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About Henry VIII: And The Men Who Made Him
Product Description Henry VIII is best known in history for his tempestuous marriages and the fates of his six wives. However, as acclaimed historian Tracy Borman makes clear in her illuminating new chronicle of Henry’s life, his reign and reputation were hugely influenced by the men who surrounded and interacted with him as companions and confidants, servants and ministers, and occasionally as rivals―many of whom have been underplayed in previous biographies. These relationships offer a fresh, often surprising perspective on the legendary king, revealing the contradictions in his beliefs, behavior, and character in a nuanced light. They show him 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, the likes of his intimate friend Charles Brandon, who shared his passion for sport, but 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 VII, he was often trusting and easily led by male attendants and advisors early in his reign (his coronation was just shy of his 18th birthday in 1509); in time, though, he matured into a profoundly suspicious and paranoid king whose ruthlessness would be ever more apparent, as Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and uncle to two of Henry’s wives, discovered to his great discomfort, and as Eustace Chapuys, the ambassador of Charles V of Spain, often reported. Recounting the great Tudor’s life and signal moments through the lens of his male relationships, Tracy Borman’s new biography reveals Henry’s personality in all its multi-faceted, contradictory glory, and sheds fresh light on his reign for anyone fascinated by the Tudor era and its legacy. Review Praise for Henry VIII: “[Borman’s] beautifully perceptive and dynamic reassessment of Henry VIII places emphasis, as the book’s subtitle indicates, not on the monarch’s infamous marriages but rather on the kaleidoscope of male figures both high- and middle-born who were drawn to the king throughout his life as moths circle a bright flame . . . Here in this highly engrossing biography, the notoriously larger-than-life English monarch, seen from an original and revealing perspective, lives anew in full and in the epic proportions he so well deserves. For all Tudor enthusiasts.”―Booklist (starred review) “Capably intuiting the personalities of both Henry and his influencers, the author concentrates not on the worn path of brutality and numerous marriages, but on the political landscape, the emotional pulls, and insecurities of Henry’s decisions. Choosing to illuminate Henry’s environment and his vulnerabilities, Borman’s writing style is easily accessible, and she succeeds in delivering a uniquely intimate portrait.”―Historical Novel Society “Borman 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 . . . Borman’s astute analysis of Henry’s personality demonstrates how both low-born and noble advisers affected his reign. It’s generally agreed to 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 can be just as fraught.”―Publishers Weekly “Borman skillfully shows Henry maneuvering his men like chess pieces; when they opposed him, they suffered violent downfalls. Henry eventually assumed control of his realm, but it was too little, too late. Tudor fans will enjoy this outside-in biography as a different view of a complicated monarch.”―Kirkus Reviews “Fascinating . . . Borman’s deep background knowledge serves her―and the reader―well. The pages and years fly by, and one has the feeling of stepping into an engaging historical lecture by a master of the
