Name
Form
Historical Enquiry: Henry the Great: Image or reality?
Henry VIII who ruled England and Wales between 1509 and 1547 is perhaps the most
well known king in British history. He was known for ‘display. When he met one of his
rivals, King Francis I of France, just outside Calais in 1520, a complete town of tents
and timber was built for the meeting. Yards of velvet, satin and cloth of gold were sent
to decorate the temporary palaces. It was called "The Field of the Cloth of Gold."
Henry loved all this display: by the end of his reign he had fifty-five palaces, two
thousand tapestries, one hundred and fifty paintings and nearly one thousand eight
hundred books. He also spent vast sums fighting wars and made every effort to be
known as a warrior king. Nearly 72,000 people were executed during his reign. So is
there any wonder he is remembered.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, Henry VIII was called ‘Henry the Great’ of ‘Great
Harry’. The question is does he deserve to be remembered as ‘Great’, or was this more
a matter of image than reality? You are going to carry out an enquiry to decide how he
should be remembered.
What do I
KNOW about
Henry VIII?
1
Historical Enquiry: Henry the Great: Image or reality?
What would I
WANT to know
about Henry?
What have I
LEARNT about
Henry VIII?
Complete this when you have
2 finished your enquiry
Historical Enquiry: Henry the Great: Image or reality?
How will I
carry out my
enquiry?
At the end of this investigation you will need to write a biography of Henry VIII. In
this you will assess whether Henry VIII deserves to be called ‘Great’ or not. You will
need to carry out an investigation and think about what was image (in other words show)
and what was reality. You will need to make use of some of the sources you have been
provided with and collect your own information.
A biography tells the story of somebody’s life and analyses it. Biographies look at what
an individual achieved, how their personality influenced what they did, and if they made
any bad decisions.
3
What will you do?
You will need to answer and ask questions about historical sources and begin to evaluate
them. You will also need to carry out your own research to help you write you biography.
Areas to cover
You will need to write about each of the following:

The young Henry – What was his education, skills, personality and image? Did these
make him sound like a great king or not?

Henry VIII’s government – Did he rule or just reign? Who did most of the work,
Henry or ministers such as Thomas Wolsey? Did this mean he was great?

Henry, the people and his rule – How popular was Henry with the people? Was he a
cruel king or just a king trying to ensure peace?

Henry and Wales – What did he do for Wales? Were the Acts of Union an attempt
to destroy the Welsh language?

Anything else you would want to find out.
Finally
You will need to decide whether Henry VIII deserves to be called
great or not.
WILF
o
o
o
o
o
Apply knowledge and understanding to develop lines of enquiry
Evaluate historical sources
Identify those sources that are useful
Use sources critically to reach and support conclusions
Evaluate and reflect on the work and the method used in the enquiry
4
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source?
What do I learn about the image of Henry from
the source?
(c) Bob Jenkin-2010-08-30 www.flickr.com
Source 1 - A copy of a portrait of
Henry painted by the artist Hans
Holbein the Younger in 1536.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
His Majesty is the handsomest ruler I ever set eyes on;
above the usual height, with an extremely fine calf to his leg,
his complexion very fair and bright, auburn hair combed
straight and short, in the French fashion.... He speaks
French, English and Latin, and a little Italian, plays well on
the lute and harpsichord, sings from book at sight, draws
the bow with greater strength than any man in England and
jousts marvellously.... a most accomplished Prince.
Source 2 - The Venetian Ambassador describing the
young Henry VIII in 1509
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
What do I learn about the young Henry from the source?
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (c1472-1509) was Henry’s
most trusted minister ... his governmental and
political skills led to swift progression in the Church
and State, including the gaining of rich offices and
the office of Lord Chancellor (the King’s head of
government).
Source 3– (Adapted) The historian Susan Doran
writing in The Tudor Chronicles, 1485-1603
(2007)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
What do I learn about Henry’s government from the source?
Henry VIII... was very fond of having his own way... those who
suffered most... were his ministers and the great nobles... as long
as King Henry... did not tax them too heavily. Whatever may
have been his faults, and he had many, there can be no doubt
that by far the greatest number of the people in England loved
him.
Source 4- Historian H. O. Arnold-Forster, writing in A
History of England (1897)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
What do I learn about the rule of Henry from the source?
Henry is so greedy that all the riches in the world
would not satisfy him... to make himself rich he
has bankrupted his people. This King.... does not
trust a single man... and will not cease to dip his
hand in blood as long as he doubts the people.
Source 5 – The French ambassador to
England writing to the King of France in 1540.
The King of France was a rival of Henry VIII.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
source?
What do I learn about Henry’s personality and popularity?
According to Holinshed, who wrote 25 years
after Henry's death, 72, 000 thieves and
vagabonds (beggars) were hanged during his
reign. It is over 2 per cent of the 2,800,000
inhabitants of England, which equals the
proportion of the 6, 000,000 Jews exterminated
by Hitler.
Source 6 – Historian Jasper Ridley in his
book Henry VIII (1984)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
What do I learn about Henry’s rule from the source?
His rule was humane, his executions
sporadic... he never killed anyone with his
own hand... The number of victims... was
not large.
Source 7 – Historian John Bowle in his
book Henry VIII (1964)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
How will the source help your enquiry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
What do I learn about Henry’s rule? How does the source differ with other sources?
Henry’s religious changes and his
treatment of Queen Catherine had
upset many of the Welsh who
remained loyal to the Pope. Henry
believing that the Welsh posed a
threat to his crown ordered his
Chief Minister Thomas Cromwell
to pass laws to bring Wales under
English control. The result was the
Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543
which divided Wales into thirteen
shires, destroyed the unruly
Marcher lordships and brought the
whole of Wales under English law.
Source 8 – A description of the
Acts of Union written by a
history teacher.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
What are the strengths of the source?
How is the source different to other portraits of Henry?
What else would you want to know about the source and its content?
What do I learn about what Henry did for Wales?
Historical Enquiry: Henry the Great: Image or reality?
You are now ready to write your biography. Remember that a biography tells the story
of somebody’s life and analyses it. Biographies look at what an individual achieved, how
their personality influenced what they did, and if they made any bad decisions.
Introduction
Explain briefly why Henry VIII was called ‘Great’ and why he is remembered and what
image people have of him.
Main part
Write a paragraph on each of the following. Where possible mention some of the sources
that you have studied:

The young Henry – What were his education, skills, personality and image? Did
these make him sound like a great king or not?

Henry VIII’s government – Did he rule or just reign? Who did most of the work,
Henry or ministers such as Thomas Wolsey? Did this mean he was great?

Henry, the people and his rule – How popular was Henry with the people? Was he a
cruel king or just a king trying to ensure peace?

Henry and Wales – What did he do for Wales? Were the Acts of Union an attempt
to destroy the Welsh language?

Include anything else you have find out or line of investigation you have
followed.
You now need to refer to at least two sources that you found to be useful to your enquiry
and two that were not so useful.
Conclusion
Write a final paragraph in which you decide whether Henry VIII deserves to be called
great or not.