History – 150 pages - my copy (paperback; 2002) borrowed from the University of Plymouth library during November 2011
- 2 nods out of 5 -
In 1509 Henry VIII became the new king of England. Thomas More wrote on this significant occasion: ‘This day is the end of our slavery, the fount of our liberty; the end of sadness, the beginning of joy.’ Little did More know that his very own end would come by the hand of Henry, and that the ‘fount of liberty’ would run dry.
David Starkey is known today as one of the eminent historians on the Tudor period. This small, compact book – a mere 150 pages – is one of Starkey’s very first. It is a glimpse into the major personalities of Henry’s court, from the start of ‘A New Age’ to his end when he became ‘Egg-shaped’ in features, and a ‘Humpty-Dumpty of a nightmare’.
The major points of his reign are referenced and discussed, including the dynamism of the early years, the war with France, leading to the peace of France and later chaos brought about by the divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Starkey doesn’t attempt to paint a panoramic picture of England in this time, contenting himself to the chief figures in the royal court. We are given a run-down of Henry’s “minion’s”, of Thomas Cromwell, and Anne Boleyn herself. The greatest importance is reserved for Cardinal Wolsey, a man who held great sway for close to fifteen years. Starkey labels him ‘one of the most famous statesmen in English history – second only to perhaps Churchill’. Whilst he sums up such a statement by commenting: ‘Being famous for five minutes is one thing; being famous for 450 years is quite another.’
For those who wish to know more about Henry VIII, don’t begin with Starkey’s book. It is a read with little illumination, and sparse on excitement. Perhaps it was written in a time before Starkey built up that pompous wit and attacking tongue he is known for; the Worm is unsure to which Starkey he prefers.
Buy it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reign-Henry-VIII-Personalities-Politics/dp/0099445107/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323257713&sr=1-1
