Henry VIII – The Mind of a Tyrant
To mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne, Dr David Starkey travels across Europe to understand the inner life of this feared English king.
Tyrant (1536-1547)
The final programme in the series examines how Henry, having inherited a chronically weak English crown, forged it into an instrument of unprecedented power, and then wielded it to change forever the nature of England and the English.
The courtiers who had helped Cromwell dispatch Anne Boleyn hoped that the schism with Rome would now be reversed. They were soon disappointed. The destruction of the monasteries proceeded apace, with the loot flowing into Henry's coffers.
But such unprecedented actions caused isolation abroad and rebellion at home. Henry's response showed him at his most duplicitous and ruthless. He lured the rebels' leader to London with the promise of talks and then had him hung, drawn and quartered.
Meanwhile, Henry's private life was hardly less turbulent. The death of Jane Seymour robbed him of someone he was genuinely fond of, and who had given him the male heir he craved. His marriage to Katherine Howard briefly rekindled the flames of desire, but her adultery (real, this time) made her another victim of court intrigue.
David Starkey's archival research has revealed the full story behind her tragic fate. But as Henry grew older, more ill and more dangerous to all around him, he was busy forging a fiercely independent England, where coastal fortifications and an expanding Tudor navy gave tangible expression to a new sense of national destiny.
In his younger years Henry had been a devout Roman Catholic. He took religion very seriously and defended the Roman Catholic faith fiercely. Starkey talks about how Henry broke with Rome to marry Anne Boleyn and how he created himself head of the Church of England. Tied in with this Henry decided to reform the English Church and thus was born the Reformation. Henry was now not only King and ruler of the people of England; he was now also ruler of their souls. Thomas Cromwell, now Henry’s right hand man, and Anne Boleyn both encouraged Henry’s reformation of the church. They wanted to stamp out false relics and trickery within the church. Henry was determined to remake religion for the Church of England and to guide his subjects in the rightful way to practice their faith. As a result of this Henry ordered hundreds upon hundreds of executions for treason and heresy. Countless people lost their lives by simply trying to stand up for what they believed in. The executions were horrific and blood flowed freely. For Henry there was no mercy.
The reformation swept across England, many monasteries were dissolved, religious relics and artefacts were burned or taken as the property of the crown. Along with this the great wealth of the churches and monasteries went to the crown – increasing Henry’s purse dramatically. Land belonging to the monasteries was also sold or given away.
Starkey next looks at Jane Seymour, a more traditional and pious Queen, unlike Anne Boleyn. Many of the people had seen Anne as a radical reformist, responsible not only for Henry’s divorce and break with Rome but with the dissolution of the monasteries and the creation of the Church of England. The people hoped that Jane would be able to have some say over the reformation, but Henry was not interested in a wife that would speak up and challenge him as Anne had done. He went ahead with his religious reform anyway, Jane was to give him an heir, be obedient and loving and little more. Henry did not like to be contradicted or challenged.
In the autumn of 1536 many of the people of England had had enough of the sweeping dissolutions of the monasteries and the reformation and they rebelled against their King. The rebellion was called The Pilgrimage of Grace. The English people wanted the reforms stopped and a return to the old faith. Their leader was Robert Aske and he helped draw up the wishes of the rebellion. Starkey goes into wonderful detail about the rebellion and Henry’s reaction to his people challenging him – let us just say that Henry was not pleased at all! However Henry did offer the rebels a pardon and the promise of a parliament to discuss the rebel’s wishes. Yet Henry would not stick to these promises. A few die hard rebels continued their attempt of an uprising and Henry took this as a chance to arrest any that had defied him and many of these people, including Robert Aske, were executed. Once again for the simple wish to return to the old faith, so many people lost their lives in a brutal and horrific manner.
The Pope wished to bring Henry and the English people back to the Roman Catholic faith. He was able to persuade King Francis and Charles V to go to war against England. Henry in an attempt to protect his country spent a great deal of time, money and energy in building and strengthening the battlements along the English coasts. He also strengthened and built up the English navy. In these actions, England was turning away from Europe and separating itself into an independent country.
