The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracies, Treason and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant

Henry VIII's story does not end with the beheading of Anne Boleyn. Hutchinson pulls from many sources of Henry VIII's contemporaries to tell the most interesting bits of Henry's last few years as King of England. The chapters do not follow a consecutive timeline, but rather skip around and focus on a single theme such as reforming the church, the ordeal surrounding the king's marriage to Anne of Cleves, the war waged with France, Henry's health, etc. I found this book very easy to read for a number of reasons. Hutchinson continually reminds the reader of certain characters and their relations/roles to King Henry VIII. If you still can't figure out who someone is, simply flip to the back of the book and there's a whole list of names and a short one or two line "biography" on each person. There's also a timeline in case the flipping back and forth between years gets confusing. I didn't have any problems following along and I'm not well versed on Tudor history! In fact, this is the first historical biography I have ever read! And I read it for pure enjoyment! So, if you're looking for an interesting book on one of the more interesting characters of the English monarchy, I highly recommend you consider this book!

This book does a remarkably good job of presenting the facts about the final years of Henry VIII, a time when political and religious factions were vying for control over the course England would take after Henry's imminent death. I've read a lot about Henry over the years but this book taught me many things about him that I never knew before. This book contains an overview of the political and religious situation towards the end of Henry's time and also presents many interesting new findings and details you probably won't read anywhere else. It's written in an erudite yet relaxed style that is easy, even entertaining to read, and feels like listening to a lecture by a skilled history professor with a sense of humor. This book is a valuable and very welcome recent addition to the world's historical knowledge of Henry's time. I heartily recommend it to anyone who shares my fascination with Henry VIII or English history in general.

The obese, disease ridden old man, rarely seen by the public, a man with an evil heart and a foul mouth and temper bore no resemblance to the athletic good looking young buck who had taken the throne of England 35 years previously. The young Henry was a sportsman of some renown and his vibrant personality and good looks attracted many beautiful women. The old Henry was fat, dirty, riddled with disease and took most of his pleasure from watching other people suffer, including those closest to him. Robert Hutchinson's book on the final years of Henry's life, brings forth many startling revelations of the intrigues, plot and counter plot of the time. He has unearthed death warrants, confessions, pleas for clemency and many other, until now, little documented facts. I enjoyed the book immensely, but it was tinged with sadness for me. Henry VIII might (who can say) have been one of the greatest King's England has ever had. But like so many great men he had the fatal flaw in his make-up, which eventually makes them press the self destruct button.

Henry VIII ruled his kingdom, at least towrd the end of his reign, with low political cunning, and a mixture of tyranny and terror. Even those closest to him at court could never be sure about the long-term stability of their positions. His mind was mercurial, and often changed by the last person with whom he spoke, but the final decision, good or bad, was always his. This is an extremely readable work that takes us through the last years of his life, when life around him became extremely bad, not only because of his natural inclination to incite terror, but the very real physical pain he sufered from various problems with his often abused body. This is a cautionary tale of how absolute power corrupts absolutely, and a fine addition to the lengthy volumes on the Tudors.