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The Autobiography of Henry VIII
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Presented as Henry VIII’s private memoirs, with corrective and often irreverent annotations by his fool Will Sommers, the novel follows the king from his privileged youth and confident accession to the embittered final years of his reign. Henry explains his ambitions, friendships and marriages in his own self-justifying voice, while Sommers exposes omissions and contradictions. The contrast allows the story to examine both the charismatic Renaissance prince Henry believed himself to be and the ruler remembered for broken marriages, executions and religious upheaval.
The book covers Henry’s six wives, his rivalry and diplomacy with Francis I and Charles V, Cardinal Wolsey’s fall, the execution of Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell’s rise and destruction, and the long struggle to secure a male heir. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr each alter the direction of the court and the succession. Henry’s break with Rome, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Pilgrimage of Grace transform England as personal desire becomes royal policy, leaving Edward, Mary and Elizabeth to inherit the consequences.
Historical periods
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 Mary I1516–1558 Edward VI1537–1553 Thomas Wolsey1473–1530 Thomas Cromwell1485–1540 Elizabeth I1533–1603 Francis I of France1494–1547 Thomas More1478–1535 Will Somersdied 1560 Charles V1500–1558
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