On Midsummer's Day in 1509 a 17 year old was crowned king of England. He would go on to transform his realm over almost four decades on the throne. He would revolutionise its religion, reforge its politics and its relations with neighbouring countries, and establish a royal navy. But, by the time he died in 1547, the athletic boy whose cloth and hair was spun with gold had become an obese, temperamental monster. His reputation was that of a brute whose hands were soaked with the blood of the executions he ordered – among them, two of his six wives. The bloody twists and turns of Henry’s career - the marriages, murder and upheavals have captivated people ever since. His critics and defenders have fought to blacken or celebrate his memory. So who was Henry VIII? Man or monster, statesman or tyrant?
Up Next in Season 1
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The Battle of St Albans
The War Of The Roses was a notorious and prolonged civil war between the two dominant houses of medieval England: House York and House Lancaster. On the 565th anniversary of the Battle of St Albans, today Dan is joined by historian and author Matt Lewis to discuss how this battle, and the resulti...
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Henry's Forts: Castles on the Coast
On the 26 February 2021, around 38 metres of wall collapsed at Hurst Castle, one of a series of vital coastal forts built by Henry VIII in the 16th century to protect England from threat of invasion by the European powers. Recently, Dan went out on his kayak to assess the damage at the castle whi...
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Redcliffe Caves
Redcliffe Caves are a series of man made tunnels beneath the Redcliffe area of Bristol, England. The Triassic red sandstone was dug into in the Middle ages to provide sand for glass making and pottery production. Further excavation took place from the 17th to early 19th centuries and used for sto...
