2022, New article explores why Henry VIIIs tomb is austere rather than lavish . Its said you visited such an amazing place and came out with that conclusion. The initial plans were made by the Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano, the same man who designed the tomb for Henrys parents Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The Dramatic True Story Behind Disney's Mulan, The One Night House: Squatters from Welsh Folklore, Eight Bizarre Superstitions from Ancient History, Ten amazing inventions from ancient times, 6 Shockingly Successful Ancient Warfare Tactics. My husband sat in the actual seat used by Prince William during the service of the Knights of the Garter (all the Knights that have ever been have plaques with their names and devices). However, the sarcophagus remained at Windsor for more than 250 years until the Georgians found a use for it and transported it to the crypt of St Pauls Cathedral, London, where it now holds the coffin of Admiral Horatio Nelson. The one of Henry's coffin looks like it's in a relatively small, confined space, but the other sketch makes the vault area look enormous. . All of this is a unique exercise in historical fiction so we have to take the story as apocryphal. Henry VIII has no tomb in St Georges Chapel, merely a marble slab to mark his burial place in the Quire. Before his execution in 1536, Sir Thomas More, who opposed Henrys plans to break with the Catholic Church, warned his contemporaries: you often boast to me that you have the Kings ear and have fun with him, freely This is like having fun with tamed lions often it is harmless, but just as often there is fear of harm. Edward VI may have been a child of only nine years old when he followed his father to the throne, but he had determination beyond his years and had one clear agenda to make England Protestant. It was four miles long, included more than a thousand men on horseback and hundreds more on foot. 359) to the royal chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, passing the newly filled graves of Norris, Weston, Brereton and Smeaton, and buried her in the earth beneath the chancel pavement in an unmarked grave (Weir, Pg. Also buried near Henry's tomb is Edward VI, son of Henry VIII. The Heritage Daily. The story starts with the sermon by a Franciscan friar named William Petow. ), such modern thinking that was like some four hundred years ago to judge him on your modern standards, You judge him by modern standards which is absurd. Dale Hoaks hypothesizes that the painting proved how much Henry VIII still dreamed of war. But why was this the case? The son of King Henry VII, he became Prince of Wales upon the death of his elder brother Arthur and for political reasons married his brother's wife Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII's original 'pattern' no longer survives but these nineteenth century conjectural drawings drawn by Somers Clarke for Alfred Higgins FSA, which are held in the Chapel Archives [SGC P.169-P.180], provide an indication of the likely magnificence of his intended tomb, although they omit the King on horseback and show only a small proportion of the intended figures. At a tournament in 1511, evidence from the Westminster Roll, a pictorial depiction of the games, presented an image of Henry shattering his spear on his opponents helmet. The German aristocrat Anne of Cleves was the fourth of Henry VIIIs six wives , marrying the king on January 6, 1540. They stressed, among other things, Luthers justification by faith. The chairs had a step or "half pace" at the front for two stools. After the mass, as the trumpets sounded, the chief officers of the Kings household broke their staves of office and threw them into the vault, signaling the end of their service. Nothing came up in the research about this. First Mary Tudor, daughter of Henrys first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and then by Elizabeth, daughter of his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry VIIIs coffin appears badly damaged. All he had to do was live long enough to see it finished. Henry considered himself to be catholic and his son Edward took reforms even further of course, but it can hardly be said that the Church of England during Henrys lifetime was the Roman Catholic Church minus the pope. The trestle supporting it could have collapsed. Her parents, King George VI, who died in 1952, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died in 2002, as well as her sister, Princess Margaret, who also died in 2002, are all interred at the King George VI Memorial Chapel . Court ritual continued so as not to alert anyone to the king's death before everything was ready. He ruled from 1509 until his death in 1547. Court ritual continued so as not to alert anyone to the kings death before everything was ready. Henry's planned mausoleum was far from complete at the time of his beloved wife's death. He surely would have been horrified by the simplicity of his crumbling tomb, which lay in ruin for 266 years. And it is where The Queen was laid to rest on Monday September 19, following her death. There can be little doubt as to his reaction were he to return to Windsor in this celebratory year. More likely, then, that despite Henrys concern (you could say preoccupation) with the Tudor succession, he simply did not want to face up to his own mortality. Although organized to signal the friendship between England and France, and an alliance against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles , its underlying purpose was an epic battle of one-upmanship to prove who was the grandest and most noble monarch of Europe. Though the marker was first commissioned by Prince George, it wasn't created until the reign of George's brother, William IV, in 1837. It very quickly became the haunt of a host of (mostly American) celebrities, including Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles and Truman Capote. The chapel was closed on the day we went to Windsor and we were unable to go inside. Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York are buried in the chapel in a magnificent tomb. Henry VIIIs original pattern no longer survives but these nineteenth century conjectural drawings drawn by Somers Clarke for Alfred Higgins FSA, which are held in the Chapel Archives [SGC P.169-P.180], provide an indication of the likely magnificence of his intended tomb, although they omit the King on horseback and show only a small proportion of the intended figures. Neither the tomb, nor the masses, were completed as Henry had stipulated. It was one of the pinnacles of religious life in England and the burial place of King Henry I . Margaret Douglas, Henry VIII's once beloved niece, is a somewhat shadowy and mysterious character in Tudor history who ended up taking stage in the bitter struggle for power during Henry's reign. Available at: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/new-article-explores-why-henry-viiis-tomb-is-austere-rather-than-lavish/142453 . If thats a crime, then Im guilty. For what is he being rewarded and respected? King Henry VIII of England was famous for his extravagances, executions, and masculine acts in life, but his tomb is almost invisible and was long neglected. As far as I know, the coffin was left as it is depicted in AY Nutts drawing. 22 October 1687 - Stillborn Son (Anne gave birth at 7 months, but the baby was dead a month inside her) 16 April 1688 - Miscarriage 24 July 1689 ~ 30 July 1700 - William, Duke of Gloucester Dinner Invitations for Famous People from the Past. He betrothed her instead to French king Louis XII, who was 34 years her senior and described as "feeble and pocky". Fontevraud Abbey, France. Yes Jo, that is a great way to look at it. Henrys three children reigned after him. the book of Kings to the book of Malachi Lots of neat insight, and apparently, a divinely inspired book! It seems like a very cheerful (and exclusive) resting place for Henry. Copyright 2017-2023 Dean & Canons of Windsor. Sixteen members of the Yeoman of the Guard bore the coffin into the black draped chapel. Answer: Diplomacy played a significant role in King Henry VIII's foreign policy decisions during his reign as King of England from 1509 to 1547. What was the Deadly Cocoliztli Disease that Decimated Aztec Society? It was far easier to display his fathers memory for his own use in his own image. It is said that she still haunts Hampton Court, Henrys prized palace, running to the chapel to beg Henry for mercy. In the original we said Henry . For his tomb, Henry requested a convenient altar honourably prepared and apparelled with all manner of things requisite and necessary for daily masses there to be said perpetually while the world shall endure. Thats what EVERY man did back then and Henry wanted a son. Torrigiano planned for Henry VIIIs sarcophagus to be made of the same white marble and black touchstone as his fathers only it was to be twenty-five percent bigger. Anne Boleyn (c.1500-1536), second wife of Henry VIII, by an unknown artist, late 16th century. On the second-to-last day, and topping the celebration off, was the enormous dragon, signifying Henrys Welsh blood and Franciss salamander family crest, described by Poet Jacques Dubois as a: splendid and hollow monster stretched out in the sky, over the earth, thanks to the cunning art of the English constructed on the inside from hoops and on the outside woven from cloth . Impartial descriptions of Anne are hard to find: she appears to have had dark hair and eyes and a slender neck, but no undisputed portrait of her from her lifetime has survived. This is nothing new. 2. Henry VIII lost no time in having it redesigned but it remained unfinished at his death in 1547. Would she have been willing to create a tomb to her father when she could not have done the same for her mother? Hidden under the floor in St George's Chapel in Windsor, England where thousands of people walk every day, a forgotten tomb lies. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/five-hundred-years-ago-henry-viii-and-francis-i-spent-19-million-18-day-party-180975116/ . It was based on Sansovinos design from 1527. When Henry died in 1547, he was buried beside her. Listen: Suzannah Lipscomb talks to fellow historian Dan Jones about Henry VIIIs will, a remarkable document that had great ramifications for 16th-century England and is still hotly debated today. His Reformation imperilled the mortal souls of his people as well as those subjects who followed for more than the next 250 years, Given Henry VIIIs ruthless behavior, womanizing, and outrageous ego, I think that he indeed got the grave he deserved. Poised in confrontational stance, he stares out of the painting, challenging us to find fault and leaving us in no doubt that he is in charge. Henry VIIIs tomb, concealed and out of sight, was the very antithesis of his lifelong quest to dominate the arenas of men. It would also have a life-sized statue of Henry atop a horse, the ultimate image of masculinity. If you take the virtual tour of 'The Quire', scroll down and you'll see where Henry VIII is interred. Henrys will left instructions for a magnificent tomb to be built. Philippa Brewell is a historical trip writer and blogs at britishhistorytours.com. Is depicted in AY Nutts drawing Franciscan friar named William Petow celebratory year as far as I know, ultimate... 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