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Alison Weir
Henry VIII
The King and His Court
New York 2001
Stron VIII+632, format: 16x24 cm
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Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent — and dangerous — courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, personal biography of this charismatic monarch been set against the cultural, social, and political background of his glittering court and the splendor of his many sumptuous palaces. Now, in her new book, Alison Weir, author of the finest royal chronicles ol our time, brings to vibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of the King, who emerges as a fully rounded and realistic personality, not the two-dimensional caricature of popular misconception. Packed with colorful description and anecdotal evidence, the narrative also offers controversial new theories based on sources that have until now been overlooked.
In an age when the monarch's domestic and political lives were inextricably intertwined, a king as autocratic and brilliant as Henry VIII exercised enormous sway over the laws, custom, and culture of his kingdom. Yet, as Weir illuminates, Henry's ministers, nobles, and wives were also lormidable figures in their own right. On a grand stage rich in pageantry, intrigue, passion, and luxury, Weir records the many complex human dramas that swirled around Henry, while deltly weaving an account of the intimate rituals of his existence — ceremonies, sports, jousts, leasts, intellectual pleasures, and sexual adventures.
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Weir also breathes new lire into a vast supporting cast of courtiers, artists, entertainers, poets, scholars, ladies-in-waiting, and household servants. The tumult, the intrigues, the vicious jostling for place and preferment are vividly drawn—while the interactions between the principal players, and the terrible ends that befell a substantial number of them, make Henry VIII The King and Hu< Court an absolutely spellbinding read.
Meticulous in historical detail, narrated with high style and grand drama, Alison Weir brilliantly renders the King, the court, and the fascinating men and women who vied tor its pleasures and rewards.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction I
"A Most Accomplished Prince" 4
"The Triumphal Coronation" 11
"A Prince of Splendour and Generosity" 21
"This Magnificent, Excellent and Triumphant Court" 26
"A Perfect Builder of Pleasant Palaces" 36
"The King's House" 44
"The Worship and Welfare of the Whole Household" 58
"Such Plenty of Costly Provision" 68
"Elegant Manners, Extreme Decorum, and Very Great
Politeness" 77
"Innocent and Honest Pastimes" 85
"New Men" and "Natural Counsellors" 95
"All Goodly Sports" 105
"Merry Disports" 113
"Rather Divine Than Human" 126
"The Holy Innocent" 135
"A Galaxy of Distinguished Men" 143
"The King's Painters" 152
"Graceless Dogholes" 157
"Obstinate Men Who Govern Everything" 163
"Cloth of Frieze Be Not Too Bold" 170
"The Best Dressed Sovereign in the World" 181
"This Cardinal Is King" 190
"The Pearl of the World" 195
"Multitudes Are Dying around Us" 202
"The Mother of the King's Son" 209
"The Eighth Wonder of the World" 218
"One Man's Disobedience" 227
"A Proud Horse Tamed and Bridled" 234
"All the Enemies of England Are Gone" 241
"Next in Rank to His Majesty" 247
"The Establishment of Good Order" 253
"A Fresh Young Damsel" 257
"Master Hans" 263
"Noli Me Tangere, for Caesars I Am" 269
"A Thousand Cases of Sweat" 278
"Back to Your Wife!" 284
"Above Everyone, Mademoiselle Anne" 290
"Squire Harry Will Be God, and Do as He Pleases!" 301
"Opprobrious Words" 309
"The Lady Marquess" 316
"The Triumph at Calais and Boulogne" 321
"Anna Regina Angliae" 326
"Here Anna Comes, Bright Image of Chastity" 332
"The High and Mighty Princess of England" 338
"The Image of God upon Earth" 344
"That Thin Old Woman" 353
"Thunder Rolls around the Throne" 363
"Bound to Obey and Serve" 375
"The Suppression of the Religious Houses" 382
"The Most Joyful News" 390
"The Very Pearl of the Realm" 401
"A Sort of Knaves" 406
"Nourishing Love" 413
"Displeasant Airs" 419
"I Have Been Young, and Now Am Old" 429
"Is Not the Queen Abed Yet?" 437
"Little, Sweet Fool" 445
"A Nest of Heretics" 451
"The Good Expectations of the King's Majesty" 459
"The Enterprise of Boulogne" 468
"The Worst Legs in the World" 473
"Painful Service" 479
"The Rarest Man That Lived in His Time" 488
Genealogical Table: The Tudors and Their Rivals 498
Bibliography 500
Notes and References 540
List of Illustrations 617
Index 619
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