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Monday, April 26, 2010
Each fortnight you have to write a blog post about an historical fiction book of your choice (it might even be something you already read before), but it MUST be related to the letter of the week.
You have several possibilities:
- the first letter of the title
- the first letter of the author's first name or surname
- the first letter of a character's first name or surname
- the first letter of a place where an historical event took place
My pick for this round is Jane Boleyn a.k.a. Lady Rochford.
She was married to George Boleyn and was sister in law to the famous Anne Boleyn.
Jane's marriage to George was an unhappy one, it is said that George was homosexual. He was also very close to his sister Anne, preferring her company above anyone elses. Jane's testimony against Anne and George played a huge role in having them beheaded. Supposedly Jane accused them of having sexual relations. Historians say that Jane was jealous of the close relationship her husband had with his sister Anne, and this is what fueled her to testify against them.
Several years later, Jane became lady-in-waiting to Henry's 5th wife Catherine Howard. Eventually she and the queen were charged with treason and were held in the Tower of London. Apparently Jane had been helping Queen Catherine meet with her lover, Thomas Culpepper, behind the King's back. It has been said that Jane had a full nervous breakdown while in the Tower and eventually went insane. It's unsure whether Jane was faking insanity to get a pardon or really went mad. Jane watched as the queen was beheaded, before going to the chopping block herself. Such drama!
I recommend reading The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory if you want to read some good historical fiction that has Jane Boleyn as a central character. 
