Henry VIII

The English Monarchs

by J.J. Scarisbrick

Henry VIII's forceful personality dominated his age and continues to fascinate our own. In few other reigns have there been developments of such magnitude—in politics, foreign relations, religion, and society—that have so radically affected succeeding generations. Above all the English Reformation and the break with Rome are still felt more than four centuries on.

First published in 1968, J. J. Scarisbrick's Henry VIII remains the standard account, a thorough exploration of the documentary sources, stylishly written and highly readable. In an updated foreword, Professor Scarisbrick takes stock of subsequent research and places his classic account within the context of recent publications.

"It is the magisterial quality of J.J. Scarisbrick's work that has enabled it to hold the field for so long."—Steve Gunn, Times Literary Supplement

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Tudor Period, British Literature, European History, Royalty

584 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

John Joseph Scarisbrick MBE FRHistS (often shortened to J.J. Scarisbrick) is an historian of Tudor England. Scarisbrick was educated at The John Fisher School and later Christ's College, Cambridge, after spending two years in the Royal Air Force. He taught at Warwick University and is the founder of British pro-life charity, LIFE.

Reviews

[Steve]

My eyelids weighed too heavy to prevent the occasional doze as I moved through this text. For the reader interested in the technical arguments behind the six-year long campaign to annul Henry VIII’s first marriage, this is your book. And if you think distorted truth is a relatively recent phenome-non, read of the arguments enlisted in Henry’s pleadings, namely that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was invalid from the start since her previous marriage to his brother was allegedly unconsummated. While I completed this lengthy history, I must in all fairness report that it was a difficult journey. I suspect many professional historians, however, consider this work foundational.

Henry VIII was born in 1491. Following the death of his father, King Henry VII, he married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, a woman five years older, in 1509. They lived in the delightful union that all royal couples popularly enjoy, at least for the first five years. Mary, their only child, was born early in 1516. But this king had an irrepressible urge to wander. He had a relationship with Elizabeth Blount, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine, that began in 1514. She bore him an illegitimate son in 1519. The Boleyn sisters came next, first Mary and then Anne. By 1525, Henry was thinking of a marital reset, thoughts that became official in 1527. Not until Anne Boleyn became pregnant, with the future Elizabeth I, was he forced to confront Rome’s implacability. A split with the Catholic Church inevitably followed. His divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and marriage to Anne Boleyn, were official in 1533. Why was Rome unwilling to accommodate Henry’s wish for an annulment from Catherine of Aragon? One important reason was political. Catherine was related to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. During the Sack of Rome by Imperial troops in 1527, Clement VII was held captive in Castel Sant’ Angelo. The pope had little incentive to anger Charles V further and every incentive to ensure peace.

France, the Holy Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Scotland are the major English concerns of state during Henry’s reign. At times, one is an ally, then a foe, then an ally again. Henry had three principal counselors in succession to guide through the intricacies of foreign and domestic policy: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, and Thomas Cromwell. Each provided invaluable assistance to their sovereign. In return for their meritorious service, each was betrayed. Wolsey died on his way to trial. More and Cromwell were beheaded. Such is the danger found with rivalries at court. The duke of Norfolk and Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, were among the notable intriguers.

Henry VIII and his six wives are, of course, legendary. At the risk of taxing your patience to bolster my memory, some further remarks on those relationships are in order. In early 1536, Henry developed an affection for Jane Seymour, a maid to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. With a change of affection, charges of infidelity were levied against Anne. At the end of May, Anne’s head and body were separated, and Jane was a queen. Just over one year later, the latest queen was dead, shortly after giving birth to a son, the future Edward VI. Henry then assiduously searched for a fourth wife. Hans Holbein the Younger was even entrusted to make realistic portraits of prospects for Henry’s appraisal. Ultimately, he settled on Anne of Cleves, a German. Henry felt duped. The author writes that “Henry was bitterly disappointed the moment he set eyes on her at Rochester. ‘I am ashamed that men have so praised her as they have done, and I like her not,’ was his verdict.” There was no diplomatic way to weasel out of his marital commitment. Less than a week passed between their first meeting and their marriage in January 1540. The divorce was official six months later, the marriage unconsummated. Catherine Howard, a maid of honor to Anne of Cleves, joined Henry next on the throne as soon as the ink dried on the divorce paperwork. When word surfaced that the queen had romantic liaisons before and after her marriage, her fate was sealed. She was beheaded in early 1541. Henry married the twice widowed Catherine Parr in July 1543, a marriage that lasted until Henry’s death in 1547, age fifty-six.

