Henry VIII: The King and His Court (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

For fans of Wolf Hall, Alison Weir’s New York Times bestselling biography of Henry VIII brilliantly brings to life the king, the court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir ’ s Mary Boleyn. Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power, celebrated for his intellect, presided over the most stylish—and dangerous—court in Renaissance Europe. Scheming cardinals vied for power with newly rich landowners and merchants, brilliant painters and architects introduced a new splendor into art and design, and each of Henry's six queens brought her own influence to bear upon the life of the court. In her new book, Alison Weir, author of the finest royal chronicles of our time, brings to vibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of Henry VIII and the glittering court he made his own. In an age when a monarch's domestic and political lives were inextricably intertwined, a king as powerful and brilliant as Henry VIII exercised enormous sway over the laws, the customs, and the culture of his kingdom. Yet as Weir shows in this swift, vivid narrative, Henry's ministers, nobles, and wives were formidable figures in their own right, whose influence both enhanced and undermined the authority of the throne. On a grand stage rich in pageantry, intrigue, passion, and luxury, Weir records the many complex human dramas that swirled around Henry, while deftly weaving in an account of the intimate rituals and desires of England's ruling class—their sexual practices, feasts and sports, tastes in books and music, houses and gardens. Stimulating and tumultuous, the court of Henry VIII attracted the finest minds and greatest beauties in Renaissance England—poets Wyatt and Surrey, the great portraitist Hans Holbein, "feasting ladies" like Elizabeth Blount and Elizabeth FitzWalter, the newly rich Boleyn family and the ancient aristocratic clans like the Howards and the Percies, along with the entourages and connections that came and went with each successive wife. The interactions between these individuals, and the terrible ends that befell so many of them, make Henry VIII: The King and His Court an absolutely spellbinding read. Meticulous in historic detail, narrated with high style and grand drama, Alison Weir brilliantly brings to life the king, the court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. NOTE: This edition does not contain illustrations.

“WEIR’S BOOK OUTSHINES ALL PREVIOUS STUDIES OF HENRY. Beautifully written, exhaustive in its research, it is a gem. . . . She succeeds masterfully in making Henry and his six wives . . . come alive for the reader.”
–Philadelphia Inquirer

Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent–and dangerous–courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, personal biography of this charismatic monarch been set against the cultural, social, and political background of his glittering court. Now Alison Weir, author of the finest royal chronicles of our time, brings to vibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of the King. Packed with colorful description, meticulous in historical detail, rich in pageantry, intrigue, passion, and luxury, Weir brilliantly renders King Henry VIII, his court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. The result is an absolutely spellbinding read.

