Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him

A highlight of the exhibition will be a talk by leading Tudor historian and joint chief curator for Historic Royal Palaces, Tracy Borman, based on her major biography, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him.

The talk takes place on Saturday 14th November 2020 at 11am in the nave of St Mary’s to a distanced audience of 60. Tickets are £12 each.

Henry VIII is famous for being the king who married six times. But it was the men in his life, far more than the women, who shaped this notorious monarch.

In this talk, Tracy Borman will tell the story of England’s most famous monarch through the eyes of the men who surrounded him: relations, servants, ministers, rivals, confidantes and companions. She will introduce a dazzling cast of characters: some ‘mad’ (Sir Francis Bryan, the so-called ‘Vicar of Hell’), some ‘bad’ (the grasping minister, Thomas Wolsey), but none as ‘dangerous to know’ as Henry VIII himself. It was these men who shaped Henry into the man – and monster – that he would become. And he, in turn, dictated their fates.

Tracy Borman
If the talk is unable to go ahead in person for pandemic related reasons then it will be offered virtually by way of private webcast, and log-in details will be provided to ticketholders.

The portraits

Exhibition homepage
Themes & events