Henry must have known it was possible too. He had no hesitation in entrusting his Kingdom to Catherine whenever he minded to do the knightly thing, going off to fight a battle or two on the continent. And, of course, he would remember the woman who had overseen his education - his grandmother Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond. Dying shortly after he became King, Margaret was highly respected for her intelligence as well as her piety.
Sometimes I'm very tempted to think his desire for a son could be brought down to a simply human desire, and had very little to do with the security of his Kingdom at all. 'I see God will not give me male children,' he said when his second wife Anne Boleyn gave birth to a dead son. For a man who often displayed a politician's insincerity, this statement resonates down the centuries with human despair and deep disappointment, ringing loudly with simple truth. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the women in life loved him, no matter the agony he inflicted on them. With their female sensitivity, they could sense a core within Henry VIII that truly suffered.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Wendy J. Dunn's Tudor England topic, please visit the Discussions page.