But not only was the face of England changing, Henry was also changing. Since he was no longer able to participate in sports as heavily as he used to, (due to a heavy fall he had suffered previously), Henry turned his attention to religious reform across England. He formed a Christian religion which tried to balance the old traditional faith and the new reform. He created ‘The Six Articles’ which outlined to the people the religious doctrines which they were required to follow. He also instructed that each church was to have a copy of the bible written in English. If the Six Articles were not followed, or recognised Henry as the Supreme Head of the Church, people could have been arrested for treason and face the ultimate punishment of being hung, drawn and quartered. On the other hand if people decided to follow the Protestant religion they could be arrested and burned for heresy. I can only imagine what it would have been like to live during the turbulent times of the later years of Henry’s reign.
Starkey then looks at the birth of Prince Edward, Henry’s longed for son. Tragically Jane Seymour died a few days later and now for the first time Henry did not have another wife lined up. Thomas Cromwell took it upon himself to find a strong alliance and marriage for Henry. He helped to organise a marriage between Anne of Cleves but disastrously Henry was not at all attracted to Anne and found her quite repulsive. But since the marriage and alliance had already been organised Henry had little choice but to marry Anne. Unfortunately the marriage did not last very long and was dissolved due to non consummation. This disastrous marriage opened the path for those against Cromwell (namely those opposing Cromwell in the reformation of religion) to attack him and bring about his fall. Cromwell was arrested for treason and heresy and was beheaded. With his favourite minster gone Henry now ruled England with his own terrifying hand.
We move on now to look at Katherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII. She was young and beautiful and seemed to accommodate all of Henry’s wishes. He had the chance to feel young and alive again. But his marriage was not as perfect as Henry thought it was. Katherine had a chequered past and was not the innocent virgin Henry thought she was when he married her. Katherine had known men before she married the King and even during her marriage she had undertaken secret (and perhaps intimate) meetings with Thomas Culpeper. Henry was utterly devastated at his betrayal and Thomas Culpeper and Henry’s fifth wife were both executed.
Henry may have appeared larger than life to the English people but behind closed doors Henry was an aging man. He was grossly obese and very sick due to ulcers on his legs. Walking even became so difficult for him that he would have to be carried around by a special chair. Yet sickness did not stop him and Henry went on to marry Catherine Parr and wage one last war against France. Unfortunately Starkey did not speak about this final war or the marriage of his sixth and final wife. I was a little disappointed as I have always been interested in Catherine Parr and the strength of such a woman in agreeing to be Henry’s wife when he was an aging, sickly and a very temperamental man.
Starkey finally talks about Henry’s death and how he was confident he would have his salvation. Henry had planned a magnificent monument for his burial but alas he died before it was finished. All that now remains to remind us of where Henry was buried is a black marble stone on the floor of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. I will say that on a personal note there is still something quite powerful about kneeling by this large marble slab. To know that beneath ones feet lay the remains of one of the most notorious King’s of England is quite an overwhelming feeling.
Henry Tudor wanted to leave a legacy of religious reform and that of a grand warrior, but the legacy he left behind was far different. He is known for bringing about centuries of religious conflict upon England, for the slaughter of thousands upon thousands of people and for having six wives. Yet despite all of this Starkey also talks about the more positive things that Henry brought to England, such as the breaking with Rome which helped to bring about a sense of national pride to the people and the ability to stand on their own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series on the life of Henry VIII presented by Dr David Starkey. As I have said previously, Starkey is a brilliant historian and his knowledge of Tudor history and of Henry VIII is utterly remarkable. It was a pleasure to be able to watch him and learn about a different side of a King who is often remembered for his obesity and tyranny.
What I also loved about this series as that we were able to see so many of the original documents, letters, manuscripts, books etc. that were written and used by Henry VIII, his wives and those about him at court. For someone like me who will never be able to have access to these rare and beautiful works it was simply incredible to be able to look upon them. I also loved that Starkey went to so many historical places across England and Europe. We were shown buildings which were over five hundred years old with their strong brick structures and intricately carved and detailed inners. And again, as I will probably never get to see many of these locations or buildings it was breathtaking to be able to have a small glimpse at them.
Dr David Starkey presents an interesting, compelling and thoroughly informative four part documentary about the life of Henry VIII. I learned a great deal through watching this series and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Henry VIII or the history of England during the latter part of the 15th century and the 16th century.
