Who did Henry VIII think he was?

With Professor Steven Gunn, Merton College, Oxford

Henry VIII did some extraordinary and shocking things, but why did he think they were the

sort of things kings could or should do? This talk will look at the different models of kingship

available to Henry and which of them he seemed to be following at different points in his

reign. He knew some other kings: his father Henry VII, his ally Maximilian I, his rival Francis

I. He read about others in English history: Henry V, Edward I, King Arthur. He studied others

in the Bible, above all King David. But who did Henry VIII think he was?
Image credit: Meeting of Henry VIII & the Emperor Maximilian I. A painting (c.1545) in the Royal Collection

Host or Publisher The Arts Institute