1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII

by Suzannah Lipscomb

Publisher:

Lion Books

, 2012

One of the best-known figures of British history, collective memory of Henry VIII presents us with the image of a corpulent, covetous, and cunning king whose appetite for worldly goods met few parallels, whose wives met infamously premature ends, and whose religion was ever political in intent. 

1536 - focusing on a pivotal year in the life of the King - reveals a fuller portrait of this complex monarch, detailing the finer shades of humanity that have so long been overlooked. We discover that in 1536 Henry met many failures - physical, personal, and political - and emerged from them a revolutionary new king who proceeded to transform a nation and reform a religion. 

A compelling story, the effects of which are still with us today, 1536 shows what a profound difference can be made merely by changing the heart of a king.

Contents

Contents
Acknowledgments 9
Illustrations 11
Preface 13
PART ONE – Setting the Scene 17
Prologue 19
Chapter 1. The Change 23
Chapter 2. Young Henry 27
Chapter 3. The Divorce 36
Chapter 4. 1536 and All That 43
PART TWO – The Crisis of Masculinity 47
Chapter 5. A Wife’s Death 50
Chapter 6. The King’s Honour 55
Chapter 7. The Fall of Anne Boleyn 65
Chapter 8. A Dearth of Heirs 90
Chapter 9. Masculinity and Image 95
PART THREE – The King’s Religion 105
Chapter 10. The Reformation in England 109
Chapter 11. 1536: The Church Established 113
Chapter 12. The Role of Henry VIII in Later Reformation 126
Chapter 13. Henry VIII’s Theology 136
Chapter 14. The Aftermath of the Reformation 141
PART FOUR – Henry the Tyrant 145
Chapter 15. The Pilgrimage of Grace 149
Chapter 16. The Mouldwarp Prophecy 172
Chapter 17. Courtly Dissent 178
Chapter 18. Did Henry VIII Become a Tyrant? 183
Epilogue 204
Appendix 1 Timeline of 1536 210
Appendix 2 Henry VIII’s Wives 212
Appendix 3 The Cost of Living in Henry VIII’s Reign 213
Notes 216
Further Reading 231
Index 234

Praise for 1536

"A bold and original attempt to unravel one of the great mysteries of English history: how, when and why Henry VIII changes from a handsome Prince Charming into a fat and loathsome Bluebeard." David Starkey, historian

'Suzannah Lipscomb has achieved the near-impossible: she's found an intriguing new way of imagining the king we thought we all knew about.' Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces

Product Details

• Title : 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII
• Author: Lipscomb, Suzannah
• Publisher: Lion Books
• Publication Date: 2012
• ISBN: 9780745959030

About Suzannah Lipscomb

Suzannah Lipscomb, PhD, is a senior lecturer in history at New College of the Humanities, London, and also teaches early modern history at the University of East Anglia. She has appeared on BBC, ITV, and BBC Radio, as well as co-presented Inside the World of Henry VIII on the History Channel. Her new three-part series on the Tower of London aired on National Geographic Channel. She is the author of 1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII, and writes frequently for BBC History Magazine and History Today.