Julia Fox is an historian specialising in the Tudor period who, after initially contemplating writing about the lives of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, has chosen to make her first book a biography of Jane Boleyn, the so-called “Infamous Lady Rochford.”
Jane Boleyn
Born in 1505, Jane Parker was the eldest daughter of Lord Morley and spent her formative years at the court of King Henry VIII. Around 1524, Lord Morley arranged a very advantageous marriage for his daughter to George Boleyn, brother of Anne and a rising star at court. The Boleyn family, Jane included, rose to wealth and power on the back of Anne’s romance with Henry.
The favour of Henry VIII was notoriously fickle and it was during the arrest and execution of Anne Boleyn and her brother that Jane’s most significant contribution to history was made. Although Fox argues that Jane did not give evidence in the court against George and Anne and so may well have been a pawn in the schemes of Thomas Cromwell, it is clear that Jane did in fact provide Cromwell with at least some of the evidence used to convict the Boleyn siblings.
Although the death of her husband resulted in a brief absence from court, Jane was soon able to claw her way back into the corridors of power and she was given a place in the household of Anne of Cleves. Jane Boleyn stayed in the household of the Queen even after that title passed from Anne of Cleves to Catherine Howard. Ultimately, it was the part that Jane played in the private life of Catherine that would lead to her own execution in 1542.
An Elusive Figure
Although Fox credits Jane Boleyn with infamy, there has in fact been very little in the way of historical scholarship about her. Despite the fact that Jane has cropped up as a character in several fictional works set in the Tudor period, works ranging from the Shardlake mysteries of C.J. Sansom to the romances of Philippa Gregory, this is in fact the first biography to be written about her.
Unfortunately, the probable reason behind this lack of biographical study becomes clear after only a few pages of Fox’s book. There is quite simply very little information available about Jane Boleyn. None of Jane’s letters survive and she was rarely mentioned in any contemporary accounts. There are no undisputed portraits of Jane available either, the women pictured on the cover of Fox’s book is in fact Jane Seymour and although Fox suggested that a sketch included in the book and entitled “The Lady Parker” may be Jane Boleyn, she is forced to admit that it is in fact more likely to be Grace Newport, the first wife of Jane’s brother.
All too often, after a vivid description of an event at the Tudor courts, Fox is forced to tag on that “Jane would surely have also been there” or “Jane would surely have sympathised”. Such a lack of concrete information about the principal is very disappointing in a biography.
Further, that information that is available about Jane, information concerning her role in the conviction of George and Anne Boleyn and in the adultery of Catherine Howard, fails miserably to paint Jane in the sympathetic light that Fix hopes for.
Tudor Life
The real success of Fox’s book is in her recreational of life at the court of Henry VIII. Through painstaking research and a very literary presentation, Fox is truly able to bring to life the life of sumptuous excess that surrounded the King. Although the events and characters described are not new to anyone who has previously studied the Tudor period, Fox fleshes out famous characters by detailing day-to-day aspects of their lives such as clothing and pastimes and so gives them a humanity that can often be lacking in historical writing.
Although, ultimately, the lack of information about Jane Boleyn herself made this biography rather unsatisfying, Julia Fox has proved that she is an engaging writer who is capable of thorough research and excellent explanation.
Jane Boleyn: The Infamous Lady Rochford by Julia Fox
ISBN 978-0-7538-2386-6 Phoenix £9.99 pp432
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