Publishers Weekly

In a succession of books on medieval and early modern monarchs, Weir has established her credentials as one of the most evocative of popular historians. In Eleanor of Aquitaine (which will be reissued in paperback to tie in with this publication), she brushed aside a forest of scholarly debate in favor of fully rounded human portraits. She now turns to the colossal figure of Henry VIII, aspiring chivalric hero and accidental spearhead of the Reformation. In the age's luxurious ceremony, Weir is thoroughly in her element. She revels in the Field of Cloth of Gold, an elaborate showpiece where Henry met his French counterpart; in the zesty supporting cast; and even in the less appetizing duties of the Groom of the Stool. Henry's passions were many and charming: his beloved dogs Cut and Ball were evidently so prone to getting lost that he would pay some 225 to their finder. Weir's fondness for her character has its difficulties. While admitting that the king proved to be an imperious and dangerous autocrat who became mesmerised by his own legend, she too is seduced by the myth. Given to romantic hyperbole, she concludes with the largely unsupported sentiment that Henry excelled all who ever wore a crown; chalk up another victory for his propagandists. Other problematic characters, like Thomas More (calm, kind, witty and wise), are also let off lightly. Still, Weir's nose for detail, her sharpness of eye and her sympathetic touch make this a feast for the senses. (May 1) Forecast: Weir always gets excellent reviews, and Ballantine says there are 500,000 copies of her books in print, and yet she hasn't broken out big-time. Her choice of subject here may make this the one. It is a dual main selection of BOMC, as well as a selection of the Literary Guild, the History Book Club and QPB. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Acknowledgments - Introduction - 1. "A Most Accomplished Prince"--2. "The Triumphal Coronation"--3. "A Prince of Splendour and Generosity"--4. "This Magnificent, Excellent and Triumphant Court" - 5. "A Perfect Builder of Pleasant Palaces" - 6 "The King's House" - 7. "The Worship and Welfare of the Whole Household" - 8. "Such Plenty of Costly Provision" - 9. "Elegant Manners, Extreme Decorum, and Very Great Politeness" - 10. "Innocent and Honest Pastimes" - 11. "New Men" and "Natural Counsellors" -12. "All Goodly Sports" - 13. "Merry Disports" - 14. "Rather Divine Than Human" - 15. "The Holy Innocent" - 16. "A Galaxy of Distinguished Men" - 17. "The King's Painters" - 18. "Graceless Dogholes" - 19. "Obstinate Men Who Govern Everything" - 20. "Cloth of Frieze Be Not Too Bold" - 21. "The Best Dressed Sovereign in the World" - 22. "This Cardinal Is King - 23. "The Pearl of the World" - 24. "Multitudes Are Dying around Us" - 25. "The Mother of the King's Son" - 26. "The Eighth Wonder of the World" - 27. "One Man's Disobedience" - 28. "A Proud Horse Tamed and Bridled" - 29. "All the Enemies of England Are Gone" - 30. "Next in Rank to His Majesty" - 31. "The Establishment of Good Order" - 32. "A Fresh Young Damsel" - 33. "Master Hans" - 34. "Noli Me Tangere, for Caesar's I Am" - 35. "A Thousand Cases of Sweat" - 36. "Back to Your Wife!" - 37. "Above Everyone, Mademoiselle Anne" - 38. "Squire Harry Will Be God, and Do as He Pleases!" - 39. "Opprobrious Words" - 40. "The Lady Marquess" - 41. "The Triumph at Calais and Boulogne" - 42. "Anna Regina Angliae" - 43. "Here Anna Comes, Bright Image of Chastity" - 44. "The High and Mighty Princess of England" - 45. "The Image of God upon Earth" - 46. "That Thin Old Woman" - 47. "Thunder Rolls around the Throne" - 48. "Bound to Obey and Serve" - 49. "The Suppression of the Religious Houses" - 50. "The Most Joyful News" - 51. "The Very Pearl of the Realm" - 52. "A Sort of Knaves" - 53. "Nourishing Love" - 54. "Displeasant Airs" - 55. "I Have Been Young, and Now Am Old" - 56. "Is Not the Queen Abed Yet?" - 57. "Little, Sweet Fool" - 58. "A Nest of Heretics" - 59. "The Good Expectations of the King's Majesty" - 60. "The Enterprise of Boulogne" - 61. "The Worst Legs in the World" - 62 "Painful Service" - 63. "The Rarest Man That Lived in His Time" - Genealogical Table: The Tudors and Their Rivals - Bibliography - Notes and References - List of Illustrations - Index Contemporary observers described the young king in glowing terms. At over six feet tall, with rich auburn hair, clear skin, and a slender waist, he was, to many, "the handsomest prince ever seen." From this starting point in Henry VIII, the King and His Court , biographer extraordinare Alison Weir reveals a Henry VIII far different from the obese, turkey-leg gnawing, womanizing tyrant who has gone down in history. Henry embodied the Renaissance ideal of a man of many talents--musician, composer, linguist, scholar, sportsman, warrior--indeed, the Dutch humanist Erasmus (not a man inclined to flattery) declared him a "universal genius." In scholarly yet readable style, Weir brings Henry and his court to life in meticulous, but never tedious, detail. Weir describes everything from courtly fashions to political factions and elaborate meals to tournament etiquette. Along the way she offers up charming--if all too brief--glimpses of Henry's court: tiny Princess Mary, still a very young girl, at her betrothal ceremony saying to the proxy, "Are you the Dauphin of France? If you are, I want to kiss you"; Henry weeping with joy as he held his long-awaited son and heir for the first time; Henry showing off his legs to the Venetian ambassador ("Look here! I have also a good calf to my leg"); Henry's courtiers dressing in heavily padded clothes to emulate--and flatter--their increasingly stout monarch. She also reveals some surprises, for example, that Henry and Katherine were still hunting together as late as 1530, even though Henry was desperately trying to have their marriage annulled. Weir also describes surprisingly happier times in their relationship; Henry loved to dress up in costume, and "was especially fond of bursting in upon Queen Katherine and her ladies in the Queen's Chambers.... Henry took a boyish delight in these disguisings and Katherine seemingly never tired of feigning astonishment that it was her husband who had surprised her." Henry's queens receive relatively little attention here (for them, see Weir's excellent Six Wives of Henry VIII ), but this book is fascinating and a joy to read. Alison Weir has done it again. "Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent - and dangerous - courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, personal biography of this charismatic monarch been set against the cultural, social, and political background of his glittering court and the splendor of his many sumptuous palaces. Alison Weir brings to vibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of the King, who emerges as a fully rounded and realistic personality, not the two-dimensional caricature of popular misconception. Packed with colorful description and anecdotal evidence, the narrative also offers controversial new theories based on sources that have until now been overlooked."--BOOK JACKET. On 21 April 1509, the corpse of King Henry VII, ravaged by tuberculosis, was laid in state in the chapel at Richmond Palace, whence it would shortly be taken to Westminster Abbey for burial. Examines the king's remarkable influence on the laws, customs, culture, and politics of his kingdom and profiles the diverse courtiers, artists, and scholars who surrounded Henry VIII Chronicles the life of King Henry VIII, discussing why his was considered one of the most magnificent, and dangerous, courts in Renaissance Europe