An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

617. Elizabeth I: Anne Boleyn's Bastard (Part 2)

November 13, 2025

Description

What happened to the infant Elizabeth I following the bloody execution of her mother Anne Boleyn? How did her father Henry VIII and his next four wives treat her? And, what became of Elizabeth...
Read more here

Books Referenced

Apprenticeship

Author: David Starkey

Context:

Quoted regarding Elizabeth's clothing situation after Anne Boleyn's execution, noting how 'the shower of lovely clothes which Anne Boleyn had lavished on her daughter suddenly dried up.' Referenced multiple times throughout the episode for details about Elizabeth's early life and education.

Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth

Author: Tracy Borman

Context:

Recommended by the hosts as being 'really, really good on the whole subject' of exploring the nuances of Elizabeth's relationship with and memory of her mother Anne Boleyn.

Elizabeth's Rival / Crown of Blood

Author: Nicola Tallis

Context:

Referred to as 'her book on young Elizabeth' - cited for information about Mary Tudor's reaction to signing articles acknowledging Henry VIII as head of the English church, and later for the fact that Catherine Parr was the only English queen to be buried on a private estate.