Henry: Virtuous Prince

Henry: Virtuous Prince
David Starkey

The first instalment of the highly anticipated biography of Henry VIII, written by one of the UK's most popular, established and exciting historians. Published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne, 'Henry: Virtuous Prince' is a radical re-evaluation of the monarchy's most enduring icon.Henry VIII was Britain's most powerful monarch, yet he was not born to rule. Thrust into the limelight after the sudden death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, Henry ascended the throne in 1509, marking the beginning of a reign that altered the course of English history.In his youth Henry was highly intelligent, athletic and musically talented. He excelled in Latin and Mathematics and was an accomplished musician. On his accession to the throne, aged just seventeen, after the tumultuous rule of his father, he provided England with hope of a new beginning.Nobody could have foreseen how radical Henry's rule would prove to be. Often overshadowed by the bloody saga of his six marriages, his reign has left a lasting legacy. An absolute monarch, Henry’s quest for fame was as obsessive as any modern celebrity. His fierce battles against Papal authority mark one of the most dramatic and defining moments in the history of Britain. Yet his early life was insecure. The Tudor regime was viewed by many as rule by usurpers and the dark shadows of the Wars of the Roses often threatened to tear England apart once more.The culmination of a lifetime's research, David Starkey gives a radical and unforgettable portrait of the man behind the icon; the Renaissance prince turned tyrant, who continues to tower over history.

HENRY

Virtuous Prince

DAVID STARKEY

To Mark Pigott

a fellow Henrician

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS (#u6c13d966-878f-548a-821a-db43bcbbc9ce)

First Plate Section

Henry VI, unknown artist, oil on panel, c.1540. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Edward IV, British school, oil on panel, 15th century. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth Woodville, unknown artist, c.1465. By courtesy of the President and Fellows of Queens’ College Cambridge.

The Battle of Barnet, 1471, English school, vellum, 15th century. Centrale Bibliotheek van de Universiteit, Ghent/The Bridgeman Art Library.

Richard, Duke of York and Edward V, from the Royal Window, Canterbury Cathedral. Woodmansterne/Topfoto.

Richard III, British school, oil on canvas, 1480–1500. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Lady Margaret Beaufort, unknown artist, oil on panel, second half 16th century. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Charles VIII of France, unknown artist, c.1485. Musée Condé,Chantilly/ akg-images.

Henry VII, unknown artist, oil on panel, 1505. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Elizabeth of York, unknown artist, oil on panel, late 16th century. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Arthur Prince of Wales, Anglo–Flemish school, c.1500. Hever Castle, Kent.

Ferdinand of Aragon, Spanish school, oil on panel, 15th century. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Isabella of Castile, Spanish school, oil on panel, 15th century. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Catherine of Aragon, by Michiel Sittow, c.1510. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna/ akg-images/Erich Lessing.

Laughing Child, possibly Henry VIII, by Guido Mazzoni, painted and gilded terracotta, c.1498. The Royal Collection © 2008, HerMajesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Old Greenwich Palace, c. early 17th century. Kingston Lacy, TheBankes Collection (The National Trust). © NTPL.

Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, English school, oil on panel, 16th century. Society of Antiquaries, London/The Bridgeman Art Library.

Maximilian I, Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor, by Albrecht Dürer, oil on limewood, 1519. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna/akg-images/Erich Lessing.

Perkin Warbeck, Flemish school, sanguine on paper, 16th century. Bibliothèque Municipale, Arras/The Bridgeman Art Library.

Second Plate Section

Four images from Writhe’s Garter Book, late 15th century, in the collection of The Trustees of the 9th Duke of Buccleuch’s Chattels Fund. By courtesy of the British Library.

Drawings I, III, V, VII, IX, XI and XIII from The Panorama of London by Anthonis van den Wyngaerde, pen and ink and chalk on paper, c.1544. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford/The Bridgeman Art Library.

The North-East View of Eltham Palace in the County of Kent, coloured engraving by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, 1735. Eltham Palace, London/Copyright © English Heritage Photo Library.

The Family of Henry VII with St. George, unknown artist, c.1505–9. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

John Skelton, woodcut from an edition of Collyn Clout, his satirical poem of 1522. Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage Image Partnership.

Sir Thomas More, by Hans Holbein the Younger, chalk, c.1527. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Desiderius Erasmus, by Quinten Massys, oil on panel, 1517. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Philip I ‘The Fair’, Archduke of Burgundy and King of Castile, copy after the Master of the Magdalen Legend, oil on wood, c.1497. Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck/ akg-images/Erich Lessing.

Juana ‘The Mad’, Queen of Castile, by Juan de Flandes, oil on oakwood, c.1496. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna/akgimages/Erich Lessing.

The Round Table of King Arthur in the Great Hall at Winchester Castle. © 2004 Fortean/Healy/Topfoto.

Manuscript illustration of a joust between Jean Chalons and Loys de Beul at Tours in 1446, French school, mid-15th century. © The Board of Trustees of the Armouries/Heritage Image Partnership.

Images from Prince Henry’s Prayer Roll by kind permission of Ushaw College, Durham.

Third Plate Section

Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, by Daniel Mytens, oil on canvas, c.1620–38. The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

James IV of Scotland, oil on panel, artist and date unknown. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.

Mary Tudor, detail from a double portrait with Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, after Clouet © By kind permission of His Grace the Duke of Bedford and the Trustees of the Bedford Estates.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, by Bernart van Orley, oil on wood, c.1516. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest/akg-images.

Richmond Palace in the reign of Charles I, unknown artist, oil on canvas, c.1640. Society of Antiquaries of London.

Henry VII on his deathbed, from the Collections of Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Garter King of Arms, early 16th century. British Library, Add.45131, f.54.

Henry VIII, English school, oil on panel, c.1509. © The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum, USA/The Bridgeman Art Library.