![]() ![]() The early modern period in England, on the other hand, is seen as starting in 1509 when Henry VIII came to the throne as a 17 year old. The Middle Ages is generally seen as ending in 1485 – and Henry’s accession is also popularly seen as the endpoint of the Wars of the Roses, the destructive civil wars that flare intermittently in the three decades before that. One of the interesting things for me about this period is that it links two epochs. He was very charming but inscrutable, controlling and ruthless – the Machiavelli of English kings. He also knew very little at first-hand about the country he ended up ruling, as he had spent much of his early life as a refugee in Brittany and France. He was a usurper and a chancer with a highly dubious claim to the throne. He was, of course, the founder of the dynasty – and father to Henry VIII – but he was also one of the most unlikely kings England has had. So many people have written books about Henry VIII and studied that period – what makes you so interested in the lesser-known early Tudor period? ![]() Foreign Policy & International Relations. ![]()
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