“Prince to Tyrant: What Changed Henry VIII” by Suzannah Lipscomb, Research curator at Hampton Court Palace

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 at 6 p.m.
Fordham University
Tognino Hall
Duane Library
Rose Hill Campus
441 East Fordham Road
Bronx, New York 10458

Link to events at Fordham University’s History Department

* From The Telegraph:
Rags to riches as tapestry masterpiece is restored to its former glory

A tapestry that has survived against the odds since the fifteenth century is to go on display for the first time in 20 years, following five years of restoration returning the masterpiece to its former glory.

* From The Guardian:
David Starkey on Henry VIII: Famous for 500 years

In this podcast, David Starkey asks why Henry continues to fascinate us in the 21st century, and how did a boy with such a conventional upbringing become such an unconventional king?

* From The BBC:
The map that changed the world

Almost exactly 500 years ago, in 1507, Martin Waldseemuller and Matthias Ringmann, two obscure Germanic scholars based in the mountains of eastern France, made one of the boldest leaps in the history of geographical thought – and indeed in the larger history of ideas.

Near the end of an otherwise plodding treatise titled Introduction to Cosmography, they announced to their readers the astonishing news that the world did not just consist of Asia, Africa, and Europe, the three parts of the world known since antiquity. A previously unknown fourth part of the world had recently been discovered, they declared, by the Italian merchant Amerigo Vespucci, and in his honour they had decided to give it a name: America.

Five centuries of searching for one of Britain’s most significant battlefields has finally ended with the discovery of “extraordinary and unexpected” pieces of artillery in a Leicestershire field.

The finds near Market Bosworth at last pin down the notoriously “wandering site” of the battle that overthrew Richard III – the last English king to die at the head of an army – and established the Tudor dynasty and the modern state.

Surrounded by school parties still studying at least four wrong locations, a bevy of archaeologists unveiled 22 primitive pistol bullets and cannonballs, alongside soil surveys and data from metal detection over 2.7 square miles.

The revelations arise from an overlooked trough of rolling countryside two miles from the previously most widely accepted battlefield, below Ambion Hill.

The scale of the ammunition haul transforms the battle of Bosworth’s significance from a national landmark (it is usually ranked with Hastings, Naseby and the Battle of Britain) to international importance.

Glenn Foard, who led the £1m three-year survey for the Battlefields Trust, said: “We are seeing here the origins of firepower which led to an empire spanning the globe. Now this needs to be explored on every battlefield of the period in Europe.”

Pictures of stalwart yeomen with bows and arrows have been instantly outdated by the find, which shows how the battle, in 1485, was a change from previous encounters in the Wars of the Roses.

Full article

More articles:

BBC: New battle over Bosworth’s site

The Daily Mail Online: 500 years of history missed Bosworth Field by two miles

And 3 articles from Times Online:
Battle of Bosworth moves two miles, thanks to archaeologist Glenn Foard
Battle of Bosworth Field… located in the wrong field
Why the Battle of Bosworth Field is difficult to reconstruct

Update:
Here’s a video report from the BBC
and I’m also moving the link Kathy posted in the comments up here:
From the Bosworth Field Official Site: New Archaeological Find

Wild wolves, fearsome chieftains, forts, castles and sea monsters – one could be forgiven for thinking this a fairytale. But it isn’t – this was the serious business of State map making – four centuries ago. Today, for the first time, The National Archives is launching a digitised collection of Early Irish maps (c.1558 – c.1610) from the ‘State Papers Ireland’.

The collection comprises more than 70 different maps , amongst the earliest cartographic representations of Ireland, depicting plantations, fortifications and townships during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.
…
The maps were usually made in response to a particular threat, to show a siege or battle, or to help inform defence strategy against a background of ongoing clashes with Irish chieftains.

Maps were one of the English colonists’ tools, along with the written survey and the gun. They show information useful for defence, such as the location of castles and forts, difficult terrain for armies such as mountains and lakes, and strategic islands and river crossings.

The job of map making required quick-witted, brave and determined men who were willing to risk life to paint a picture of the countries beyond the seas from England.

Full article

Link to slide show of some of the maps

Link to the Irish Maps collection at the National Archives

BBC: New Mary Rose artefacts on show

The Guardian: The Mary Rose ship reveals a haul of old treasures

The Daily Mail: Saved from the sea, the secret Tudor hoard of the Mary Rose on display for the first time

Five things you probably didn’t know about the Mary Rose

1. The debate continues as to why the Mary Rose mysteriously sank off the Portsmouth coast in 1545. Four of the suggested possibilities are:

* Too many cooks and not enough skilled seamen on board
* Poor communication and slow responses from an international crew
* A hole made by a French cannonball in battle led to the Mary Rose taking water onboard
* The Mary Rose was too top heavy and keeled over when changing course

2. On 19th July 1545 Henry VIII was watching his fleet set sail to battle the approaching French and saw the Mary Rose sink. So did the wife of Vice Admiral Sir George Carew, who was on board – not surprisingly, she fainted

3. Scientists have used Facial Reconstruction technology to illustrate the facial features of the crew of the Mary Rose from skulls found on board (click image for a larger view):

4. As well as iron bolts The Mary Rose was held together by thousands of wooden pegs – each one made by hand

5. Celebrated Marine Artist Geoff Hunt researched the Mary Rose for 113 hours before he began his new painting of the ship, unveiled earlier this year. His research revealed that King Henry VIII’s flagship had one more fighting castle deck than had previously been thought, fuelling speculation that it was the ship’s top heaviness that may have led to her mysterious sinking (click image for a larger view):

Links for more information:

www.maryrose500.org

www.facebook.com/MaryRose500

www.twitter.com/MaryRose500

www.youtube.com/maryrose500appeal

www.maryrose.org

www.historicdockyard.co.uk

Henry VIII In Wedding Dress (1540) By Hans Holbein The Younger

I know what they meant, but of course my brain instantly jumped to a vision of Henry VIII in white satin and lace with a bridal veil.

The article is an informational one about Holbein, his painting in general and specifically his portrayal of Henry VIII. Read it here

(And while I’m on a kick of being pedantic and talking about some of my reporting pet peeves, there is one in this article. Holbein was not at the British court, he was at the English court!)

Here’s an excerpt from an article in the Surrey Comet about the exhibition:

Oatlands Underfoot: Stones and Stories From a Forgotten Palace, was opened on September 26 by the mayor of Elmbridge, Councillor James Vickers.

It reveals the story of Oatlands Palace, which was built by Henry VIII and once stood near the centre of Weybridge.

Coun Vickers said: “Oatlands Underfoot is a wonderful insight into King Henry VIII’s passion for architectural opulence.

“Although very little remains today, the exhibition brings the walls back to life and offers visitors the unique opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the great monarch’s influence on the local history through the fascinating pieces which were excavated from the Oatlands site.”

Full article