Henry VII's New Men and the Making of Tudor England
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:18th Aug '16
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- Paperback£32.49(9780198884712)
The reign of Henry VII is important but mysterious. He ended the Wars of the Roses and laid the foundations for the strong governments of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Yet his style of rule was unconventional and at times oppressive. At the heart of his regime stood his new men, low-born ministers with legal, financial, political, and military skills who enforced the king's will and in the process built their own careers and their families' fortunes. Some are well known, like Sir Edward Poynings, governor of Ireland, or Empson and Dudley, executed to buy popularity for the young Henry VIII. Others are less famous. Sir Robert Southwell was the king's chief auditor, Sir Andrew Windsor the keeper of the king's wardrobe, Sir Thomas Lovell, the Chancellor of the Exchequer so trusted by Henry that he was allowed to employ the former Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel as his household falconer. Some paved the way to glory for their relatives. Sir Thomas Brandon, master of the horse, was the uncle of Henry VIII's favourite Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk. Sir Henry Wyatt, keeper of the jewel house, was father to the poet Sir Thomas Wyatt. This volume, based on extensive archival research, presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of the new men. It analyses the offices and relationships through which they exercised power and the ways they gained their wealth and spent it to sustain their new-found status. It establishes their importance in the operation of Henry's government and, as their careers continued under his son, in the making of Tudor England.
Each of these sections is richly detailed, drawing on the remarkable depth of research which is the book's most impressive feature. The footnotes bear witness to an astonishing amount of archival work. Material is cited from no fewer than 66 archives, scores of classes of documents in the National Archives, and copious printed works. In most cases Gunn's claims are supported by multiple examples, sometimes dozens. Throughout the book, the handling of argument and evidence is deft and the book is always readable. * Neil Younger, Spenser Review *
Gunn also leavens a staggering amount of scholarly evidence with moments of personal detail ... The insight gives a sense of the person as well as Gunn's own painstakingly acquired perceptions and deep knowledge of these men ... [This book] was well worth the wait. * Lisa Ford, Times Literary Supplement *
For more than 30 years, Professor Gunn has been trawling the archives, reading everything that might be relevant: governmental papers, parish records, letters, wills, you name it ... a brilliant historian has done his job. * Noel Malcolm, The Daily Telegraph *
Henry VII's New Men and the Making of Tudor England is essential reading for scholars of the early Tudor period. It is also a gold mine for anyone who wants to study the lives of those men in detail. * Barbara J. Harris, American Historical Review *
Professor Gunn has produced a book of breath-taking scholarship and thoroughness ... this work will never have to be repeated. Moreover, at no point is the author overwhelmed by his vast material: everything is clear, organised and to the point. One simply takes one's hat off. * Christine Carpenter, Reviews in History *
The long-awaited publication of Professor Gunn's masterful study will prompt many historians to re-think what the phrase extensive research might entail. Gunn offers a tour-de-force of the historians art of persistent archival digging and also the science of processing that historical evidence into a compelling study [] Gunn matches his own existing high standards and leaves a difficult trail for others to follow. * Sean Cunningham, The Ricardian *
ISBN: 9780199659838
Dimensions: 233mm x 166mm x 28mm
Weight: 734g
416 pages