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The Trial of Henry the 8th
No crimes go unpunished. A King or Pauper may escape justice in life but there is always a reckoning. But no soul should burn in hell without a fair trial.
Whitehall, England, 1547
Henry the 8th lays dying and despite his belief that he has served God all his life the doubts and fears creep in. What if he was wrong? What if God was angry with him? Would he, an anointed King, face judgment like other men and, if so, would he be found wanting? As he desperately grasps his Archbishop's hand and breathes his last, he again asks himself the question, how would he be judged?
Somewhere like England the next day and every day since.
Henry finds himself on trial with all his actions in life being judged by a jury-a jury that has been conditioned from childhood to think him a monster.
Henry the 8th is a man condemned by history. He is the murderer of two wives, his life-long friends and his loyal ministers. He is the tyrant who divorced his first Queen and separated her from her daughter while keeping her prisoner until her death. And he was the King who changed the religion of England for his own selfish desires.
But is all this true? Is it fair? Were Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard really innocent victims of a monster? Were the allegations of treason and adultery just trumped up charges as history has decided they were? What if they were guilty? Would this not change our view of Henry?
It is always claimed that the wives, ministers and many others who were executed never received a fair trial. But is that not also true of Henry himself? He has been condemned as England's most evil monarch but he has never had a chance to defend himself.
What if he had been? What if he could plead his innocence and explain some of his actions? Could he not claim, with some justification, that the split from the Church of Rome was more about freeing England from foreign power than it was about divorcing his first wife? Maybe he could also cast doubt on the assumption of innocence of his executed wives?
In this book Henry the 8th gets the chance to defend himself in a 21st century court under a modern legal system.
And at stake is his reputation and his mortal soul.
Whitehall, England, 1547
Henry the 8th lays dying and despite his belief that he has served God all his life the doubts and fears creep in. What if he was wrong? What if God was angry with him? Would he, an anointed King, face judgment like other men and, if so, would he be found wanting? As he desperately grasps his Archbishop's hand and breathes his last, he again asks himself the question, how would he be judged?
Somewhere like England the next day and every day since.
Henry finds himself on trial with all his actions in life being judged by a jury-a jury that has been conditioned from childhood to think him a monster.
Henry the 8th is a man condemned by history. He is the murderer of two wives, his life-long friends and his loyal ministers. He is the tyrant who divorced his first Queen and separated her from her daughter while keeping her prisoner until her death. And he was the King who changed the religion of England for his own selfish desires.
But is all this true? Is it fair? Were Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard really innocent victims of a monster? Were the allegations of treason and adultery just trumped up charges as history has decided they were? What if they were guilty? Would this not change our view of Henry?
It is always claimed that the wives, ministers and many others who were executed never received a fair trial. But is that not also true of Henry himself? He has been condemned as England's most evil monarch but he has never had a chance to defend himself.
What if he had been? What if he could plead his innocence and explain some of his actions? Could he not claim, with some justification, that the split from the Church of Rome was more about freeing England from foreign power than it was about divorcing his first wife? Maybe he could also cast doubt on the assumption of innocence of his executed wives?
In this book Henry the 8th gets the chance to defend himself in a 21st century court under a modern legal system.
And at stake is his reputation and his mortal soul.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2023
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13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 14, 2023
I loved this book. I am a big fan of this little known author after reading The Cursed Sister. This is quite different but it is still historical fiction although there is an awful lot of fact in it.
The central theme is that no one truly escapes justice. This chimes with me as I have always thought that it is ridiculous that someone like Adolf Hitler could "Escape justice". NO. I am not particularly religious but I do believe great evil in this life will have to be punished even after death.
But if Henry has to face trial for his alleged crimes, here he is also given a fair trial. Unlike those he is accused of killing, he is given a chance to mount a defence.
The book starts with Henry dying in 1547 and waking up the next day in what appears to be the 21st century. To him one day has passed but, to his cocky young defence lawyer, Henry has been dead for over 450 years.
Henry is told he faces trial for alleged crimes committed in his life-time and the penalty for a guilty verdict is that his soul will burn in hell for all eternity. Thankfully this is just a literary prop that the author uses to explain proceedings and the point is not laboured.
Henry is shocked and outraged by how he is portrayed by history and with the help of his lawyer presents a credible defence against all charges.
What I liked about the book was that it is fair and even handed. Each charge is forcibly made by the prosecution and Henry's lawyer makes the defence. The author wants the reader to consider all the evidence and to reach a verdict. The reader is in reality the jury. I quite like this interaction between writer and reader.