As for Henry’s quality as a person, I lack firm sense whether he was any crueler than the average ruler of his era. Brutal living conditions appeared the norm across a world where justice was fond of the axe or a flaming pyre. The state of healthcare was miserable by today’s standards; two of Henry’s wives died following childbirth, for example – in addition to Jane Seymour, Catherine Parr died in 1547 having married for the fourth time. Henry certainly broke convention with his six wives, having two executed. I’m left to wonder whether the treatment of his subjects was any better or worse than those in France or the Holy Roman Empire. Regardless, history acknowledges his years as significant. “Henry’s reign in many ways left a deeper mark on the mind, heart and face of England than did any event in English history between the coming of the Normans and the coming of the factory.”

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography of Henry VIII that manages to be scholarly without being too dry (although some might frown on a chapter-long swan dive into the depths of canon law). I think there's a nice balance between Henry's personal life and the broader scope of European politics (which, by the way - if you're like me and not up to date on your early modern politics, I'd grab some Tudor and Hapsburg family trees for reference as you're reading).

My biggest complaint is that the timeline gets a little bit wonky here and there. Scarisbrick tries to keep the chapters thematic, which works really well in keeping the book engaging and readable. But it sometimes causes some confusion over what exactly is happening at what time, and it makes the causation for certain events confusing. Favored advisers will meet their downfall about a chapter before it's explained why, and sometimes the impact of certain acts of Parliament are explained before it's explained what those actual acts are. It can make the book a little disorienting from time to time.

On the whole though, I think it's a really solid biography that will give a good overview of what's going on in European politics and the English monarchy in the early 16th century.

[Lynne-marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a stunning book, from J.J. Scarisbrick's forward, to the death of Henry VIII and his funeral. It is so well written that I scarcely noticed the ultimate integrity of its scholarly bona fides, but they were there when I called them to mind and investigated. Because of its wonderful style existing along side of its perfect sources, I was reminded of how flimsy other books about Henry VIII had been.

I had never really understood how the carefree youth, determined on writing the BEST verse, and cutting the BEST figura with the young women fitted hand in glove with the older young man who wanted nothing more than to be shown as the BEST leader on the military stage of Europe. In fact, Henry never got over that obsession, but it was the same from rank youth to dying monarch. Be the best!

This book was the first to show me Henry's theological obsession that lived almost independently from the divorce, though, of course, having the same root as it. And it expanded on his need for an heir by making it a personal battle, not just a dynastic one. The women were beside the point, almost.

This is a triumph! I urge you to try it. You will never be sorry!

[JS Found · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fluid telling of the reign of Henry VIII, with attention to his foreign campaigns, diplomacy, and England's split from the Catholic Church. There is a chapter on the theology of the divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and it could be a movie in the style of All The President's Men, as his minions scour the libraries of Europe looking for any religious writing that would legitimize his divorce. Much is written about his first chief minister, Thomas Wolsey, and it is incredible how much power he had--until he didn't and was cast aside by the mercurial king. He was replaced by Thomas Cromwell, who became just as powerful, and was similarly betrayed, but this time fatally. I read this study in preparation to read Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bringing Up Bodies, but there isn't much about Cromwell here. All in all, Scarisbrick gives this king a low grade, and with the story of his wives and royal advisers, Henry VIII comes across as vicious and volatile.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review - It took me quite a while to get through Scarisbrick's offering on Henry VIII. What's good about it is that it goes into a lot of detail, and explains things that other texts miss out, like the deeper religious implications of the divorce and the break with Rome. However, this does sometimes mean that it is confusing and you do have to read some sections several times in order to get a proper understanding of it. Saying that, however, in some parts it is not very detailed at all. Henry's marriage to Jane Seymour gets just a few pages, for example.

General Subject/s - History / Henry VIII / Tudors

Recommend? - Yes

Rating - 17/20

[Atlantean BCT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weighty tome, very detailed. Frankly I found it a bit of a struggle to get through but this does not detract from the academic rigour of the book. Perhaps it was the wrong book for me and that before diving deep into the intricacies of 16th century theology I should have read an introductory book.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had just read Hillary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" about Thomas Cromwell and other big personalities of the period roughly 1525 - 1533. So, I dipped into this book which I have had on my shelves for years. It was not what I was seeking. It was a real work of scholarship. But I wanted a history that would give me a little more of the texture of society and personality. Having read in the past year a huge biography of Oliver Cromwell, I think that I decided wisely to put this book down and find another about the same times and personalities. I came upon A.G. Dickens' "The English Reformation" which seems more personable, as it were, and more sensitive to my current interest in the society and the personalities.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading an excellent -- perhaps the classic -- treatment of Henry VIII, and what pleasure to roll around in 500 dense pages of details. Now, though, in 2019, at the age of 51, I notice things that eluded me when I read this in college . . . how dated it was then (and really seems now): "Possibly he had an Oedipus complex: and possibly from this derived a desire for, yet horror of, incest, which may have shaped some of his sexual life." He wrote in 1968, deriving that little gem from an article in Psychoanalysis and History, already five years old. Nevermind; the book is still fabulous, and if you're already immersed in Tudor England, and your head is already swimming with names and dates and executions and disputes, then it's a lovely caper through the details.

