Mary Boleyn: The Queen's Slandered Sister

‘A much-needed, highly-readable reassessment of a maligned Tudor woman. Soberton goes back to the original sources in their original language, offering fresh insight, questioning old myths, and cementing her place as one of Tudor history’s rising stars.’

— Steven Veerapen

‘Sylvia Barbara Soberton’s ground-breaking research challenges centuries-old beliefs about Mary and goes back to original sources to ask why historians have let misogynistic claims about her go unquestioned for so long. The strength of this book is that it leaves no claim about Mary unchallenged and reveals the shaky foundations of many statements made about her by historians over the years.’

— Sophie Bacchus-Waterman

‘Sylvia Barbara Soberton has done it again! In Mary Boleyn she weaves every known primary source into a fascinating and lucid narrative. Arguing that the black reputation of this Boleyn sister is unwarranted, Soberton reviews the evidence and presents a compelling alternative view. She also follows up on the major figures associated with Boleyn whose lives tend to vanish into history. The compact study offers a handy appendix with transcriptions of Boleyn’s letters and other relevant historical documents.’

— Professor Tracy Adams

‘Compellingly argued and meticulously researched, Sylvia Barbara Soberton brings this other Boleyn girl out of the shadows. Mary Boleyn: The Queen’s Slandered Sister presents readers with a new version of Mary, asking us to look again at the life of an important figure at the Tudor court, whose life has been linked to scandal for far too many centuries. Highly recommended.’

— Dr Elizabeth Norton, author of Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy.

‘This book offers a meticulously researched and compelling portrait of Mary Boleyn that strips away centuries of myth and lazy assumption. Page by page, it brings us closer to a woman too often reduced to scandal, silence, or ridicule, revealing instead a far more complex and human figure. A thoughtful, illuminating study, it restores Mary Boleyn to history with nuance, care, and fresh authority.’

— Dr Estelle Paranque, author of Thorns, Lust and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn.

‘A triumph of research and scholarship. Soberton’s groundbreaking new study skilfully unravels the myths surrounding Mary Boleyn. Returning to the primary sources in their original languages, she demonstrates that the phrase “the great and infamous whore” was never a reference to Mary. Employing her trademark critical approach, Soberton exposes long-standing inaccuracies, not only by revisiting the primary sources but also by revealing how dangerous it can be for historians to rely on flawed nineteenth-century translations. In doing so, she illuminates both Mary’s life and her posthumous reputation – one shaped for generations by historians who uncritically accepted these mistranslations. This is the most compelling and historically accurate biography of Mary Boleyn to date – a must-read for scholars and Tudor enthusiasts alike.’

— Barbara Parker Bell, author of Inside the Wardrobe of Anne Boleyn

Sylvia Barbara Soberton is a full-time author and independent historian, specializing in the Tudors. She is best known for The Forgotten Tudor Women book series and has contributed peer-reviewed papers in the Royal Studies Journal and The Court Historian. She has also written for Ancient Origins, History of Scotland and DailyArt Magazine. Sylvia gives regular talks and appears on podcasts such as The Tudors Dynasty, Not Just the Tudors, Talking Tudors, and Tudor Chest.
 

Sophie Bacchus-Waterman is a Tudor historian and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has written for publications such as The Court Historian and the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, and appeared on several popular history podcasts. She is the first person to write a full biography dedicated to Elizabeth Boleyn.