I also like the fact the author has made the prosecution lawyer a young Asian woman-something Henry is outraged and baffled by. The dialogue between the two is feisty, compelling and often very funny. There is also a lot of humour in the relationship with his overly confident and disrespectful defence council.
I found the book educational and thought provoking as I had never really considered Henry's point of view. This is what makes the book so interesting. History has a narrative and in Henry's case history has branded him a monster and no one has never really questioned that. This book doesn't set out to change that narrative-just to ask that the reader questions it and looks at the evidence.
I am not always a great fan of fantasies but one of my favourite movies is the David Niven war time film, A Matter of Life and Death, and with this court room drama set in a world between life and death there are similar aspects.
I loved the book and would totally recommend it.
The central theme is that no one truly escapes justice. This chimes with me as I have always thought that it is ridiculous that someone like Adolf Hitler could "Escape justice". NO. I am not particularly religious but I do believe great evil in this life will have to be punished even after death.
But if Henry has to face trial for his alleged crimes, here he is also given a fair trial. Unlike those he is accused of killing, he is given a chance to mount a defence.
The book starts with Henry dying in 1547 and waking up the next day in what appears to be the 21st century. To him one day has passed but, to his cocky young defence lawyer, Henry has been dead for over 450 years.
Henry is told he faces trial for alleged crimes committed in his life-time and the penalty for a guilty verdict is that his soul will burn in hell for all eternity. Thankfully this is just a literary prop that the author uses to explain proceedings and the point is not laboured.
Henry is shocked and outraged by how he is portrayed by history and with the help of his lawyer presents a credible defence against all charges.
What I liked about the book was that it is fair and even handed. Each charge is forcibly made by the prosecution and Henry's lawyer makes the defence. The author wants the reader to consider all the evidence and to reach a verdict. The reader is in reality the jury. I quite like this interaction between writer and reader.
I also like the fact the author has made the prosecution lawyer a young Asian woman-something Henry is outraged and baffled by. The dialogue between the two is feisty, compelling and often very funny. There is also a lot of humour in the relationship with his overly confident and disrespectful defence council.
I found the book educational and thought provoking as I had never really considered Henry's point of view. This is what makes the book so interesting. History has a narrative and in Henry's case history has branded him a monster and no one has never really questioned that. This book doesn't set out to change that narrative-just to ask that the reader questions it and looks at the evidence.
I am not always a great fan of fantasies but one of my favourite movies is the David Niven war time film, A Matter of Life and Death, and with this court room drama set in a world between life and death there are similar aspects.
I loved the book and would totally recommend it.
March 4, 2024
I heard that Henry had a fat leg filled with pus.
January 16, 2025
Spoilers***
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed The Trial of Henry VIII! Andrew Blair takes such a creative approach to historical fiction, imagining what it would be like if Henry VIII had to stand trial for his actions. It’s such a fresh, original idea, and the mix of education and storytelling was a big win for me. This made an awesome book club pick—our group had a great time diving into the history, morality, and power plays that the story brings up.
That said, I did have a few critiques. The book could definitely use a good edit to smooth out some parts. There were moments where I wanted Blair to dig a little deeper into the characters or the courtroom drama—just give us more! And then there’s the ending... It felt a little abrupt, almost like we stopped mid-sentence. I get that the open-ended verdict might have been intentional, but I personally wanted some closure—was Henry guilty or not? Give me something!
Even with those minor gripes, I thought this book was great. It’s such a unique take on historical fiction, and it really gets you thinking while still being super entertaining. If you’re into history or just love a good "what if" scenario, definitely give this one a read. Highly recommend!
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed The Trial of Henry VIII! Andrew Blair takes such a creative approach to historical fiction, imagining what it would be like if Henry VIII had to stand trial for his actions. It’s such a fresh, original idea, and the mix of education and storytelling was a big win for me. This made an awesome book club pick—our group had a great time diving into the history, morality, and power plays that the story brings up.
That said, I did have a few critiques. The book could definitely use a good edit to smooth out some parts. There were moments where I wanted Blair to dig a little deeper into the characters or the courtroom drama—just give us more! And then there’s the ending... It felt a little abrupt, almost like we stopped mid-sentence. I get that the open-ended verdict might have been intentional, but I personally wanted some closure—was Henry guilty or not? Give me something!
Even with those minor gripes, I thought this book was great. It’s such a unique take on historical fiction, and it really gets you thinking while still being super entertaining. If you’re into history or just love a good "what if" scenario, definitely give this one a read. Highly recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews