History Hit digs deep into a fascinating new discovery that has grabbed the attention of historians across the world.
Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb explores what is being called the most exciting Tudor find ‘in a generation’ as curators at Hever Castle identify a bejewelled, gilded prayer book, tucked away in a Cambridge University library, as the very one portrayed in Holbein’s famous painting of Henry VIII’s ‘fixer in chief’, Thomas Cromwell.
It reveals that three key players in Henry VIII’s court, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, AND Thomas Cromwell, all owned a copy of the same printed prayer book.
In this special film, Suzannah tracks the detailed historic detective work that has been carried out by Hever’s curators and Trinity College’s Wren Library, linking the prayer book through the generations from Thomas Cromwell himself to a gift to the library by Dame Anne Sadleir in 1660.
We are delighted to bring you this remarkable story that combines a modern day investigation with stunningly beautiful objects and the tangled web of shifting beliefs and personal connections at the heart of the Tudor world.
_____
After watching the film, you can find out more by visiting the following websites of Hever Castle and Trinity College:
https://www.hevercastle.co.uk/news/thomas-cromwell-book-on-display/
https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/thomas-cromwells-book-of-hours-in-trinity-college-library/
Up Next in More than Just the Tudors
-
Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon -...
Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn - the first two wives of Henry VIII - are so often portrayed as opposites. Katherine as the loyal, scorned wife - Anne as the bright, bewitching upstart.
But now Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb returns to Hever Castle to explore what Anne and Katherine were really l...
-
Battle for the Mediterranean: Clash O...
Julian Davidson returns to Istanbul to explore the decline and legacy of the great Ottoman Empire. In the third and final episode of this series, he covers the devastating impact of the Holy League's victory at the Battle of Lepanto in the Gulf of Patras and the Ottoman Empire's slow diminution t...
-
Shakespeare
Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford and the author of 'This is Shakespeare', tackles the big questions about William Shakespeare.
58 Comments