The King Is Dead

An insightful and elegant examination of Henry VIII's last will and testament that evokes the glittering world of the Tudor king in all its glory, pomp, and paranoia.

On 28 January 1547, the sickly and obese King Henry VIII died at Whitehall. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped, and sealed. The will confirmed the line of succession as Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth; and, following them, the Grey and Suffolk families. It also listed bequests to the king's most trusted councillors and servants.

Henry's will is one of the most intriguing and contested documents in British history. Historians have disagreed over its intended meaning, its authenticity and validity, and the circumstances of its creation. As well as examining the background to the drafting of the will and describing Henry's last days, Suzannah Lipscomb offers her own illuminating interpretation of one of the most significant constitutional documents of the Tudor period.

Illustrated with portraits of the key figures at Henry's court, The King is Dead is as boldly evocative as it is beautiful—a work of Tudor history to cherish.

Suzannah Lipscomb, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in History at New College of the Humanities, London, and also teaches Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia. She has appeared on BBC, ITV, and BBC Radio, as well as co-presented Inside the World of Henry VIII on the History Channel. Her new three-part series on the Tower of London aired on National Geographic Channel. She is the author of 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII, and writes frequently for BBC History Magazine and History Today.