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book’s strength is, alas, its damning weakness. It is so detailed in its examination of Henry VIII’s life that it turns the story of one of the most colorful rulers of England into a tedious tale. To be honest, I gave up after spending four pages reading about a single interchange of letters between the king and Wolsey.

[David Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reacquainted myself with Professor Scarisbrick's classic study after first reading it in the 80's for my history undergraduate degree.

The text of this edition was updated to reflect new historiography in the 90's. It remains the best and most comprehensive treatment of Englands most notorious monarch. Don't come looking here for juicy titbits about the wive's. The fall of Ann Boleyn is dealt with, concisely, in one page. If this is your bag then you will be better served by Alison Weir or Antonia Fraser. This is a serious academic history, concerned with the religious and diplomatic issues of the day. However, there is nothing here beyond the layman without an academic grounding in the early modern period and who is prepared to do a little background reading.

Scarisbrick's Henry is an egotistical creature, subject to rages and acts of bloodthirsty vengeance, who unleashed forces he was barely able to control. A paradoxical figure who emerged as an early defender of the sacraments against the Lutheran heresy, subsequently rejected papal authority in England (relying on the pseudo-historical nonsense of Monmouth, Arthur and the Donation of Constantine to assert imperial authority over church and state in England), but remained ambivalent towards protestantism until his dying day.

Scarisbrick is particularly good on the legal and diplomatic wrangles of the divorce from Catherine and Henry's assertion of supremacy over the English Church. It's often overlooked that Wolsey grasped the solution to the divorce from Catherine as early as 1527 (that if Henry's brother had not consummated his marriage with Catherine, then the bull granting Henry permission to marry her was defective because it failed to explicitly grant absolution from the impediment of public honesty). Henry refused to grasp this argument because it was not his idea. For the next 6 years he continued to flog the dead horse of the Leviticus argument, which was his brainchild, and which got him precisely nowhere. Finally, he had to sever England's connection with Rome to divorce Catherine. If it wasn't for Henry's egoism and pig-headedness, the course of English history might have looked quite different.

This is primarily a diplomatic, political and religious history of Henry's reign. There is little social history. Readers interested in filling out their picture with these aspects of Tudor England should look at Lucy Wooding's excellent and recent study, Tudor England. This has, amongst other things, an excellent chapter on Henry.

The Yale English Monarchs series remains the benchmark for historical biographies of our monarchs. It's remarkable that Professor Scarisbrick's book, originally written in 1969, has stood the test of time so well.

[Keeper of the Privy Seal · Rating 4 out of 5]

True to its word, this book is neither a look at Henry’s private life and the inner workings of court, nor does it provide a detailed look into the social state of England at the time. Instead, it dabbles in all three when necessary but predominantly looks at events and relations when they’re important to Henry and his reign.

With that laid down, I can say that this book does what it sets out to do in a masterful fashion. Heavy emphasis is put on Henry’s relationship with his continental rivals, his struggle for divorce and his influence on the reformation, with other events—the other wives, the struggle for an heir, and his influence on the landscape—slotted in between. Although I will say that Cardinal Wolsey is prominently featured in the first half of this book.

For those familiar with biographies on Medieval monarchs, this book will feel familiar. Indeed, Henry is largely cut from the same cloth as many of his predecessors, and despite the (heavy) influences of reform, theology and the renaissance on his reign, Henry’s favourite pass-time was pouring money into war with France, much like Henry V and Edward III before him.

My only complaint is that I was too stupid to understand parts of the book. Other than that, this book is brilliant. A must-read for fans of Henry VIII.

[Matthew Welker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome biography covering the life & reign of Henry VIII. It is older, but I’d say it holds up & makes sense to why I suppose Yale hadn’t felt the need to commission a new one be written.

I’ve read every Yale Monarch book in terms historical chronology going back to Aethelstan. So at least 20 books so far. I would have to put this one top 10, maybe top 5. You get a great detailed look into the life of Henry based on what info is available as well as his reign.

I came away have learned a lot though I familiarized myself with the Tudor period by reading some general histories before this. I don’t know if this is necessarily the place to discuss the reign itself, but I’ll say Henry VIII’s life & reign might be the most complex or complicated one I’ve read about to date. There was some good here, some bad to the point of evil, and a lot of ugly. Ultimately I think my interpretation of the author’s assessment of the reign that Henry had the potential to be a great king domestically, but really came up short with how he handled various things.

