Tag: Thomas More

Book Review – ‘VIII’ by H.M. Castor

~ Helene Harrison ~ 2 Comments

H.M. Castor 'VIII'
H.M. Castor ‘VIII’

H.M. Castor ‘VIII’ (Dorking: Templar Publishing, 2011) Paperback, ISBN 978-1-8487-74995

Genre/s: Historical Drama

Setting: Tower of London, Hampton Court and Richmond (London, England)

Characters: Henry VIII / Prince Arthur / Henry VII / Elizabeth of York / Katherine of Aragon / Cardinal Thomas Wolsey / Anne Boleyn / Jane Seymour / Mary I / Archbishop Thomas Cranmer / Thomas More / Elizabeth I / Katherine Parr / Katherine Howard / Edward VI / Anne of Cleves / Thomas Cromwell

Storyline: From Henry VIII’s childhood until his death in 1547. The novel covers Henry’s imagined childhood in some detail, looking at the death of his mother and brother, his accession to the throne, his quest to beget a son to succeed him and the relationships with his wives. There is also a spectre in the background haunting him. Continue reading “Book Review – ‘VIII’ by H.M. Castor” →

Historical Inaccuracies in ‘The Tudors’ Season 2

~ Helene Harrison ~ 4 Comments

Episode 1 “Everything is Beautiful”

Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon in 'The Tudors' 2007-2010
Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon in ‘The Tudors’ 2007-2010

Charles Brandon and his ward – Charles Brandon married his ward, Katherine Brooke, but in reality she was Katherine Willoughby. On TV, Charles married Katherine in 1532, but in reality they didn’t marry until after Anne Boleyn’s coronation, in 1534.

Assassination attempt – According to the TV show, Pope Paul III organised an assassination attempt against Anne Boleyn before her coronation. In reality he wasn’t even elected until after her coronation, and there is no evidence for an assassination attempt.

Episode 2 “Tears of Blood”

Margaret More – Margaret More is shown to be in her mid-twenties when Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, but at this point she was actually in her early thirties. Continue reading “Historical Inaccuracies in ‘The Tudors’ Season 2” →

Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer’ Part 2

~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Henry VIII c.1542.
Henry VIII c.1542.

String of failed marriages and a religious revolution

Imagery and reputation

1533 Henry VIII anxious about the Tudor dynasty – no son to succeed him so ditched key advisors, split from Rome, divorced his wife and married Anne Boleyn

Powerful and controlling monarch, successful dynasty

Tapestry, art and palaces designed but plundered religious houses

New image had to be forged quickly as his future depended on it

Wrath of the pope and catholic European nations and English people – Rome refused to sanction divorce so Henry left it behind

Supreme Head of the Church of England

Henry vulnerable so built sea forts and the basis of the royal navy

Army of painters, builders and designers through palaces and paintings

Henry VIII interested in art by story – everything he commissioned told the story of his own self importance

Learn things about Henry from the art he commissioned Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer’ Part 2” →

Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer’ Part 1

~ Helene Harrison ~ 2 Comments

Henry VIII c.1520.
Henry VIII c.1520.

Jonathan Foyle.

April 1509 Henry VIII takes refuge in the Tower of London.

Public image – kills Empson and Dudley.

Coronation = cloth of gold, jewels on horseback, Hall’s Chronicle, Thomas More – lawyer commissioned to make a speech, “golden age”.

Humanism influenced More and Henry, also chivalry – Erasmus,

Eltham Palace – Henry was raised away from the centre of London.

Glenn Richardson.

John Skelton taught him Latin, French, etc. Influenced by Margaret Beaufort and William Blount Lord Mountjoy.

New learning – grammar, rhetoric, morals, history. History of his own ancestors.

1503 Prince Henry was betrothed to Katherine of Aragon.

Strength of the Tudor family – influence, wealth, power. Demonstrated by buildings like King’s College Chapel.

Propaganda. Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer’ Part 1” →

Important Tudor Executions on Tower Hill

~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Memorial on Tower Hill to those executed there.
Memorial on Tower Hill to those executed there.

Very few executions actually took place within the walls of the Tower of London. Most executions took place on the nearby Tower Hill. This post will cover the latter executions. A different post covers the former executions in the Tower itself. The executions on Tower Hill were more of a spectator sport, whereas the Tower dealt with potentially dangerous or controversial executions like Queens of England and prominent nobles.

Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham c.1520
Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham c.1520

Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham 1521 – Edward Stafford was executed on 17th May 1521. Henry VIII knew that Stafford probably had a stronger legitimate claim to the throne than he did as the Tudor descended from the illegitimate Beaufort line. In 1520 Henry authorised an investigation against him and he was tried before a group of seventeen of his peers, as was customary for the nobility. It is suggested his opposition to the King stemmed from his hatred of Wolsey. Continue reading “Important Tudor Executions on Tower Hill” →

‘Anne of the Thousand Days’ – Review

~ Helene Harrison ~ 4 Comments

'Anne of the Thousand Days' (1969).
‘Anne of the Thousand Days’ (1969).

So I finally got around to watching Anne of the Thousand Days starring Richard Burton as Henry VIII and Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn.

A bit of background: alongside Burton and Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, Michael Hordern and William Squire star (as Katherine of Aragon, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Boleyn and Thomas More respectively). The film was adapted from a play of the same name which ran for 288 performances on Broadway. The film was released in 1969 and was directed by Charles Jarrott. It received mixed reviews from critics but won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, nominated for a further nine (including nods for Burton, Bujold and Quayle). It was also nominated for two BAFTAs, although failed to win, but it did win four Golden Globes for Best Director, Best Motion Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actress for Bujold. Continue reading “‘Anne of the Thousand Days’ – Review” →

Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’

~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

 

'Utopia' by Thomas More.
‘Utopia’ by Thomas More.

For those who don’t know, Utopia depicts a fictional society and its religious, social and political ideals. In some ways, it is quite similar to some of the ideas that Plato had in The Republic and some of the ideas of other Greek philosophers like Cicero and Polybius.

When you look up Utopia on Wikipedia (a mine of information, though not to be used in serious scholarly work!), there is a section on the meaning of the work:

“Most scholars see it as some kind of comment or criticism of contemporary European society, for the evils of More’s day are laid out in Book I and in many ways apparently solved in Book II. Indeed, Utopia has many of the characteristics of satire, and there are many jokes and satirical asides such as how honest people are in Europe, but these are usually contrasted with the simple, uncomplicated society of the Utopians. Continue reading “Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’” →