Historian claims King Henry VIII was 'vulnerable, insecure and loyal'

Newly discovered letters suggest the autocratic monarch was not as fearsome as popularly believed.

Update: 2018-10-22 14:58 GMT
Historian claims King Henry VIII was 'vulnerable, insecure and loyal'. (Photo: Pixabay)

England's King Henry VIII has been known world over for being one of the country's most fearsome monarchs.

He divorced two wives and beheaded two others. But according to newly discovered letters, historian Tracy Borman suggests he was much more that what we know.

Household accounts and letters found in the National Archives, British Library and private collections, reveal he was "vulnerable, insecure and loyal", the Daily Mail reported.

A new book about the Tudor monarch reveals accounts of people who served under the kings from his servants to his barbers.

"A study of Henry through the eyes of the men, rather than the wives, has never been done before and offers a genuinely new perspective," Borman, who is joint chief curator for Historic Royal Palaces, told the The Observer.

"Household accounts show he was appointed a 'keeper' to look after him, and Henry lavished unstinting care and attention upon him for the rest of his life," Borman further explained.

Even though it is apt to describe Henry as fearsome, Borman suggests he "just doesn't deserve the caricature we've come to know and despise".

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