Bring Up the Bodies (2012) is a Tudor-era historical novel by British writer Hilary Mantel. It is the second novel in a trilogy depicting the life and career of Thomas Cromwell, a 16th-century English politician and advisor to King Henry VIII. Bring Up the Bodies followed Wolf Hall (2009) and preceded The Mirror and The Light (2020). It received significant critical acclaim and was awarded the 2012 Man Booker Prize. BBC produced a television adaptation called Wolf Hall in 2015, which depicts the events of both Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Bring Up the Bodies covers the time period in which Cromwell colluded with King Henry to bring about Anne Boleyn’s downfall; Mantel uses these historical events to explore themes such as The Precarious Nature of Favoritism; Ambiguity Between Truth, Lies, and Rumors; and Rivalry and Cruelty Between Women.

This guide references the 2013 Picador paperback edition.

Content Warning: The novel and the guide reference pregnancy loss and domestic abuse.

Plot Summary

The novel spans from September 1535 to May 1536. When the novel opens, King Henry VIII has been married to his second wife, Anne Boleyn, for more than two years; he is becoming restless and dissatisfied because Anne has not yet given birth to a son, though they have a young daughter, Elizabeth. In order to marry Anne, Henry invalidated his first marriage to Queen Katherine. He based his authority to do so upon declaring himself the Supreme Head of the English Church, breaking from the Roman Catholic Church and triggering the English Reformation. Henry is desperate to have a son to ensure the succession of the English crown and the continuity of the Tudor dynasty.

Thomas Cromwell, although he comes from humble origins, has risen to a position of power through loyal service to King Henry; he played a significant role in securing Henry’s annulment and enabling Anne to become the Queen of England. However, Cromwell notices that Henry is becoming dissatisfied with Anne and is attracted to another woman: Jane Seymour, one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting and a daughter of the noble Seymour family, who owns Wolf Hall.

Cromwell begins to work with the Seymour family to encourage a relationship between Jane and Henry. He also increases Henry’s wealth by confiscating land, resources, and money from monasteries and convents. Anne is resentful of Katherine and Henry’s elder daughter, Mary, who insists that Henry is still legally married to Katherine and that she is the rightful queen of England. If Mary is legitimate, then she is Henry’s heir rather than Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth. Anne pressures Cromwell to make Katherine and Mary acknowledge Anne as Henry’s legitimate wife; when this doesn’t happen, Anne becomes embittered toward Cromwell.

In late 1535, Anne announces a pregnancy, and in January 1536, Katherine dies. These events seem to solidify Anne and her family’s claims to power, but shortly thereafter, Anne loses her pregnancy. Henry is by now convinced that Anne will never give him a son and questions the validity of their marriage. With Katherine dead and his marriage to Anne invalidated, he will be free to remarry, with Cromwell’s help.

Before marrying Henry, Anne may have been betrothed to a man named Henry Percy, and this could be used as grounds to invalidate the marriage. Cromwell seeks an alliance with Anne’s father and brother to get more evidence. Her father is willing to cooperate, but Anne’s brother, George, refuses. Meanwhile, Cromwell interviews various women at the court, who are willing to testify that they have seen Anne have sexual relationships with other men. Most shockingly, Anne’s sister-in-law, Lady Rochford, tells Cromwell that she believes Anne and George are in an incestuous relationship.

In early May 1536, Anne and five coconspirators are charged with treason on the grounds of discussing Henry’s death. The men in question are Mark Smeaton, a court musician; the courtiers Henry Norris, Francis Weston, and William Brereton; and George Boleyn. Another man, Thomas Wyatt, is also suspected, but Cromwell is close to Wyatt and ensures that the latter is only imprisoned, not formally charged or tried. Additionally, Anne is charged with adultery for her association with these men. After a short trial, all the accused are sentenced to death. The five men are executed on May 17, 1536. Anne and Henry’s marriage is invalidated, and she is executed on May 19. As a result of his actions, Cromwell rises even higher in Henry’s favor and is made a baron. Henry marries Jane Seymour in May 1536, only a few days after Anne’s execution.