On the same day he married Catherine Howard, Henry VIII had Cromwell executed ostensibly for treason under a bill of attainder but actually for arranging his marriage to Anne of Cleves whom he did not find pretty enough.
That was one messed up king who was into executing people.
In C.J. Sansom’s “Shardlake” historical novel / thriller series, of which I’m a fan (am not contending that mysteries / thrillers are solid historical data) – the hero, Matthew Shardlake, comes to interact with Katharine Parr in her time as Henry’s sixth wife. Shardlake, employed by Katherine for various legal / political-intriguing work, comes to regard Katherine as virtually saintly (the sweet and gentle full-of-milk-of-human-kindness sort of saint, not the stroppy sort). This likely intensified by Shardlake’s getting something of a crush on the lady.
The book in the series paralleling Jim’s Son’s post (Lamentation) seemingly borrows, the abovementioned historical episode – KP’s “dodgy” religious writings, re which she’s desperately anxious about their getting to Henry (hence her employing Shardlake to track them down) have in fact already got to the king: his verdict being “meh, a bit silly, but not worth having Kate, whom I basically like, putting to death over”.
Rich appears also in the “Shardlake” books – a bitter enemy of Shardlake, who is basically an honest and ethical guy embroiled against his will in political / court extreme nastiness; but at least once, briefly an ally with Shardlake, because of expediency.
Yes, but, when the child starts to look like Lord Stuart of Glastonbury, and ol’ Stu starts to act up, demanding his rights, WTF is the ring going to do then?
A nice man before he suffered a TBI along with a leg injury which gave him horrible migraines, and consistent pain for the rest of his life. He was unconscious for over an hour when he was knocked off the house, so it’s likely he suffered a moderate level of brain damage, which, as we know, can alter the personality. By all accounts, in the first twenty years or so of his reign he was considered among the most humanist of all Kings in Europe.
This is something I have read actually. Henry was apparently a very sentimental man; and Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were deliberately kept from him (by his men) as they probably would’ve avoided death with a direct appeal to his mercy. That’s why Katherine Howard broke free briefly of her captors and attempted to try to see Henry while he was in Mass. She knew seeing the King would save her life.
Henry was a suspicious man his whole life. He was raised shuttered away from the public by his distant father after his brother died. He was afraid of what we now know as germs. There were still living people with an arguably better claim to the Throne than he when he ascended.
He felt he was cursed by God. Cromwell was a very manipulative man, and the King was easily led to believe what Cromwell told him. If Cromwell told him something, it was likely to be true. Cromwell was like the Varys of England.
Also one has to remember, he spent the first 15 or so years of his reign having Wolsey run the country for him. He was never properly trained to govern (as he was expected to enter religious life before Arthur died). So despite being an autocrat, he relied a lot on trusted men like Moore, Cromwell and so on.
Basically, Henry VIII was Richard Nixon if Richard Nixon was a King.
Oh, the stories he could tell!