The Reign of Henry VIII: Politics, Policy and Piety

For nearly thirty-eight years, Henry VIII ruled the Kingdom of England, and the three children of his six marriages would between them reign for aa further half-century and more. His reign has never ceased to provoke argument, not least because of one of the great titles which he seized for himself: Supreme Head of the Church in England. This claim was to have consequences which are still unravelling today; at the time it led to many deaths and much bitterness. Was Henry as selfish, cruel monster, or a farsighted architect of his country's future greatness? How were his changes in church and state understood and received by his subjects? Tese are some of the issues discussed by the essayists in the collection.