King Henry VIII

This booklet about Henry VIII is written and edited by Angela Royston and published by Pitkin (an imprint of Jarrold Publishing). The text is divided into ten sections. Here are the headlines:

(1) Early Life

(2) The Golden Years

(3) War and Diplomacy

(4) Henry’s Navy

(5) Henry’s Great Matter

(6) Royal Palaces

(7) The Search for a Son

(8) Monasteries in Ruins

(9) Humiliation and Betrayal

(10) Henry’s Last Years

The text is brief, while the illustrations are numerous. The text and the illustrations supplement each other very well. All illustrations are in colour except for a few which are in black-and-white. All illustrations are instructive and helpful.

Henry was born in 1491. He ruled as Henry VIII from 1509 until his death in 1547. While he was king, he made several decisions which had long-lasting consequences. The most important are the following:

(a) He built a fleet and made England an important naval power (section 4)

(b) He broke with the Catholic Church in Rome and established the Church of England (section 8)

But perhaps he is best known because of his dramatic and turbulent personal life: he was married no less than six times, and he made sure that two of the six wives were executed (section 5).

For more information about his wives, please turn to a booklet from the same publisher: The Six Wives of King Henry VIII.

This booklet gives us the short version of the long story. It presents the boy, the man, and the husband, as well as the king.

As a young man and a young king Henry was rather popular, but during his last years he was feared and hated.

Throughout his reign his major concern was the search for a male heir (section 7). He had two daughters - Mary (born 1516) and Elizabeth (born 1533) - but for him they did not count as heirs. He did have one son who survived him. His name was Edward (born 1537). He succeeded his father and ruled as Edward VI, but he was taken ill and died while he was still young, so he ruled for only six years (1547-1553).

His daughter Mary ruled as queen 1553-1558, while his daughter Elizabeth ruled as queen 1558-1603. Elizabeth was the fifth and last ruler of the Tudor dynasty. Henry did not think of his daughters as heirs. For him only a son was the real thing. But, as it turned out, both of his daughters became queen, and the youngest of them, Elizabeth, ruled even longer than her father.

When you see this publication, you may assume it is a children’s book, because it is so slim and because there are so many pictures. But in my opinion this assumption is false. If you want a short and colourful account of King Henry’s life, this booklet is just the right thing for you.

* * *

 

Angela Royston,
King Henry VIII,
Pitkin, 1999, reprinted 2004, 22 pages

 

* * *