Read Henry VIII And the Men Who Made Him Tracy Borman 9780802128430 Books
Read Henry VIII And the Men Who Made Him Tracy Borman 9780802128430 Books
Download As PDF : Henry VIII And the Men Who Made Him Tracy Borman 9780802128430 Books
Henry VIII is best known in history for his tempestuous marriages and the fates of his six wives. However, as acclaimed historian Tracy Borman makes clear in her illuminating new chronicle of Henry’s life, his reign and reputation were hugely influenced by the men who surrounded and interacted with him as companions and confidants, servants and ministers, and occasionally as rivals―many of whom have been underplayed in previous biographies.
These relationships offer a fresh, often surprising perspective on the legendary king, revealing the contradictions in his beliefs, behavior, and character in a nuanced light. They show him capable of fierce but seldom abiding loyalty, of raising men up only to destroy them later. He loved to be attended by boisterous young men, the likes of his intimate friend Charles Brandon, who shared his passion for sport, but could also be diverted by men of intellect, culture, and wit, as his longstanding interplay with Cardinal Wolsey and his reluctant abandonment of Thomas More attest. Eager to escape the shadow of his father, Henry VII, he was often trusting and easily led by male attendants and advisors early in his reign (his coronation was just shy of his 18th birthday in 1509); in time, though, he matured into a profoundly suspicious and paranoid king whose ruthlessness would be ever more apparent, as Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and uncle to two of Henry’s wives, discovered to his great discomfort, and as Eustace Chapuys, the ambassador of Charles V of Spain, often reported.
Recounting the great Tudor’s life and signal moments through the lens of his male relationships, Tracy Borman’s new biography reveals Henry’s personality in all its multi-faceted, contradictory glory, and sheds fresh light on his reign for anyone fascinated by the Tudor era and its legacy.
Read Henry VIII And the Men Who Made Him Tracy Borman 9780802128430 Books
".3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thanx you Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. It is a solid biographical study of the men who served Henry the VIII. Most books about this period focus on his six wives or Henry the VIII. The author has done an impressive amount of research, quoting extensively from primary sources, letters, diaries, official records, etc.
Henry the VIII was obsessed with producing a male heir to carry on his reign. His father had ended a civil war and Henry the VIII worried that there would be another civil war without a male heir.
A personal note: I just returned from a UK visit and toured Castle Howard, in the Howard family for more than 500 years. It is now owned by The National Trust. The last Howard turned it over to the Trust with the proviso that he continue to live there. He died recently, but used to give tours while he was alive. Castle Howard was a stately mansion and not a Castle. Actual castles in the UK have the town name first, as in Caernarfon Castle. Katherine Howard was one of Henry the VIII's wives.
Interestingly, many of the men who served Henry the VIII were named Thomas-- Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, and Thomas Howard.
One complaint: Chapter 2 has 57 footnotes, but only two and a half are listed in the footnote section."
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Henry VIII And the Men Who Made Him Tracy Borman 9780802128430 Books Reviews :
Henry VIII And the Men Who Made Him Tracy Borman 9780802128430 Books Reviews
- Henry VIII (1491-1546) was the second son of Henry VII. His older brother Arthur died at 15. Henry wed his brother's wife Catherine of Aragon. He later claimed that the marriage to Arthur was not consummated and could be annulled allowing him to wed the fetching Anne Boleyn. We all know the story of how he married Anne and later had her beheaded. Henry married six times and beheaded Anne and his fifth wife Katherine Howard. The story of Henry and his wives has been told countless times in print and on the big screen. However, much less is given play on the men who advised Henry during his long reign. Among the greatest of these advisors
a. Cardinal Wolsey- A longtime advisor of whom Henry became furious at due to the prelate's opposition to his marriage to Anne Boleyn and his support of Catherine of Aragon and the Roman Catholic faith. He died before he could be tried for treason.
