The King is Dead Read online

  Henry VIII’s last will and testament was the product of his own mastery during his last months of life. Until those final hours, he remained powerful and in charge: we see evidence of Henry’s close involvement and thorough direction of both the sidelining of the wilful Gardiner from the regency council and the destruction of the sycophantic Norfolk and his foolhardy son.

  The Edwardian government would go on to be so religiously zealous that it has also been tempting to read evangelicalism into the motivations of Henry’s councillors; but there is precious little evidence of a religiously motivated operation at work in the last season of Henry’s life. Instead, the possibly evangelical Surrey was probably condemned on the word of a conservative friend, Southwell, while the conservative Lord Chancellor Wriothesley remained at the heart of the Council until his deposition in March 1547, despite having driven the hunt for heretics the previous summer and even racking Anne Askewe with his own hands.

  Nor was the will a product of forgeries and later alterations for the aggrandizement of Hertford and friends. It is physically impossible that the will, as it stands, had sentences inserted into its text, and there is no evidence to support the hypothesis of its later alteration. The explanation for its inclusion in the January list of documents signed by dry stamp is far more innocent: its inclusion was designed to proclaim its authenticity.

  Henry VIII’s last will was, in short, not the result of a conspiracy but of Henry’s own volition. It was precisely as he intended it to be.

  Henry’s ‘unwritten will’ – the grant of titles, lands and offices to many of those in his government – similarly also seems to bear his imprint. As boons to persuade Hertford’s fellow councillors to vote for his protectorate it would have been fairly ineffectual; in tone, it is Henrician, providing – as with the devising of the regency council – for the government of his son.

  In the month after Henry died, his councillors protested fulsomely and at length that they would see Henry’s last will and testament ‘duly and wholly accomplished and fulfilled as to their most bounden duties appertaineth’. In reality, the clause enabling the distribution of the benefits of the unwritten will was one of the only ones that that they really felt compelled to keep.3 Within weeks, all Henry’s provisions for the governance of the realm had been completely overturned.

  Ceiling of the quire of St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle. Under this intricate fan-vaulted ceiling, which was added to the chapel by Henry VII, King Henry VIII is buried, beneath the floor of the south quire aisle. His final resting place is marked by a simple black marble slab, inscribed in gold letters: ‘In a vault beneath this marble slab are deposited the remains of Jane Seymour, Queen of King Henry VIII 1537. King Henry VIII 1547. King Charles I 1648. And an infant child of Queen Anne. Memorial placed by William IV 1837.’ It is far from the elaborate tomb Henry VIII had planned in his will; yet it does demonstrate that, at the end, the king chose to be buried with the one wife who had ensured the accomplishment of the ‘chief goal’ of his life and will: a smooth succession.

  Henry’s trust in his beloved councillors was ill rewarded. But, ultimately, he put his faith in a higher power. Four times in his will (folios 9, 16, 18 and 23) he required his executors ‘truly and fully to see this my Last Will performed in all things’ and ‘observed and kept forever perpetually’ ‘as they will answer before Almighty God at the dreadful Day of Judgement’. Henry had made provision for their failure; they would get their just deserts. Ever confident of his ability to command the ineffable, he was sure that Almighty God would have his back covered.

  ~

  We hope you enjoyed this book.

  Suzannah Lipscomb’s next book, Six Queens, is coming in summer 2016

  For more information, click one of the links below:

  Appendix I:

  Henry VIII’s Last Will and Testament: A Transcription

  Appendix II:

  Council Personnel

  Appendix III:

  Highlights from Henry VIII’s Inventory

  Notes on the Text

  Selected Bibliography

  Acknowledgements

  Picture credits

  Index

  ~

  About Suzannah Lipscomb

  An invitation from the publisher

  The text shown here is a transcription of the will as it exists in The National Archives, Kew, under the reference E/23/4. The transcription that appears in Thomas Rymer’s documentary collection Foedera (third edition, 1739–45; Volume XV, pp. 142–5) is largely accurate, but it follows the eighteenth-century practice of superfluous capitalization and includes quite a number of minor misreadings, unwarranted corrections and mistranscriptions.1

  In this transcription, the original spelling is maintained. Although not all proper names are capitalized in the original, they have been here. Where punctuation has been added to aid reading, this appears within square brackets.

