An Understanding of the Political Climate in the Wake of Henry VIII

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	• The Last Days of Henry VIII Robert Hutchinson Phoenix, 2006 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Well-written, entertaining, very readable

This book does a remarkably good job of presenting the facts about the final years of Henry VIII, a time when political and religious factions were vying for control over the course England would take after Henry's imminent death. I've read a lot about Henry over the years but this book taught me many things about him that I never knew before. This book contains an overview of the political and religious situation towards the end of Henry's time and also presents many interesting new findings and details you probably won't read anywhere else. It's written in an erudite yet relaxed style that is easy, even entertaining to read, and feels like listening to a lecture by a skilled history professor with a sense of humor. This book is a valuable and very welcome recent addition to the world's historical knowledge of Henry's time. I heartily recommend it to anyone who shares my fascination with Henry VIII or English history in general.

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A Comprehensive Look at Henry's Final Years

This book is a great comprehensive look at the last few years of Henry VIII's life, which is often overlooked due to the scandals of his earlier years. It explores in depth his last three marriages, the conspiracies and rivalries abounding in his inner circle, the religious climate, his volatile temper, his waning heath and final illness, and his majestic funeral. We see some familiar characters like Cromwell exit the scene in Henry's familiar tyrant fashion, and we become more familiar with others who filled large rolls behind the scene. I would recommend this as a great supplement to the collection of any Tudor enthusiast as a readable and straightforward account of Henry's final, tumultuous years.

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An Understanding of the Political Climate in the Wake of Henry VIII

In response to the fellow that gave this book a 1-star, one cannot possibly understand the important political maneuverings in the final days of Henry without explaining details of his reign, of which I feel was the point of the book. I also did not mind the review of other parts of his reign because it included interesting primary sources.

This book is a good starting point to understanding the Tudor political atmosphere and why it is how it is in the wake of Henry's death, backed with good solid sources of letters and financial records. It is also remarkably readable and interesting.

The only thing I didn't prefer are the conjectures of Henry's ailments. At this point it's just a guess - and I'd prefer to just have the symptoms stated instead of a guess stated like a fact.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

THE LAST DAYS OF HENRY VIII is a page-turning story of the murderous conspiracies at the Tudor court. And it announces the arrival of a major new talent in popular historical narrative. If you enjoyed Sebag Montefiore's STALIN, you will relish the grisly tale of England's most despotic ruler. Robert Hutchinson captures the terrifying world of his court, where even the most powerful men in the land could be brought down overnight. Henry VIII pioneered the modern show trial: cynical propaganda exercises in which the victims were condemned before the proceedings even opened. Henry VIII 'has no respect or fear of anyone in this world', wrote the Spanish ambassador to his court. He ruled England with Stalinist ruthlessness, executing (at a conservative estimate) 150,000 people from a population of less than 3 million souls. But after 35 years in power, he was a bloated, hideously obese, black-humoured old man, rarely seen in public. He had striven all his life to ensure the survival of his dynasty by siring legitimate sons, yet his only male heir was eight-year-old Prince Edward. It was increasingly obvious that when Henry died, real power in England would be exercised by a regent. The prospect of that prize spurred the rival court factions into deadly conflict. Aimed at the developing 'court intrigue' genre of popular history narratives, this is an easy read like John Guy's MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS or David Starkey's recent biographies. However, Robert Hutchinson has spent several years in original archival research. He advances a genuinely new theory of Henry's medical history and the cause of his death; he has unearthed some fabulous eyewitness material and papers from death warrants, confessions and even love letters between Katherine Parr and the Lord High Admiral.

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