The King is Dead

Suzannah Lipscomb

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781681776217
• eBook ISBN:
  9781681772943
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

On 28 January 1547, the sickly and obese King Henry VIII died at Whitehall. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped, and sealed. The will confirmed the line of succession as Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth; and, following them, the Grey and Suffolk families. It also listed bequests to the king's most trusted counselors and servants.Henry's will is one of the most intriguing and contested documents in British history. Historians have disagreed over its intended meaning, its authenticity and validity, and the circumstances of its creation. As well as examining the background to the drafting of the will and describing Henry's last days, Suzannah Lipscomb offers her own illuminating interpretation of one of the most significant constitutional documents of the Tudor period.Illustrated with portraits of the key figures at Henry's court, The King is Dead is as boldly evocative as it is beautiful—a work of Tudor history to cherish.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Foreword
• A Note on Spelling, Money, and Dates
• 1 • The Death of a King
• 2 • The Last Decade
• 3 • The Last Year
• 4 • The Final Months
• 5 • The Making of the Will
• 6 • The Faith of the King
• 7 • The Succession
• 8 • The Transfer of Power
• 9 • The “Unwritten Will”
• 10 • The Legacy of the Will
• Epilogue
• Illustrations
• Appendix I • Henry VIII’s Last Will and Testament: A Transcription
• Appendix II • Council Personnel
• Appendix III • Highlights from Henry VIII’s Inventory
• Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• Also by Suzannah Lipscomb
• Copyright