The Making of Henry VIII

What transformed a chivalrous prince into a tyrannical king?

Henry VIII is one of England’s most famous kings, yet what do we know of his childhood? What was life like for the young prince growing up in the royal palaces? And just how influential were the people surrounding Henry in shaping the suspicious, vain and ruthless monarch he would later become?

Marie Louise Bruce’s engrossing account of Henry’s formative years brings to life the splendour of the Tudor court and of Henry’s childhood, from his birth at the palace of Placentia at Greenwich in 1491 to his accession to the throne at the age of seventeen in 1509.

Henry Tudor’s upbringing was one of luxury and adulation, of sumptuous feasts, horsemanship, tournaments and jousting. Yet it was overshadowed by threat and uncertainty, and the rebellions conspirators, traitors and pretenders of his youth were to contribute to the prince’s sense of insecurity in later life.

Drawing on a wealth of contemporary sources, Bruce paints a vivid picture of Henry’s boyhood – what he ate and wore, the games he played and the ceremonies he attended. She also evaluates the characters of the people surrounding the prince, and of the wider social events that influenced and shaped the future king of England.