Henry VIII: King and Court

Name: Henry VIII: King and Court
Rating: 2.5 (5 reviews)

by Alison Weir

First published 2001

Amazon

2.5(5)

This study of Henry VIII places the king within the institutions, ceremonies and personalities of his court. It follows his education, marriages, government, religious policies, artistic patronage, warfare and declining health while examining ministers such as Wolsey and Cromwell and the households that sustained royal life. The biography shows how personal monarchy operated in practice and how Henry’s search for authority and succession transformed England.

The court is treated as the mechanism through which personal monarchy becomes government. Access to Henry affects patronage and policy, while ceremony communicates rank and royal favour to everyone watching. The rise and fall of ministers and queens therefore cannot be separated from the households, offices and informal networks that controlled who could approach the king and what information reached him.

Historical Periods

Reign of Henry VIII1509–1547 CE

Genres

Court & Political Fiction

Historical people

Henry VIII1491–1547 Catherine of Aragon1485–1536 Anne Boleyn1501–1536 Jane Seymour1508–1537 Anne of Cleves1515–1557 Catherine Howard1523–1542 Catherine Parr1512–1548 Thomas Wolsey1473–1530 Thomas Cromwell1485–1540