skygiants

People thought I was weird growing up for knowing the names of Henry VIII's wives, so I don't think it's too widespread (but I do think you're right that it's one of the better-known bits of English historical trivia).

Anyway, I'm glad you liked Wolf Hall! One of the things I thought was most interesting about it from a writerly/storytelling perspective was how incredibly tight the POV is through the whole book. It was really impressive to me that Mantel could paint the period so richly while staying so deeply in Cromwell's head the whole time.