Henry VIII - Inside the Mind of a Tyrant - Ep3. Lover - Supporting Worksheet

Henry VIII - Inside the Mind of a Tyrant - Ep3. Loverr - Supporting Worksheet

Written to support the David Starkey documentary as enrichment for able GCSE 9-1 students or A level teaching support. Comprehension and extension questions are provided to follow the programme and support information collection. The resource provides a summary of the documentary and its contents.

Written in Publisher to A3 formatting, but can be amended and saved as a PDF for A4 printing

This episode traces Henry's ten-year affair with Anne Boleyn. Henry began to pursue Anne in early 1526. As lust turned to love, he conceived the idea of marrying her. But that required a Papal annulment of his marriage to Catherine. David Starkey's research in the Vatican archives has revealed the real story of Henry's futile six-year struggle to get what he wanted from Rome. During this time, and prompted by Anne, Henry began to re-think the nature of the English monarchy. He came to believe that the King, not the Pope, should rule the Church in England. The result was the break with Rome, a new wife for Henry, and a new religion for his subjects. But the marriage did not last. Henry's court had always been a dangerous place, and when Queen Anne turned against Thomas Cromwell, Henry's chief minister, Cromwell knew that he had to move against her to save himself. He manipulated Henry's naturally suspicious nature to engineer Anne's execution. Money and power had triumphed over love.