b. Sir Thomas More was a friend of Henry from their early years and became Lord Chancellor of the Realm. He is the author of The Utopia and was a staunch defender of the Roman Catholic religion. He was excecuted on the orders of Henry VIII for not supporting the king's marriage to Anne Boleyn
c.Thomas Cromwell was Henry's utility infielder of doing his work. He suppressed the monasteries adding millions of revenue to Henry's treasury. He initially supported Anne Boleyn and then turned against her. Henry was furious when he wed Anne of Cleves who was supported by Cromwell. Cromwell was an evangelical Christian while Henry still loved the rites and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. He was accused of treason and beheaded
d. Henry Brandon Duke of Sussex married Henry's sister Mary. He was a soldier and diplomat and loved wine, women and song as did Henry,. He died n his bed
Henry VIII was a spoiled, lascvicious , egocentric dictator who is the cruelest tyrant in British history. An athletic young man he was handsome and loved tennis, hunting, hawking and chasing women. He became obesee, paranoid and was at all times fickle. He often failed in military campaigns against his arch rivals King Francis I of France and Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor. He was intelligent and loved music and studying theology and science.
I have read most of Dr. Tracy Borman's books on the Tudor family. She is a brilliant scholar and her books are a must for anoyone wanting to learn more about the colorful and crucial Tudor Age in British history. Well recommended! - You will learn more about those 'randy" royals of long ago. Actually quite interesting. Seems well researched and very readable. enjoy.
- The blurb was very promising, but the book did not meet all my expectations. It was a pleasant read, it’s the Tudors after all, but I had hoped for a more comprehensive work.
The focus is indeed on the men surrounding Henry, an approach that I found very intriguing. Though interesting and informative, I disliked the author's at times very subjective, strongly expressed or oversimplified conclusions.
I prefer more historical background information and nuance in a biography as well as a better clarification of the sources used, with their bias and the agenda of the narrator always clearly kept in mind. The author often quotes from the Spanish Chronicle, which I didn’t much care for since it is considered a rather unreliable source, feeling more like a gossip mag at times. Occasionally, she used sweeping statements herself, without giving a source or the reasoning behind her conclusion.
I also feel that the author made far too light of Henry VIII’s religious scruples and his genuine and legitimate concern regarding the importance of an heir for his dynasty and the benefits of a peaceful succession to the nation itself. I don’t mean to imply that he was a stand-up guy, but perspective and nuance are so crucial for any historical research. Well-known aspects of Henry’s life like his being conferred the title of Defender of the Faith for writing his Defense of the Seven Sacraments, his genuine grand passion & love for Anne Boleyn, the reformation of the Church of England etc. are only touched upon in the briefest manner, or even made light of.
The women are understandably relegated to the background in this book on Henry and “the men who made himâ€, the author didn’t stop at shifting focus in this way, however, but went a bit too far the other way, diminishing their actual importance in Henry’s life and their worth as people in their own right. She treats Henry’s wives almost like mere puppets on a string being moved about by the men in their lives and doesn’t give them enough credit for their many qualities like piety, loyalty, intelligence, courage, political acumen and resourcefulness, to name a few.
The e-book didn’t have any pictures in it, which really should go hand in hand with a biography. A pity. - .3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thanx you Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. It is a solid biographical study of the men who served Henry the VIII. Most books about this period focus on his six wives or Henry the VIII. The author has done an impressive amount of research, quoting extensively from primary sources, letters, diaries, official records, etc.
Henry the VIII was obsessed with producing a male heir to carry on his reign. His father had ended a civil war and Henry the VIII worried that there would be another civil war without a male heir.
A personal note I just returned from a UK visit and toured Castle Howard, in the Howard family for more than 500 years. It is now owned by The National Trust. The last Howard turned it over to the Trust with the proviso that he continue to live there. He died recently, but used to give tours while he was alive. Castle Howard was a stately mansion and not a Castle. Actual castles in the UK have the town name first, as in Caernarfon Castle. Katherine Howard was one of Henry the VIII's wives.
Interestingly, many of the men who served Henry the VIII were named Thomas-- Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, and Thomas Howard.
One complaint Chapter 2 has 57 footnotes, but only two and a half are listed in the footnote section.
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