  [FOLIO 1]

  Henry R

  In the name of God and of the glorious and blessed

  Virgin our Lady Sainct Mary and of all the holy

  company of Heaven. We Henry[,] by the grace

  of God[,] King of England Fraunce and Irlande[,]

  Defendeur of the Faith, and in erth ymedyately

  under God the Supreme Hed of the Church of

  England and Irland of that name th[’]eight,

  calling to our remembraunce the great giftes and

  benefites of Almighty God given unto us in this

  transitory lief[,] give unto him our moost lowly

  and humble thankes, knowledging our self insufficient

  in any part to deserve or recompence the same[,]

  But feare that we have not worthely received

  the same[;] And consydering further also with our self

  that we be[,] as all mankind is[,] mortall and born

  in sinne[,] beleving nevertheles and hoping that every

  chrenen creature lyving here in this transitory and

  wretched woorld under God[,] dying in stedfast

  and perfaict faith[,] endevoring and exercising himself

  to execute in his lief tyme if he have leasyr such

  good dedes and charitable workes as scripture demandeth2[,]

  and as may be to the honour and pleasyr of God[,]

  [FOLIO 2]

  is ordeyned by Christes passion to be saved and to atteyn

  eternall lief[,] of which nombre we verily trust by

  his grace to be oon. And that every creature the

  more high that he is in estate honour & authorite

  in this woorld[,] the more he is bound to love serve

  and thank God and the more diligently to endevor

  himself to do good and charitable workes to the

  lawde honour and praise of almighty God and the

  profit of his sowle. We also, calling to our

  remembraunce the dignite estate honour rule & gouvernance

  that almighty God hath called us unto in this woorld

  and that neither we[,] nor any other creature mortall[,]

  knowith the tyme place whenne ne where it

  shall pleas almighty God to call him out of this

  transitory woorld[,] willing therefor and minding with Godes

  grace[,] before our passage out of the same[,] to dispose and ordre

  our Latter mynd Will and Testament in that sort as

  we trust it shalbe acceptable to Almighty God[,] our

  only Savyour Jesus Christ[,] and the hole company of

  Heaven[,] and the due satisfaction of all godly brethren

  [FOLIO 3]

  in erth have therefore[,] nowe being of hole and perfaict

  mynde[,] adhering holy to the right faith of Christ

  and his doctrine, repenting also our old and detestable

  lief[,] and being in perfaict will and mynde by his grace

  never to return to the same nor such like[,] and minding

&nbs
p; by Goddes grace never to vary therefro as long as

  any remembraunce breth or inward knowledge doth

  or may remayn within this mortal body, Moost

  humbly and hartly do commend and bequeyth our soull

  to Almighty God[,] who in personne of the sonne

  redeamed the same with his moost precious body and

  blood in tyme of his passion[,] And[,] for our better

  remembraunce thereof[,] hath left here with us in his

  church militant the consecration and administration

  of his precious body and blood to our no little consolation

  and comfort, if we as thankfully accept the same

  as he Lovingly and undeserved on mannes behalf hath

  ordeyned it for our only benefite and not his. / Also

  we do instantly requyre and desyre the blessed Virgin

  Mary his mother with all the holy company of heaven

  contynually to pray for us and with us whiles we lyve

  in this woorld and in the tyme of passing out of

  [FOLIO 4]

  the same, that we may the3 soner atteyn everlasting lief

  after our departure out of this transitory lief. Which

  we do both hope and clayme by Christes passion

  and woord[;] And as for my body which whenne

  the soul is departed shall thenne remayn but as a

  cadaver and so return to the vile mater it was

  made of[,] wer it not for the rowme4 and dignitye

  which God hath called us unto[,] and that we woold

  not be noted an Infringer of honest worldly politics

  and custumes whenne they be not contrary to Godes

  Lawes[,] we woold be content to have it buryed

  in any place accustumed for chrenen folkes wer it never

  so vile ffor it is but ashes and to ashes it shal

  again[.] Nevertheles[,] bicaus we woold be lothe in

  the reputation of the people to do iniurye to the

  dignite which we unworthely ar callid unto[,] We

  ar content and also[,] by these presentes our last Will and

  Testament[,] do will and ordeyn that our body be buryed

  and ienterred in the Quere of our College of Windesor

  midway betwen the stattes and the high Aultaur[,]

  and there to be made and sett assone[ ]as convenently

  [FOLIO 5]

  may be doon after our deceasse by our Executours at

  our costes and charges[,] if it be not done by us in our

  lief tyme[,] an honorable tombe for our bones to rest in[,]

  which is well onward and almoost made therfor

  alredye[,] with a fayre grate about it[,] in which we

  will also that the bones and body of our true and

  Loving Wief Quene Jane be putt also[,] And that

  there be provided ordeyned made and sett at the

  costes and charges of us or of our executours if it be

  not done in our lyf[,] a convenent aulter honorably

  prepared[,] and apparailled with all maner of thinges

  requisite and necessary for dayly masses there

  to be sayd perpetuelly while the woorld shal

  endure[;] Also we will that the Tombes and

  Aultars of King Henry the VIt and also of King

  Edward the fourth our great uncle and grauntfather

  be made more princely in the same place where

  they now be at our charges, And also will and

  specially desyre and requyre that where and whensoever

  it shall pleas God to call us out of the woorld

  transitory to his infinite mercy and grace[,] be it

  beyonde the See or in any other place without our

  Realme of Englande or within the same[,] that our

  Executours[,] assone[ ]as convenently they may[,] shall cause

  [FOLIO 6]

