take on the lives of two fascinating women.

*A big thank-you to Grove Atlantic, Tracy Borman, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Ms Borman wrote the non-fiction which brings the mother and the daughter together and focuses on the bond they forged despite being physically close for a short time. The role to preserve Queen Anne's memory fell onto her daughter and she did it in various ways, discreetly and always having in mind her changing status as a child to the king. Queen Elizabeth meandered masterfully between the love for her mother and the position of a monarch whose legal status may have been challenged by some of her subjects.
Ms Borman's writing is easy for anybody interested in the Tudors without any academic knowledge. It might seem nothing new should be there to write about but the Author manages to present Anne & Elizabeth from a perspective not that often presented.

enjoyable and functional history of these two very, very famous women. a bit dry to start with but worth the payoff in the end.

An informative read for those interested in the lives of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. As someone who has spent the last twenty years reading much on both women, there were still a few new pieces of information to be found here.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read a lot about these women but never read about their relationship and I think it's the most interesting part.
They both changed British history and they both had to fight. Anne was beheaded and Elizabeth risked her life.
I liked the details and the style of writing, an excellent history book.
Recommended.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

First line: One of the oldest and most precious items in the collection of Chequers House, the country residence of Britain’s prime ministers, is a tiny, exquisitely crafted ring, fashioned from mother-of-pearl and embossed with rubies and diamonds.

Summary: In Tracy Borman’s newest book she explores the lives and connections between Anne Boleyn and her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. Rather than just a straight biography of the two women she looks at how they shaped and changed each other. Anne died while Elizabeth was a toddler leaving a legacy that Elizabeth had to contend with her whole life but she persevered and honored her mother in all she did.

My Thoughts: I am always excited to read Tracy Borman’s books. She is an excellent historian who I have followed and envied for years. She gets to spend her days at the palaces of England studying the history of each location. I found her newest book to be very interesting and I actually learned stuff while reading it. I have spent years reading everything about Anne Boleyn so it is always fun to learn new stuff about her. Having heard for years that Elizabeth never mentioned her mother it was fascinating to see that she actually honored her through much of her life.

My favorite part was hearing how Elizabeth used her mother’s emblems and mottos during her lifetime. I never understood why Elizabeth never tried to rehabilitate or reinter her mother’s remains but Borman does a good job of explaining the possible reasons behind the choice. And rather than forcing people to change their opinions about Anne, she subtly displayed her around her kingdom and throughout her court. It shocked me how many of her Boleyn relatives and supporters surrounded her during her reign. I knew of her association with her Carey cousins but the extended family and friends was new information for me. I like to think that they talked about their memories with the queen and shared admiration for Anne to her daughter.

For any fan of Anne Boleyn or Elizabeth I, this is a must read! It is informative and interesting read. It may be one I buy for my own collection. I can see myself reading it again in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. The research and detail contained was astonishing and so very interesting. I have read about Anne and Elizabeth but never a direct detailed comparison of their lives in one book. This very thoughtfully bought that together and showed how alike they really were despite Elizabeth being very young when Anne was executed.
I will certainly be buying a hardback copy of this when it is available to read again

This was such an enjoyable read.
It's a subject I have read a lot about, but there were definitely fresh perspectives.
I found the lifelong connections between Elizabeth and Anne Boleyn's family really interesting.
Will be buying a physical copy of this one.

Tudor history never gets old. It's never boring. Why? Because every book may convey the same basic information, but that information is always always told from a unique perspective. That is what Tracy Borman accomplishes with "Anne and Elizabeth". She gives the reader a whole new way to view the relationship of mother and daughter. Anne may have died when Elizabeth was just a toddler, but Elizabeth brings her back to life in myriad ways. She incorporated her mother into her reign from the start, making sure that everyone knew she wasn't just her father's daughter, but also her mother's daughter. This is an excellent book, on par with all the other Tudor related books Borman has written. Moreover, it's a wonderful addition to enormous library of Tudor history.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this ARC, which I voluntarily reviewed.

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an incredibly well-researched and well-written book about two (in)famous queens in British history: Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. The book sets out to explore how these two extraordinary women, mother and daughter, influenced each other throughout their lives. This isn't a biography of either of them, so you won't find a complete analysis of their separate lives, but rather a look at key moments in their lives in which one played an important role to the other. This makes for an interesting new look at the motivations and personalities of both women.

Borman is evidently an expert on the subject and her knowledge on both women is immense. I learned a ton about both Anne and Elizabeth that I didn't know before, from small details to interesting aspects of their personalities and reigns. However, Borman sometimes seems to lose herself in these details and at times the chapters become an endless list of when Anne or Elizabeth met who and how these people were related to each other. Or what Anne bought for Elizabeth and what Elizabeth inherited or bought, etc. This makes some chapters hard to get through. Especially since keeping all these people apart and remembering which functions they went in and out of becomes confusing at times.

Along with this overload on details, the book does require a certain previous knowledge of Tudor court life and the stories of both women to really understand the complexities of how their lives were entwined with those of their courtiers. This isn't a book I'd recommend to someone who only has a fleeting familiarity with Anne and Elizabeth's story.

