The Tudors by Peter Ackroyd

The Tudors by acclaimed British author Peter Ackroyd is the second volume in his new History of England series, although reading the first book (Foundation) is by no means necessary  Ackroyd's highly readable, engaging review of the reigns of the corpulent and much-wedded Henry VIII, Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I (interrupted albeit briefly by Henry VII's son Edward VI's six year reign).

Ackroyd brings the same sharp acumen and evocative social insight evident in his previous works Foundation and in London: A Biography.  Ackroyd hangs the overarching story-line on the key events and players but lavishes particular attention on the belief systems and intricacies of the burgeoning English Reformation which drove Tudor rule.  He has a particular talent for interweaving the tiniest of details and tying them back to the epic sweep of history.

Dry it is not, however it is by necessity somewhat cursory on some of the more infamous events of the period.  Ackroyd is a brilliant writer and, given his background and focus on cultural roots and sociology, he brings a different and often highly discerning eye to the historical events of the period.  He keeps a fairly razor eye on the roots of the English Reformation and the events therein, rather than, as many histories of the period do, highlighting the soap opera of Henry VIII's long procession of wives.  He provides a strong thematic thread for the ebb and flow of England's slide away from Catholicism, tying the many elements traditionally linked back to Tudor power, into a broader context.

Ackroyd provides a solid, eminently readable book that any student of the era would be wise to crack open.

The Armory gallery at the Met, in all it's splendor, with Henry VIII's armor on display.

Ironclad

I was wandering through the Met's extraordinary medieval art and armour collection, when I was genuinely startled to find myself confronted by Henry VIII's armour. 

Technically this was his field armour, probably less ornate than his wear for ceremonial purposes but, after studying the man and the era for the last six or seven years, it was startling to have a sudden intrusion of his actual armour into my day, particularly as I had no inkling it as part of the collection.  According to the Met, the armour dates to 1544 and was probably worn by Henry at the siege of Boulogne.  The first impression was that Henry must have been, true to his reputation and his portraits, a fairly stout individual.  The armour was 51 inches across the chest and 49 inches around the waist.  The suit resembles an ornate steel-clad gorilla and gives you a sense of the strength of the man.  It weighs more than fifty pounds, so I expect it was not worn lightly.

Henry was a man often unfairly castigated for certain actions and undeservedly praised for others.  Most famous for his succession of wives and mistresses, and for his role in the English Reformation, Henry was very much a man who believed in his own eminance and  God-given divine right to rule as King.  Self-doubt was never a very apparent weakness and Henry had, if anything, an utter belief in the rightness of his own positions, even when he hadn't clearly articulated them.  He was also an extravagent spend-thrift who took a fiscally sound kingdom under Henry VII and turned it into a nearly bankrupt state.  Henry's fiscal state was as much a driver of the English Reformation as was Henry's need for a divorce.

Still, the Met's Armory and Henry's pugnatious field armour are a fascinating and spectacular surprise.  I highly recommend taking a look.