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Henry VIII

By Lucy Wooding

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About the Book

'The author does a wonderful job of telling a gripping story that also gives a sense of the complexity of the reign and the period ... Students who read this will be well instructed about a very significant period of English history—and they will be entertained as well.' - Anne McLaren, University of Liverpool

Henry VIII was one of the most dominant figures of the sixteenth century, yet remains one of the most enigmatic. He was popular with the public and charismatic, yet behaved brutally in his private life and brought about England's break with the Catholic Church in order to get himself out of his first marriage.

Wooding's timely study provides an insightful and original portrait of this larger-than-life figure, and of the many paradoxes of his character and reign. Examining the strong medieval and Old Testament influences on the way Henry conducted his kingship, his obsessive concerns about the Tudor succession and the inescapable legacy bequeathed to his children and his country, this book also explores his afterlife in historical debate in literature and legend.

This compelling new biography gives a fresh portrayal of Henry VIII, cutting away the misleading mythology in order to provide a vivid portrayal of this passionate, willful, intelligent, and yet fearful king.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations. Acknowledgements. Chronology. Introduction 1. The Education of a Christian Prince 1491-1509 2. The Foundations of Kingship 1509-1518 3. The Lure of Empire 1518-1527 4. Dynasty and Supremacy 1527-1534 5. The Godly Prince 1534-1539 6. The Closing Years 1539-1547. Conclusion - The Legacy of Henry VIII. Abbreviations. Notes. Select Further Reading. Index

About the Author(s)

Lucy Wooding is a Lecturer in Early Modern History at King’s College, London. Her research interests lie in the political, religious and cultural history of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, in particular the history of the Reformation. She is the author of Rethinking Catholicism in Reformation England (2000).