Throughout the book, Borman's central thesis seems to be that Anne's life and especially her horrific death were of such a profound influence on Elizabeth that it triggered her desire to remain unmarried and a Virgin Queen, despite the fact that mother and daughter were often in different households between Elizabeth's birth and Anne's execution. The author makes quite a few arguments to this case, all very plausible and intriguing. It's absolutely undeniable that Anne's tragic life and Elizabeth's subsequent struggles with illegitimacy and the stain of Anne's reputation were formative to the future queen. But sometimes I wished Borman had gone more in-depth on these arguments. While all of them are intriguing, some feel like little more than assumptions. As logical as they are, I was left wanting more at times: more evidence, more analysis, just more.

Despite this, I greatly enjoyed reading the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Borman points out that most historians draw a sharp divide between the lives of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I, but here Borman goes to great lengths to show just how much the lives of these two women overlapped and intermixed.

She starts by running through a biography of Anne Boleyn's life, then, once Elizabeth is born, she makes a point to dig through invoices, receipts, and schedules, to show how involved Anne was in her daughter's life, but and making clothes, blankets, accessories, etc., giving her jewelry, setting up the nursery, and spending time with her, even keeping baby Elizabeth with her on a pillow next to her own seat in her main room, a thing unheard by the noble and royal parenting standards of the time.

Then, as Anne Boleyn nears her end, Borman suggests she might have had some inkling just how bad things were going to get as we see records of Anne appointing and asking numerous people she trusted to care for Elizabeth.

Once Anne Boleyn is executed, Borman follows the life of Elizabeth I through the lens of just how much Anne Boleyn continued to influence Elizabeth all her life, as well as how much Elizabeth trusted and hired members of the extended Boleyn family. Far from the accepted idea that Elizabeth had nothing to do with her mother during her reign, Borman shows how much Elizabeth used her mothers furniture, jewels, fashion, styles, heraldic symbols, and very much borrowed from her playbook to rule in a patriarchy.

An excellent biography of two amazing women.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic for an advanced readers’ copy of this book! I have been looking forward to it since I first saw the title on Twitter. One of the things I find most compelling about Tudor history is the relationships and I’ve often wondered about the one between Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. This book sheds light on that with lots of historical evidence. I was surprised by just how much Anne impacted Elizabeth during her reign! I also appreciate that this was a straightforward and easy read. My only complaint was it got a little too list-like towards the end when it came to presenting evidence of Elizabeth and Anne’s relationship, but I will take that over other books that make history dull and hard to follow. This one is interesting and accessible, especially for those new to the topic. I can’t wait to read more from the author!

To be honest, I picked this book to review mostly because I thought it might contain some new info on Mary Boleyn, who showed up in my family tree. I thought I pretty well knew the story of Anne Boleyn and her daughter, Elizabeth I. Boy, was I wrong. The author obviously did painstaking research and it shows. Just the emotional and psychological impact of their times and all the political and religious fervor that surrounded them is thought provoking.

Who knew Anne was such a strong proponent of reform that it shook the British Empire to its roots by the time the full story had played out. It's hard to imagine a time when translating the Bible/scriptures into English was a crime, potentially punishable by death. Anne, who was largely educated and grew up in the French court, flew in the face of that. Her daughter, not even three years old when Anne was tried and beheaded, would bear the imprint of both her mother's love and reformist beliefs all her life. That and the horror of her mother's death and the reasons behind it shaped Elizabeth's actions, including her determination never to marry.

I won't even attempt to summarize further, the details just kept coming, and I couldn't even come close to encapsulating it in a mere review. Anne was far more than just a pretty face that caught Henry VIII's eye. The background info provided tells why events may have unfolded as they did, changing history forever. If you're a history buff, particularly a fan of Tudor history, this one is a must. While heavy on the names, it's a relatively fascinating read that goes a long way toward giving you a better understanding of the humans behind the often frightening, tragic events that surrounded both Anne and Elizabeth, not to mention Elizabeth's step-sister, Mary. Reading about Elizabeth's enforced stay in the very place her mother spent her last days, ordered by then Queen Mary, and Elizabeth's physical and emotional turmoil fearing every day would be her last was heartbreaking.

Thanks #NetGalley and #GroveAtlantic- #AtlanticMonthlyPress for this enlightening read. I even added some lore to my own family tree, obviously, and was delighted to see the name Knollys pop-up, too, another connection I'd forgotten about.

Tracy Borman is one of the finest historians and authors of British history of our day. This book was so finally crafted and researched that it was hard to put down. The thing that I most like about Tracy's books is that she writes for the public. Even though she is highly educated and an academic, she writes so that those of us that are not as educated as she is can read and understand and have all that history sink in. It was an absolutely fantastic read that I enjoyed so much. It has made me want to do further research into both spectacular historical figures. I myself am an amateur historian, specializing in English medieval history, so these women both appeal to me greatly. If I could give this book higher than a five star, I would. Bravo, Ms. Borman.