“I’m Henry the Eighth, I am, I am, Henry the Eighth, I am…” Ah, yes. Henry VIII must be the best known and most talked about English king. There have been more films, books, plays and songs about him, and his six unfortunate wives, than any other. So I did wonder whether we needed yet another book about this murderous despot.
Henry VIII is a glaring example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. He was king of the castle and few people would disagree with him or deny him – and live. He used all his power and wealth in the pursuit of the one thing he could not buy: a son – but not until he was 35.
Robert Hutchinson has produced a biography that shines a light on Henry’s youth, and details the people and the events that drove him. Hutchinson tells us how Henry, born in 1491, spent the early part of his life in the company of women. The shadow of the Wars of the Roses hung over him. His father, Henry VII, won the crown by killing Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. There were other men who had equal, if not greater, claim to the throne by descent. So it was a bloody time of intrigue and cold-blooded murder when the sword was mightier than the pen.A fear, indeed paranoia, of plots with potential assassins around every corner was passed from father to son.
The Tudor dynasty was fragile and all other claimants to the throne and enemies had to be eradicated. A despatch, from the Spanish Ambassador at the time, details Henry’s teenage environment: “He is never permitted to go out of the palace, except for exercise through a private door leading to the park… surrounded by… persons especially appointed by the king… no one else dare approach him. He takes his meals alone and spends most of the day in his own room.”Other reports, used extensively by the author, describe a life of indulged merriment. The impression given is that he had everything he wanted, but was very much under the control of his father and formidable grandmother.
As the “spare”, Hutchinson believes Henry was destined for the church – as Archbishop of Canterbury – so the Tudors would have their hands on both levers of power: regal and ecclesiastical. But older brother Arthur died, probably of tuberculosis, soon after marrying Catherine of Aragon and Henry’s life changed forever.From the very beginning of his reign, free from control, he indulged his every whim. He loved dressing up and spent money freely on clothes and jewels throughout his reign. He spent nearly £1 million, at today’s prices, on his and Catherine’s wedding clothes alone. Imagine the outcry if William and Kate had spent anywhere near that amount on a dress and a suit.
His life was spent jousting, hunting, hawking, feasting and virtually bankrupting any aristocrat unfortunate enough to have to offer him accommodation on his royal progress through the realm. He killed his enemies and gave barely a thought to the poor. And, when he got bored with England, he waged war on France to try to regain Aquitaine. It all ended in tears. The author details how it descended into farce and resulted in the biggest mass desertion of the English army, as the soldiers had no food, no money and shambled their way back home. Henry fought with everyone, split from Rome, got rid of his wives – and the rest, as they say, is history.
It’s difficult to look at today’s royal family and imagine their bloody past. Seriously, can anyone imagine Andrew knifing Charles to get his hands on the throne? But it is good to be reminded of the evils of absolute monarchy. And this book does that in a highly readable way.
