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<\/p>\nGregory has a history of taking a lot of liberties in her historical fiction, much to the chagrin of many historians.<\/p>\n
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Philippa Gregory has been criticized in the past for the creative liberties she takes when portraying real historical figures. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n
Many people know Anne Boleyn,<\/a> the second wife of Henry VIII. Fewer know Jane Boleyn.<\/p>\n Jane Boleyn<\/a> was the wife of Anne Boleyn\u2019s brother, George. People think she played a role in the downfall of her sister-in-law and husband, the latter of whom was accused of incest with Anne Boleyn and executed for it. People also believe Jane Boleyn was involved in the downfall of Henry VIII\u2019s fifth wife, Catherine Howard.<\/p>\n Jane Boleyn is the subject of the latest book from Philippa Gregory, \u201cBoleyn Traitor.\u201d <\/a>The novel, coming out in October, promises to tell the story of Jane Boleyn\u2019s attempt to survive the Tudor Court.<\/p>\n Gregory\u2019s novels are historical fiction, but many historians take issue with the way she has portrayed the real-life figures she features in her work.<\/p>\n \u201cI do admire Philippa Gregory,\u201d said Estelle Paranque<\/a>, a historian, author and associate professor at Northeastern University specializing in early modern history and queenship in the 16th and 17th centuries. \u201cShe\u2019s highly successful, so she must be doing something right. \u2026 But Philippa has a history of not being historically accurate, and I think she trashes history quite badly. It\u2019s a bit problematic. She knows how to sell, but (her work) is almost pure fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n While Gregory\u2019s novels are fiction and include author\u2019s notes about what\u2019s true and unproven, Paranque said the books often perpetuate myths about real historical figures, some of which are problematic.\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, in her most well-known novel, \u201cThe Other Boleyn Girl,\u201d Gregory portrays Anne Boleyn as a \u201cmean girl\u201d who cheats on the king and is guilty of the adultery and incest charges against her. In reality, Paranque said, Anne Boleyn was a pious Catholic woman who wouldn\u2019t have cheated and the charges against her were almost certainly false.<\/p>\n However, in using real rumors in her work, Gregory gives credence to them and paints real figures in a bad light to readers who might not know better, Paranque said. And some of these rumors are harmful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a right to write fiction,\u201d Paranque said. \u201cIf tomorrow, I wanted to destroy Napoleon<\/a>, it would be in my total right. But the thing is, she used accusations against [Anne Boleyn] that we know aren\u2019t true. The one that really struck me is the accusation that she\u2019s always sleeping around. That\u2019s disrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n Other historians and historical fiction writers also take issue with \u201cThe Other Boleyn Girl.\u201d Robin Maxwell, author of \u201cThe Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn,\u201d said in an interview<\/a> that she chose not to write a blurb promoting the novel because of the way Gregory portrayed Anne Boleyn, calling the book \u201can unnecessary smear job\u201d and \u201ca poke at a long-dead woman who couldn\u2019t defend herself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Other Boleyn Girl\u201d is not Gregory\u2019s only work that historians and writers criticize. \u201cThe White Princess,\u201d which tells the story of Henry VIII\u2019s mother, Elizabeth of York, shows her sleeping with her uncle (building on an unproven rumor) and then being raped by her husband, Henry VII. There was no proof of the latter, and some people objected to it as \u201cdefamation.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n From this, Paranque expressed concerns that \u201cBoleyn Traitor\u201d will use unproven theories to further smear Jane Boleyn\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n \u201cJane Boleyn is a highly controversial historical woman,\u201d Paranque said. \u201cThere\u2019s lots of myths around her, things that are not true, that are repeated over and over again in historical fiction. \u2026 In movies and TV shows, you see Jane Boleyn being this villain.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Estelle-Paranque.jpeg\")
Estelle Paranque, assistant professor in early modern history for Northeastern University in London, said Philippa Gregory\u2019s fiction can be problematic in that she gives credence to myths about real people. by Suzanne Plunkett for Northeastern University<\/p>\n