Henry VIII: The Mask of Royalty

by Lacey Baldwin Smith

This enthralling study of the man behind the mask gives also a unique picture of the 16th-century mind and milieu.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Tudor Period, Historical, British Literature

379 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Lacey Baldwin Smith was an historian and author specializing in 16th century England. He was the author of Henry VIII: The Mask of Royalty and Catherine Howard: A Tudor Tragedy, among other books.

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Smith taught at Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University. He received two Fulbright awards, two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and other awards.He was considered one of the “big name” historians, yet his writing was considered to be as entertaining as it was erudite. He lived in Vermont during his retirement, dying at Greensboro at the age of 90.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1972.

Reviews

[Scott Shepard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used bookstore around the corner when I was looking for a quick biography on that most famous of English monarchs, Hemry VIII. This book is not that and for anyone wishing to read a chronological into to His Royal Magesty the King of England, Ireland and France, look elsewhere. However if you are interested in getting a good portrait of the mind and man behind the history set in the context of the political and cultural landscape, this book is for you. It does require some prior knowledge about the king. 

The author Lacy Smith eschews neat chronological chapters for more themed ones. As a result I really have no idea what happened when, in which order the wives came or when he was allied or against France, Scotland or the Holy Roman Empire. I do have a good sense of why he divorced Catherine and murdered Anne Boleyn. I know now that he was good at manipulating the politics of his own court by playing his advisors off each other, but a pretty wretched diplomat and never more than a second tier player on the continent. I know that he thought himself a wise and studious man of letters, was proud of his energy and physique, embarrassed when he got fat and sick, and made terriblely lacking plans for after his death. 

I read a lot of biographies. I read them because it is my favorite way to learn about history, through the lense of a person of influence. Here I don't know if I learned any history, but I learned a lot about Henry. I'd say this is more an extended character sketch than a biography. It's worth reading to someone who wants to add to their knowledge on the time period (1520s - 1540s) but definitely not an intro to the life or times of King Henry VIII.

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not really a biography but more of a study of Henry VIII.A study that mostly succeeds in showing who Henry was behind all the glamour and majesty that was kingship in the Tudor era.Henry was a king,some say a monster but ultimately he was just a man caught up in the power and drama that became his life and reign.Baldwin Smith explores the workings of the King's mind through his actions and reactions based on documented evidence.This is packed full of detail and vividly recreates Henry's world as he might have seen it.Everything from clothing to his views on death is discussed.Interesting and informed work for anyone wanting to know more than a bio can tell.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. It's difficult to believe that people could get away with what kings used to get away with--namely, anything they wanted. This book gives a history of Henry the Viii reign, and through the filter of Henry's experience, that of the French, German, Italian (austro-hungarian) and Danish monarchies.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely for the Henry VIII scholar, this book starts with Henry's death and organizes the material around the major themes of this life rather than chronology. It includes some good material not found elsewhere, but can be hard to follow.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books on Henry

I found this to be quite enjoyable and liked the layout in chronological and subject chapters very effective. I also enjoyed the writing style in that it was not so dry as so many history based books are. There are facts that I had not encountered before so learning more is always a pleasure. Tudor period buffs should enjoy adding this book to their library

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the content really interesting, but the writing was a bit tedious. The timeline was all over the place, and the author used so many quotations from other sources that it didn't always fit together well which made the dialogue choppy and hard to follow. The book was still full of good info and was a fascinating look into the character and motives of King Henry VIII.

[Brenda Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but not chronological which could be ( was for me ), confusing.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come for the history, stay for the expertise and above all, the literary style. By the time he died, Henry VIII had degenerated into a paranoid killing machine (he reminds me of Stalin, and the Tudor Court of the 1540s bears a passing resemblance to the fawning sycophants who surrounded Uncle Joe). The various factions hack at each other through religion, various queens and the right to help govern the realm during the Prince of Wales' almost given minority. When you cut through the fake glamor that has been draped across this reign by bad novels and even worse cinema (::cough:: The Tudors), to say nothing of what one might call the David Starkeyish crowd, you will admire the cool eye that Lacey Baldwin Smith casts upon the twilight period of Henry Tudor's life.

[Luv_trinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like that the writer take an deeper look in to Henry VIII's Personality. ,and try to get a better understanding of him. Smith also examine the possible reason behind why Henry VIII had Cranmer & Katherine Parr arrested,and than release, and ask the question if it was to show his own power, or his religious choice. I found the book to be an interesting and delight read. However, it is not a easy read.

[Eric Hudson · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much good information is wasted
with this
uneven book that's more gossipy than enlightening, but
still it's clear Elizabeth got her talents from her mother because Henry VIII was more of a royal stumbler than a king and an intellectual light weight compared to his daughter. Smith glosses over major events while rambling on about useless gray fluff.

[Savina King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really like Lacey Baldwin Smiths books as they are so well written and leave me with a more in depth understanding. Always something in his books that makes the character come to life without making a parody of them. Great comparison was made between Henry the eigthth towards the end of his life and Stalin.

[Lara Eakins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to figure out how to describe this book. On one hand, it was full of interesting information and analysis. On the other, it was arranged in a way that often made it hard to follow and wandered from one topic to another in the middle of long chapters.

[Charlene Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to see a biography of Henry VIII that is actually about the man himself.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant read. It's really Henry VIII unmasked. This book helps you understand the man and his motives.

[Susan Abernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Link to my review of this book:

http://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2016/0...