Henry VIII

Thomas More reading a book, Flemish, 16th century. Photo Josse/Bridgeman Images.

New Year, Old Books

A new book for the new year is an old British custom, but an old book can be even better.

The Sick, the leprous, and the lame praying at Saint Hedwig's tomb, from the Vita beatae Hedwigis, 1353. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. Ludwig XI 7, fol. 87v, 83.MN.126.87v. Public Domain.

The Pilgrim as a Historian

Pilgrimage is not meant to be easy, but it remains a popular pursuit – even for non-believers.

Portrait of Anne of Cleves, by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1539. The Victoria & Albert Museum.

Challenging the ‘Ugliness’ of Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves became known to posterity as the ‘Flanders Mare’ and Henry VIII’s ‘ugly wife’, thanks to disparaging descriptions by ambassadors and diplomats. What motivated them?

The monastic seal of Chertsey Abbey during the reign of Henry VIII, April 1525. The National Archives.

Once maligned as a record ‘of the dullest kind’, a 1535 audit of Church wealth – the Valor ecclesiasticus – offers a unique view of England’s religious, social and cultural life just months after the break with Rome.

Portrait of Henry VIII, from the studio of Hans Holbein the Younger, c.1543. Bridgeman Images.

Syphilis and Scurvy: Diagnosing Henry VIII

There is an enduring obsession with understanding the body and mind of Henry VIII, but how sound are diagnoses past and present – and do we need them?

‘The Courtship of Anne Boleyn’ by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, c. 1846. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public Domain.

Hunting the Falcon by John Guy and Julia Fox review

Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe by John Guy and Julia Fox is a well-told account that shies away from debate.

Somer’s day: page from the Psalter of Henry VIII showing Henry with William Somer, by Jean Maillart (or Mallard), c.1540. Bridgeman Images.

Fool by Peter K. Andersson review

Fool: In Search of Henry VIII’s Closest Man by Peter K. Andersson is the first full length study of William Somer’s life and posthumous mythos.

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1542 and Katherine of Aragon, unknown artist, c.1520.

England’s Monasteries: Gone But Not Forgotten

The Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII is a well-worn tale. Are we getting the whole story?

The Field of Cloth of Gold

Five hundred years ago, in a spirit of rivalry and cooperation, two young Renaissance monarchs asserted their power and authority at one of the last great demonstrations of the chivalric age.