The Divorce of Henry VIII : The Untold Story From Inside the Vatican

In 1533 the English monarch Henry VIII decided to divorce his wife of twenty years Catherine of Aragon in pursuit of a male heir to ensure the Tudor line. He was also head over heels in love with his wife's lady in waiting Anne Boleyn, the future mother of Elizabeth I. But getting his freedom involved a terrific web of intrigue through the enshrined halls of the Vatican that resulted in a religious schism and the formation of the Church of England. Henry's man in Rome was a wily Italian diplomat named Gregorio Casali who drew no limits on skullduggery including kidnapping, bribery and theft to make his king a free man. In this absorbing narrative, winner of the Rome Fellowship prize and University of Durham historian Catherine Fletcher draws on hundreds of previously-unknown Italian archive documents to tell the colorful tale from the inside story inside the Vatican. âe~an Eye-opening Book, An Intricate And Fascinating Storyâe(tm) Hilary Mantel 1527. Henry, Desperate To Marry Anne Boleyn And Ensure The Tudor Line Asks Pope Clement Vii To Grant Him A Divorce. Enter Gregorio Casali, An Italian Diplomat Hired To Represent Henryâe(tm)s Interests In The Vatican. Through Six Years Of Persuasion, Threats And Bribery Casali Lives By His Wits, Playing Off One Powerful Patron Against Another, Negotiating With Ambassadors From Spain, France And Beyond, Each Crowding The Vatican To Press Their Interests In The Tudor Break Up. Before It Is Done, Henry Will Decide To Divorce Not Just Catherine, But The Church Itself. Set Against The Backdrop Of War-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce Of Henry Viii Combines A Gripping Family Saga With A Highly Charged Political Battle Between The Tudors And The Vatican To Reveal The Extraordinary True Story Behind Historyâe(tm)s Most Infamous Divorce. (originally Published With The Title Our Man In Rome) 'An eye-opening book, an intricate and fascinating story' Hilary Mantel 1527. Henry, desperate to marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor line asks Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce. Enter Gregorio Casali, an Italian diplomat hired to represent Henry's interests in the Vatican. Through six years of persuasion, threats and bribery Casali lives by his wits, playing off one powerful patron against another, negotiating with ambassadors from Spain, France and beyond, each crowding the Vatican to press their interests in the Tudor break up. Before it is done, Henry will decide to divorce not just Catherine, but the Church itself. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce of Henry VIII combines a gripping family saga with a highly charged political battle between the Tudors and the Vatican to reveal the extraordinary true story behind history's most infamous divorce. (Originally published with the title Our Man in Rome ) "In 1533 the English monarch Henry VIII decided to divorce his wife of twenty years Catherine of Aragon in pursuit of a male heir to ensure the Tudor line. He was also head over heels in love with his wife's lady in waiting Anne Boleyn, the future mother of Elizabeth I. But getting his freedom involved a terrific web of intrigue through the enshrined halls of the Vatican that resulted in a religious schism and the formation of the Church of England. Henry's man in Rome was a wily Italian diplomat named Gregorio Casali who drew no limits on skullduggery including kidnapping, bribery and theft to make his king a free man. In this absorbing narrative, winner of the Rome Fellowship prize and University of Durham historian Catherine Fletcher draws on hundreds of previously-unknown Italian archive documents to tell the colorful tale from the inside story inside the Vatican"--Provided by publisher