Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him
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4.3 • 9 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The acclaimed historian presents a “beautifully perceptive and dynamic reassessment of Henry VIII…in this highly engrossing biography” (Booklist, starred review).
Henry VIII is best known for his tempestuous marriages and the fates of his six wives. But his reign and reputation were hugely influenced by his confidants, ministers, and even occasional rivals—many of whom have been underplayed in previous biographies. Exploring these relationships in depth, Tracy Borman offers a fresh perspective on the legendary king, revealing surprising contradictions in his beliefs and behavior.
Henry was capable of fierce but seldom abiding loyalty, of raising men up only to destroy them later. He loved to be attended by boisterous young men like his friend Charles Brandon, who shared his passion for sport. But the king could also be diverted by men of intellect, culture, and wit, as his longstanding interplay with Cardinal Wolsey and his reluctant abandonment of Thomas More attest.
Eager to escape the shadow of his father, Henry was easily led by male advisors early in his reign. In time, though, he matured into a profoundly paranoid and ruthless king. Recounting the great Tudor’s life and signal moments through the lens of his male relationships, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him sheds fresh light on this fascinating figure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Borman (Thomas Cromwell) essentially puts aside Henry VIII's notorious and well-hashed relationships with women in favor of showcasing stories of the advisers and servants who surrounded the intelligent, mercurial king. Henry relied on these men for everything from privy concerns to matters of state, but betrayals and a series of escalating backstabbing, power-grabbing maneuvers helped transform him from a jovial, fresh-faced king into an aging, paranoid caricature. The tumultuous careers of the four Thomases Wolsey, Cromwell, Cranmer, and More help frame the detailed narrative, but Borman also elaborates on lower-status figures such as Will Somer, the beloved fool; trusted royal physician William Butts; and the Reformation-minded court painter Hans Holbein the Younger. While such a large cast of figures could easily allow some to get lost, Borman's enjoyable narrative revisits many of these men over a span of several years, noting major events or deaths, the latter of which Henry sometimes hastened. Borman's astute analysis of Henry's personality demonstrates how both low-born and noble advisers affected his reign. It's generally agreed that to be a woman in Henry's circle was to throw caution to the wind in hopes of great reward; Borman's ambitious narrative shows that being a man in Henry's court could be just as fraught and fascinating.
