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Henry VIII: Reputation and Reality

CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 4
Module lead
Maria Hayward
Academic year
2026-27
Module overview Aims and Objectives Syllabus Learning and Teaching Assessment
Module overview Aims and Objectives Syllabus Learning and Teaching Assessment

Module overview

This module will provide you with an overview of the key events in the reign of Henry VIII including the Field of the Cloth of Gold, the dissolution of the monasteries and war with France in 1513 and 1544. You will have the opportunity to think about what he was like as a king by comparing him with his contemporaries Francis I of France and Charles V of Spain and how he interacted with the leading figures at court such as Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell and Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk. This will be set in context through an evaluation of how Henry VIII has been viewed since his death. You will consider Shakespeare's play Henry VIII or All is True as well as a range of representations of the king in art and film in the 19th to 21st centuries.