The King is Dead

October 24, 2016
British historian Lipscomb (A Journey Through Tudor England) nimbly scrutinizes Henry VIII’s unusual final will to lend new insight into the king’s state of mind and religious beliefs during the last months of his life while also settling potential timeline incongruities. Henry’s hybridization of Protestant and Catholic tenets and his plethora of female heirs added extra intricacies to his final wishes. This was especially so after the brief reign of his Protestant son, Edward VI, as England wrestled with the idea of both a queen regnant and undergoing yet another change in religion. Lipscomb deftly walks readers through the will, with Henry elevating the daughters whom he declared legally illegitimate and excluding his elder sister’s Scottish heirs on the extraordinary assumption that he could essentially will the crown to whomever he chose, decades after his demise. Henry’s biggest miscalculation stemmed from trusting his ambitious advisers to follow his wishes after his death; a clear analysis shows that these men helped undermine Henry’s wishes regarding religion during Edward VI’s reign and then temporarily interrupted the succession with Jane Grey’s brief accession. Lipscomb shows that Henry remained mentally astute as he made extensive—and necessary, as it turned out—plans to secure the Tudor dynasty, believing in his own power to the last. Illus.

October 1, 2016
Lipscomb (A Journey Through Tudor England: Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London to Stratford-upon-Avon and Thornbury Castle, 2015, etc.) shows Henry VIIIs attempt to continue control over both church and state.His last will, signed a month before his death, set forth the steps of succession beginning with his son, Edward. After arranging for possible children of his current and any future wives, he pronounced first Mary, then Elizabeth to be the next successors. In naming his son, he also stipulated that Edwards heirs, or named successors, were primary. In another scenario, instead of naming the heirs of his sister, Margaret, he skipped to the heirs of the daughter of his sister, Mary: Frances Greyi.e. Lady Jane Grey. In the 1540s, after war with the Scots, Henry arranged with Marie de Guise, James Vs widow, to wed her infant daughter Mary to his son Edward. However, de Guise had bigger plans for her daughter in France and renounced the match. Henry never forgave a slight, so Mary Queen of Scots was left out of the succession plans. Another of Henrys stipulations was that Masses should be said for his soul. This was particularly artful, as he had dissolved monasteries whose members prayed for souls. Hedging his bets, Henry still left land and revenues for Masses and prayers to ensure his place in heaven. He designated more than a dozen executors and regents in hopes the transfer of power would be smooth. The author, who shows her deep knowledge of the Tudor period throughout the book, rejects the many charges that Henrys will might have been changed or altered or that undue influence was used. It was treason to even suggest that the king might die. Afterward, the story was completely different, with Edward Seymour and Chief Secretary William Paget seizing control of the Regency and the kingdom. A delightful story of intrigue and manipulation that shows how Henry really couldnt control his kingdom.

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October 15, 2016

Rarely has a personal document had as much constitutional significance as the last will and testament of Henry VIII of England (1491-1547). The survival of the Tudor dynasty was precarious, having been founded by his father, Henry VII, 24 years previously. After two failed marriages, Henry VIII conceived a male heir with his third wife, Jane Seymour. But Edward was nine years old when Henry sensed that his death was near. Henry prepared a will to provide for governance of the kingdom during his son's minority and for a peaceful succession if his son did not have a male heir. Did Henry, however, actually draft his will or did a faction of Protestant councillors alter it in their favor? Tudor historian Lipscomb (history, New Coll. of the Humanities; 1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII) argues that the document was altered without Henry's knowledge months before his death, and that the will was successful in assuring the survival of his dynasty until Elizabeth I's death, but failed to curb the regency councillors' ambitions for power. VERDICT This well-researched book provides an alternative scenario for the preparation and execution of Henry VIII's will. Readers of Tudor England and English history will find this to be a fascinating story.--Glen Edward Taul, Campbellsville Univ. Lib., KY

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