Abstract
Henry VIII was not quite 18 years of age when he became king in April 1509 — the first peaceful accession of a monarch since 1422. The contrast between father and son has been noted by most historians: the serious, hard-working Henry VII was succeeded by a young man who seemingly sought only pleasure and military glory. Young Henry had not been educated in the arts of government as his elder brother Arthur had been. The death of the elder prince had made Henry VII overprotective of his only remaining son, who was kept isolated for fear of getting a fatal disease. Henry VIII had grown into a handsome prince over six feet tall, excelling at sport and also with intellectual tastes. He was a skilled linguist, with a fluency in French, Spanish, Italian and Latin, and a competent musician (the song ‘Pastime with good company’ was certainly written by him) as well as a fine dancer; he was thus a good example of the ‘universal man’ beloved in the Renaissance.
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Notes
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For the debate see: G. Bernard, ‘The Fall of Anne Boleyn’ English Historical Review, 106 (1991), pp. 584–610; E. Ives, ‘The Fall of Anne Boleyn Reconsidered’, English Historical Review, 107 (1992), pp. 561–4; G. Bernard’s ‘Rejoinder’, English Historical Review, 107, (1992), pp. 665–74.
E. Ives, ‘Faction at the Court of Henry VIII: the Fall of Anne Boleyn’, History, 57 (1972), pp. 169–88; Anne Boleyn (Oxford, 1986).
R. Warnicke, ‘The Fall of Anne Boleyn’, History, 70 (1985), pp. 1–15, esp. p. 3.
Retha Warnicke, The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn (Cambridge, 1989), pp. 191–204, 246.
E. A. Bonner, The Genesis of Henry VIII’s “Rough Wooing” of the Scots’, Northern History, 33 (1997), pp. 11–14.
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L. B. Smith, The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII: a Question of Perspective’, Journal of British Studies, 2 (1962), pp. 14–27; Smith, Henry VIII, Ch. 12.
E. Ives, ‘Henry VIII’s Will — a Forensic Conundrum’, Historical Journal, 35 (1992), pp. 779–804. Debate with R. Houlbrooke, Historical Journal, 37 (1994), pp. 891–914.
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© 2001 Philip Edwards
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Edwards, P. (2001). The Reign of Henry VIII, 1509–47. In: The Making of the Modern English State, 1460–1660. British Studies Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-333-99383-5_4
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