The module is taught through weekly lectures (50 minutes) and seminars (50 minutes). Our sessions are back-to-back this term.
The reign of Henry VIII was a seminal period in English history which saw massive religious and cultural change in England. It was also a period of significant change in the history of Ireland, with the beginning of English attempts to conquer the entire island. Understandably a period of such transformative change is and was the subject of intense debate. Henry VIII, the monarch at the centre of these debates, also remains a figure of considerable significance and complexity in popular culture down to the present day.
This module will examine the major event of Henry VIII's reign, the break with Rome, and analyse how and why this happened and the consequences of these events. And it will look at the dark closing years of the reign as Henry VIII plunged his kingdom into debt fighting foreign wars, and while rival nobles watched the dying king and schemed for their futures in the reign of his children.
The module will conclude by examining Henry VIII's role in popular culture throughout the centuries. The king, his friends and enemies, his achievements and failures have, for better or worse, inspired playwrights, novelists and artists for five hundred years.
The readings in this module consist of both primary and secondary sources.