Henry VIII a Yorkist?

Henry VIII a Yorkist?

2014-08-21 17:30:24

Jan here

I came across the BBC collectors' edition The Story of The Tudors, a spin-off from Auntie's history magazine. Here's a fairly quick tour of the first bits.

From Chris Skidmore's account of how H7 came to the throne: Hundreds of exiles fleeing from England soon arrived at Henry's court, many of whom were former household men of E4, distraught at Richard's usurpation. He doesn't explain why they were distraught about Richard assuming power, but it's a short article.

Steven Gunn writes positively on H7 laying the foundations for his descendants but doesn't try to make him exciting.

Desmond Seward writes on the Pretenders & comments that By the time he died in 1509, Henry was so unbalanced that he even kept his own son under surveillance. Is there evidence for this action anywhere? It certainly heightens the dramatic tension! Other threat levels: Lord Lovell, moderate; Lord Lincoln, severe; Sir William Stanley, severe, according to DS.

Alison Weir writes in glowing terms of EOY & quotes her son Henry's comment on his grief at her death.

The real fun starts with David Starkey on H8's boyhood. H8 to be is brought up literally in the bosom of his family, with all of those adoring girls & ladies & his mother's ladies around him. He thinks H8 liked women all through his life due to his feminised upbringing. He hardly ever sees big brother Arthur but being at court near London he is known to the political elite. When he comes to the throne TWOR come to an end because H8 sees himself as a Yorkist, due to his closeness to his mother. He is popular because he's good at games. He keeps the Yorkists' support & rewards them for their loyalty [no Yorkist names given].

Then his religious policy blows the consensus apart as all the old Yorkist families, with the exception of the Greys, continue to support traditional pious practices.

Is there any evidence anywhere that H8 saw himself as a Yorkist heir, rather than The Heir, to support this interesting opinion?

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