Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, died in 1536 at the age of 50. As a member of the Tudor dynasty, she and her historical contempories have found themselves popular subjects for recent fiction works. Perhaps the newest example, is that of Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall'. The protagonist of her Booker winning novel, Thomas Cromwell, served as Henry's chief minister and was a strong advocate for his divorce from Catherine and subsequent split from the Church. The influential Tudor period has also found its way into the work of other modern authors. Philippa Gregory's historical fiction, concentrated on Henry's wives and daughters, is highly successful. Her first novel of the series, 'The Other Boleyn Girl' has recently been adapted for the screen and the rights for the sequel, 'The Boleyn Inheritance' have already been sold. Other authors to write about the period include Alison Weir, Kate Emerson and Jean Plaidy.
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