The second Tudor monarch, Henry VIII, was famous for his six wives and for being the instigator of the English Reformation. Ruled 1509-1547.
A Timeline of British and English Monarchs
History Today have put together a timeline of English/British monarchs from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. It is well worth taking out a subscription if you’re interested in history. I love mine!
Henry VII
Henry VII is a rather obscure figure, and is probably the Tudor I know the least about. In my opinion, Henry VII is most remembered for ending the Wars of the Roses and birthing the Tudor dynasty. However, he was quite a remarkable man; he put down countless rebellions (Lambert Simnel, Perkin Warbeck and the White Rose to name a few) and held the throne for twenty-four years. What isn’t so admirable about Henry VII is that he didn’t give much fatherly attention to his children, Arthur, Margaret, Henry and Mary, but suffocated them with rules. I know this was almost usual but even by monarchs’ standards, Henry VII was cold. Henry VII’s actions regarding Arthur Tudor and Katherine of Aragon led directly to Henry VIII’s Great Matter and the Break with Rome. If Henry VII had allowed Katherine to return home after Arthur’s death, Henry VIII might never have married her, and it’s possible that England would have remained faithful to Rome. That is the main interest of Henry VII’s reign – the what ifs. Continue reading “The Lasting Legacy of the Tudor Dynasty: Why are they still so fascinating?”
Today I’m going to give you my opinion on the film of The Other Boleyn Girl starring Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn, Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn, and Eric Bana as Henry VIII. It also co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch as William Carey, Ana Torrent as Katherine of Aragon, Jim Sturgess as George Boleyn and Eddie Redmayne as William Stafford, among others.
I don’t think the film version lived up to the novel. The novel was a lot more detailed, and the characters seemed to be entirely different from novel to film. I wish the film had focused more on Mary Boleyn and her relationship with William Stafford, and how that affected her view of the court, and her children. The film seemed to tail off after Anne became involved with Henry VIII, but there was a lot more in the novel after that point, which wasn’t seen in the film. I think that this let it down as a lot of Mary’s lesser-known story (what happened when she left the court after her secret marriage to Stafford) was eft out, and this was the bit that most intrigued readers in the first place when the novel was published. I haven’t seen the earlier TV film of the novel, so I don’t know how that differs, but when I eventually get around to watching it, I will review it here. Continue reading “The Other Boleyn Girl – My Opinion”
The short answer is no, I do not think Henry VIII deserves his reputation as a tyrant, at least not fully. Henry VIII was a victim of the court in which he lived. He was constantly manipulated; by his wives, particularly Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, his ministers like Thomas Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell, and even the clergy like Stephen Gardiner and Thomas Cranmer. Rarely any of the decisions he made were actually his own.[i] Although Henry VIII was in part manipulated, at least in his early years, he did gain some measure of control over the affairs of his country and himself later on in his life. This began with the issue of his lack of a male heir and divorce from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. It was enhanced by his changing religious beliefs to enable him to get a divorce, and it was certainly developed in his quest to choose his own wife and to marry for love. Only two of his wives came from diplomatic pressure, his first and fourth (Anne of Cleves). The other five were born and bred in England, and whom he married for personal choice rather than diplomatic pressure.[ii] Continue reading “Do I Think Henry VIII Deserves his Reputation as a Tyrant?”
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