Anyway, if you’re wanting a biography on Henry VIII I would have to recommend.

[I J Haworth]

Brilliant History

A monumental triumph. A great history of one of England's most famous and infamous kings. It's a must read for anyone who desires knowledge of the English Reformation and foreign policy during Henry's reign, in particular. It's a history by a learned academic and eschew's the sensationalism of those writers who dwell on sex, intrigue and Henry's six wives. Scarisbrick also provides an accurate and informed assessment of the reign of a king who had many natural gifts, squandering many of them during his selfish, self-absorbed and tyrannical rule. An excellent and easy to read, authoritative history.

[William Whalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read so far on the most interesting of historical figures. I especially loved the in depth look at the "King's Matter." I have not seen a better presentation of Leviticus vs Deuteronomy which was at the core of the debate over whether the Pope could allow Henry to marry Catherine. A must read for lovers of the Tudors.

[J. Alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lewis's literary demon Screwtape tabs Henry as one of the juiciest, most flavorful of sinners ever to be delivered to Hell. This biography is a fascinating, enormous elaboration of that judgement.
If you have some time on your hands and you're interested in one of the more colorful characters in one of the more turbulent times in European history, this one will repay your interest.

[Anne Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly great.

A good read, but contains the discredited story that Jane Seymour had a caesarean. No, she didn't! They were occasionally performed at this time, but only on a dead or dying mother It was not survivable. I suppose at the time this was written people believed it.

[DrewB161 · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.J. Scarisbrick’s analysis of the English Nero is one of the most impressive and elegant texts one can read. Henry VIII is not short of biographers, but few can come close to this comprehensive and balanced treatment.

Scarisbrick provides a detailed analysis of Henry’s life, both as a man and ruler. He is extremely neutral which is challenging with such a subject matter. As it was written in the late 1960s some of the languages dated, especially in the review of Henry’s temperament and character. However if you can get passed that this is the best biography available.

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 3 out of 5]

College Textbook.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry VIII lived "large" in every sense. He married six times, sending two of his wives to the executioner, along with scores of others. He wrote a tract against Luther and was designated "Defender of the Faith" (a title still attached to the British monarch, I understand), and then repudiated Rome, proclaiming himself supreme over the church. He presided over the seizure of the religious houses and squandered their wealth on the battlefields of France. And his huge appetite probably contributed to his death after a 37 year reign.

Scarisbrick explores all this and more. He goes into the intricacies of the theological gymnastics Henry, Cardinal Wolsey, and Rome go through dealing with his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the process by which Henry broke with Rome. We see his flailing efforts at international diplomacy--brittle peaces and inconclusive wars.

What Scarisbrick presents us with is a forceful but profligate leader who squanders accumulated wealth, sends to their death sterling characters like More and Cromwell, and for all of this fails to enrich his people, secure his borders, nor guarantee his succession.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been to Hampton Court Palace and heard a lot about Henry VIII's reign, so I was excited to pick up this book. It's a bit dated now--written in 1968--and certainly a bit of a slog to get through.

Written by J.J. Scrisbrick from the University of London, it covers in great depth Henry's political and, particularly, his religious machinations. Much of the book, and rightly so, deals with his shift from papal hanger-on to his later anticlerical stance and break with Rome. That, along with his wars and marital struggles (the vast majority to do with his desire to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon), is where the author spends the vast amount of his focus.

That much said, I put this book down feeling like I still really didn't know who Henry VIII *was*, that the author's focus on what Henry *did* still didn't yield enough about his person, motivations, etc. So, to that effect, the book was a bit disappointing.

[April Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was long, but it seemed like every time you turned the page, he was going to do yet another stupid thing. You really feel for all of his wives, and you learn that they, each in their own way, did love him, but he was too crazy (perhaps from too many concussions?) to deserve any of them in the end.

[Arbitrista · Rating 3 out of 5]

An older work - a bit dated, actually - but a decent introductory text. Of course, it's hard to conclude the book without thinking that Henry's reign was essentially a wasted one. His sole success was the Protestant Reformation, and even that was largely by accident.

[Rick McNeely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veddy British history of Henry VIII. Massively crushing, brain-numbing detail of Henry's world-changing divorces and "heresies." Read this, and you'll be able to lecture all your friends on why "The Tudors" on TV is such a load. Great history for the valiant reader.

[Julaine]

Source: Terry Cheeseman

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This got VERY convoluted in parts, but I'm glad I read it, and I think it must be one of the best books you can get on Henry VIII, even after all these years since it was first published.

[Kara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boooooring!

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good.

[Gretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went to London and became fascinated with royalty of centuries ago. Thoroughly enjoyed reading about Henry VII and all his wives. Well written book indeed!