Alison Weir, Talk and Book Signing at Hatfield House

The historical novelist Alison Weir will be giving a talk, followed by a book signing on 17th November, in the Riding School at Hatfield House based on her most recent book, Mary Boleyn: "The Great and Infamous Whore"

Mary Boleyn is remembered by posterity as a 'great and infamous whore'. She was the mistress of two kings, Francois I of France and Henry VIII of England, and sister to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. She may secretly have borne Henry a child and it was because of his adultery with Mary that his marriage to Anne was annulled. It is not hard to see how this tangled web of relationships has given rise to rumours and misconceptions that have been embroidered over the centuries.

In her new book, the first full scale biography of Mary Boleyn, Alison Weir explodes much of the mythology that surrounds her subject and uncovers the facts about one of the most misunderstood figures of the Tudor age. Her extensive, forensic research has facilitated a new and detailed portrayal, in which she recounts that, contrary to popular belief, Mary was entirely undeserving of her posthumous notoriety as a great whore or the 'hackney' whom the King of France famously boasted of riding.

Alison Weir also presents compelling new evidence that almost conclusively determines the paternity of Mary's two oldest children. This astonishing and riveting book shows that Mary's story had a happy ending and that she was by far the luckiest of the Boleyns.

Alison Weir trained as a history teacher; her passion for history had been born when she read her first adult novel at the age of fourteen. Her first book, Britain's Royal Families, came out in 1989. She has since written fourteen other history books, including The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth the Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Katherine Swynford and The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. Alison has also published three historical novels, Innocent Traitor, The Lady Elizabeth and The Captive Queen. Her latest history book, a biography of Mary Boleyn, is published in October 2011. She has recently completed a fourth novel and is now working on a history of England's medieval queens. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences, and is married with two adult children.

Please visit www.alisonweir.org.uk for further information on Alison and her work.

Tickets are £10 - to book http://bit.ly/uDyQZe