Henry VIII

Sir Peter Carew, 1514-1575: Valiantness in Service

Born of a notable Devonshire family, Carew saw service in France and Italy, became a favourite companion of Henry VIII and was trusted by the three succeeding sovereigns. Stephen Usherwood describes his life and career.

Luther and the English Reformation

Quinten A. Buechner describes how, after 1519, Luther’s books circulated in England, but never entirely convinced King Henry VIII of the reformer’s sincerity.

Henry VIII at Tournai

C.G. Cruickshank describes how, having captured Tournai, the twenty-two-year-old king indulged his taste for sport and pageantry.

Sir John Seymour: Protector of the Realm

William Seymour introduces Sir John Seymour; an uncle of the King, and a favourite of the late Henry VIII, Somerset had an amiable character not strong enough for perilous mid-Tudor times.

Cardinal Pole in Italy

H. Ross Williamson profiles the life and career of Cardinal Reginald Pole: cousin to Henry VIII; once Papal candidate; ‘a humanist of European reputation’; Pole spent much of his life abroad, in an artistic and philosophical circle that included Michelangelo.

Nonsuch Palace

Martin Biddle visits Nonsuch, a magnificent combination of French Renaissance decoration, with English late Gothic design, built by Henry VIII in a spirit of rivalry with Francis I of France.