  all divine service accustumed for dead folkes5 to be celebrate

  for us in the nixt and moost propre place where it

  shall fortune us to depart out of this transitory

  lief[,] And over that we will that whensoever

  or wheresoever it shall pleas God to call us out

  of this transitory lief to his infinite mercy and grace[,]

  be it within this realme or without[,] that our executours[,]

  in as goodly brief and convenient hast as they reasonably

  canne or may[,] ordeyn prepare and cause our body to

  be removed conveyed and brought in to the sayde

  College of Windesor[,] and the service of Placebo and

  Dirige with a sermon and Masse on the morowe

  at our costes and charges devoutely to be don observed

  and solemply kept there to be buryed and enterred

  in the place appoincted for our sayd Tombe to be

  made for the same entent[,] And all this to be doon

  in as devout wise as canne or may be doon[,] And

  we will and charge our executours that they

  dispose and gyve in almes to the moost poore and

  nedy people that may be found [(]commyn beggars

  as moch as may be avoyded[)] in as short space as

  possibly they may after our departure out of this

  transitory lief[,] oon thousand markes of laufull money

  [FOLIO 7]

  of Englande[,] part in the same place and thereaboutes[,]

  where it shall pleas Almighty God to call us

  to his mercy[,] part by the waye[,] and part in the

  same place of our buryall after their discretions[,]

  and to move the poore people that shall have our

  almez to pray hartly unto God for remission of

  our offenses and the wealth of our soull[.]

  Also we woll that with as convenient spede as

  may be doon after our departure out of this woorld[,]

  if it be not doon in our lief[,] that the Deane and

  Channons of our free Chaple of Sainct George

  within our Castle of Windesor[,] shall have manours

  Landes tenementes and spirituall promotiones to the yerely

  value of six hundred poundes over all charges, made

  sure to them to them6 and their successours for ever[,]

  upon these conditions hereafter ensuryng[;] And for the

  due and full accomplishement and parformaunce

  of all other thinges conteyned with the same in the

  forme of an Indenture signed with our own hand[,]

  which shalbe passed by waye of couvenant for that

  purpose betwen the said Deane and Cannons and

  our executours[,] if it passe not between us

  and the said Deane and Cannons in our lief[,] that is to saye[,] the sayd

  Deane and Cannons7 and theyr

  Successours for ever shall fynd twoo priestes

  to say masses at the said Aulter to be made

  [FOLIO 8]

  where we have before appoincted our tombe to be made

  and stand[,] And also after our deceasse kepe yerely

  foure solempne obites for us within the sayd College

  of Wyndesour[,] and at every of the same obites to

  cause a solempne sermon to be made[;] And also at

  every8 of the sayd obites to give to poore people in

  almez tenne poundes[;] And also to gyve for ever yerly

  to thirtene poor men which shalbe called poore

  knightes to every of them twelf pens every daye[,] and

  ones in the yere yerely for ever a long gowne of white

  cloth, with the garter upon the brest embrodered

  with a shelde and crosse of Sainte George

  within the garter and a mantel of red cloth[,] and to

  such one of the sayd thirtene poore knightes as shalbe

  appoincted to be hed and gouvernour of them iii l. vi s. viii d.

&nbs
p; yerely forever over and besides the sayd twelf pennes

  by the daye[;] And also to cause every Sonday in the

  yere for ever a sermon to be made for ever at Windesor

  aforsayde as in the sayd Indenture and couvenuant

  shalbe more fully and particulerly expressed. Willing

  charging and requyring our sonne Prince Edward[,]

  all our Executours and counsaillours which shalbe

  named hereafter[,] and all other our heyres and

  Successours which shalbe kinges of this realme as

  they will aunswer before almighty God at the dredfull

  [FOLIO 9]

  Daye of Judgment[,] that they and every of them do see

  that the sayd Indenture and assurance to be made

  betwen us and the sayd Deane and Channons[,] or

  betwen them and our executours and all thinges therin

  conteyned may be duely put in execution and observed

  and kept forever perpetuelly according to this our

  Last Will and Testament. And as concerning

  the ordre and disposition of th[’]imperial croune of

  this Realme of England and Irland with our title

  of Fraunce and all dignityes honours preeminences pre-

  rogatives authorityes and jurisdictions to the same

  annexed or belonging[,] and for the sure establishement

  of the succession of the same[.] And also for a full

  and plain gift disposition assignement declaration

  limitation and appoinctement with what conditions our

  doughters Mary and Elizabeth shall severally

  have hold and enioye the sayd imperial Crowne

  and other the premisses after our deceasse and