Full name: Henry: Virtuous Prince

Author: David Starkey Year: 2008 Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Biographies, History, Non Fiction, Historical fiction Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Goodreads Amazon ISBNs: 9780007247714 9780007247721 0007247710 0007247729

The highly-anticipated biography of Henry VIII's early life. Published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne, Henry: Virtuous Prince is a radical re-evaluation of the monarchy's most enduring icon. Henry VIII was Britain's most powerful monarch, yet he was not born to rule. Thrust into the limelight after the sudden death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, Henry ascended the throne in 1509, marking the beginning of a reign that altered the course of English history. In his youth Henry was highly intelligent, athletic and musically talented. He excelled in Latin and Mathematics and was an accomplished musician. On his accession to the throne, aged just seventeen, after the tumultuous rule of his father, he provided England with hope of a new beginning. Nobody could have foreseen how radical Henry's rule would prove to be. Often overshadowed by the bloody saga of his six marriages, his reign has left a lasting legacy. An absolute monarch, Henry's quest for fame was as obsessive as any modern celebrity.His fierce battles against Papal authority mark one of the most dramatic and defining moments in the history of Britain. Yet his early life was insecure. The Tudor regime was viewed by many as rule by usurpers and the dark shadows of the Wars of the Roses often threatened to tear England apart once more. The culmination of a lifetime's research, David Starkey gives a radical and unforgettable portrait of the man behind the icon; the Renaissance prince turned tyrant, who continues to tower over history. Similar books: Monarchy by David Starkey The Last Days of Henry VIII by Robert Hutchinson The Other Tudors by Philippa Jones Six Wives by David Starkey The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn by Retha M. Warnicke Henry VIII by Alison Weir In the Lion's Court by Derek Wilson Divorced, Beheaded, Survived by Karen Lindsey Mary Tudor by H. F. M. Prescott The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle Arbella by Sarah Gristwood Elizabeth's Women by Tracy Borman The Queen's Agent by John Cooper The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser The Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman House of Treason by Robert Hutchinson Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans by Brian Kilmeade Victoria by Julia Baird Georgiana by Amanda Foreman Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley