Customer Reviews

1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII

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This is a short, but very interesting book on a crucial year in the life of Henry VIII. In this one year, Henry's first wife died, he suffered an accident while jousting which ended his career as an athelete, he killed Anne Boleyn, lost his illegitimate son, the Duke of Richmond, married a third time, and faced a rebellion in the north over his monastic policy. All of this cope with in one year and Henry also faced the psychological issues of getting older and, yes, fatter. At 6'2" he was to become morbidly obese, ending up with a 56 inch waist. All these traumas had, as Suzanne Lipscomb argues, a significant impact on Henry's psychology and his later reign.

Lipscomb argues convincingly that Henry probably believed that Anne had cuckolded him and this was the reason for the rapidity of her judgement and execution. This act of marital infidelity and the rebellion in the North, the Pilgrimage of Grace made Henry disinclined to trust anyone at all and as such made him more likely to trim heads and ask questions later. I think this is an excellent piece of analysis and like Lacy Baldwin Smith's short book on the latter portion of Henry's reign, likely to be influential among Tudor historians.

1536 was a momentous year for Henry VIII, one which saw three queens, one of whom was executed; the hope of an heir, and those hopes dashed; the dismantling of a system that ended centuries of tradition and dragged the country, finally, out of the Middle Ages; and one of the most serious rebellions faced by the king from his own people.

Suzannah Lipscomb presents each of these events in chronological order, examining their impact on the king in terms of his masculinity, religion and his descent into tyranny. It is an interesting book, well-written and thought-provoking. The illustrations are very fine, carefully selected and captioned according to context.

For those not familiar with Henry VIII, his court and his policy, there is much to be learned here. Those already steeped in Henrician studies, will find little that is new, but they could not help being impressed with Dr Lipscomb's approach and analysis. I liked this book very much, especially considering it is the author's first, and I will be looking forward to more from her in the future. Highly recommended.

I wanted a book with accurate historical facts about the Tudor era and specifically about how Henry VIII went from being a promising young king to a mercurial, paranoid ruler who misused power. I wanted the book to be written for the layman, not the scholar. This was the perfect book.

If you're looking to get into the mind of one of the most famous monarchs in British history, this is the book for you. Ms. Lipscomb has put together a compelling look into the psyche of King Henry VIII. What made him turn from the beloved young Prince who was the rock-star of his time, to the mean, overweight, murderous tyrant he became in his later years? Was it all attributed to the 'betrayal' of Anne Boleyn? Did it happen after the jousting injury that left him in pain for the rest of his life and caused him to lose his physical prowess? Or was it brought on by the uprising in the North...the pilgrims who were against Henry's reformation of the church? It was a little bit of everything it seems.

If you're a real fan of Tudor fiction or non-fiction, I absolutely recommend this. However, if you're only interested in the Phillipa Gregory, gossipy-type Tudor novels, you may want to skip this. While I really enjoyed it, and found it to be very informative, it's written as a sort of physiological study on Henry VIII, so the entertainment value is pretty low. It's not so much a story as it is a re-hashing of the events of 1536, then going over those events to see how they may have affected the King.

Overall, a great book. There were a few slow spots here and there, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. I don't feel like I learned anything new, but I now look at some of the events that happened during Henry's reign with new eyes. I no longer feel that he killed Anne just to get rid of her, but that he actually felt she had betrayed him. I believe his jousting accident hurt far more than just his leg, that his pride and masculinity were shamed as well. If you're at all interested in reading this, I say go for it. It was a nice change from all the 'same 'ol, same 'ol' Tudor novels that are out there right now.

Lipscomb delivers an interesting and informative look at the year 1536 and its effect on Henry VIII. She not only discusses the obivious Anne Boleyn's execution and his marriage to Jane Seymour but important subjects like The Reformation in England, The Aftermath of the Reformation, The Pilgrimage of Grace, and The Mouldwarp Prophecy. If you are unfamiliar with any of these I recommend Lipscomb's book. In fact, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Tudors and Henry VIII in particular, as it gives insight into what was really going on in that pivotal year in his life.

"1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII," by Suzannah Lipscomb is a good summary of the events occurring in 1536. Lipscomb does a good job of reviewing the basic history of this important year in the life of Henry VIII. The book was extremely easy to read and I read it in one sitting. I am a "Tudor Fan," and this book is a good addition to my collection on the Tudors. Although I did not learn that much new material from this book, I was not at all disappointed in the way the author presented Henry VIII in this crucial year of his reign. If you are intersted in Henry VIII, this book is a good addition to your collection on Tudor England.

Some may complain that the writing style of this book is not scholarly enough, but it is just what I needed to really get a grasp on Henry VIII as a person. It is written in an understandable way, and the layout of the book is absolutely gorgeous. This is a great text for those who want to read up on Henry VIII without drab history scholar writing. I love it.