Enrico VIII e le sei mogli

Molto vero, le biografie superficiali sono il peggio. E quando si tratta di sceglierne una il numero di pagine è una delle prime cose che controllo XD comunque stupisce davvero il fatto che ci siano pochi libri su Henry (ho riscontrato lo stesso problema con Luigi XIV), alla fine si tratta di un personaggio storico parecchio importante e, aggiungerei, non privo di fascino da soggetto di manuale di psicologia . Va a finire che dobbiamo dare ragione a Starkey, quando dice che Henry è stato ingiustamente eclissato dalle moglie X"D

Henry VIII returns home to Hampton Court Palace

Discover Hans Holbein’s powerful image of the Tudor king

From Saturday 28 May, Henry VIII makes a re-appearance in the Tudor apartments at Hampton Court, as one of Holbein’s most recognisable portraits of the King goes on display at the palace.

This portrait of Henry, painted during the final years of his reign, is one of the most important in existence, and one of the few surviving painted during the King’s lifetime. It is based on a likeness produced in the workshop of Hans Holbein, Henry’s court artist and one of the greatest of all portrait painters. While several other versions of this portrait survive, this copy – in the collection of Castle Howard for over 300 years - is considered to be among the finest.

Holbein’s portrait of Henry represents sovereign power. He stares straight at us, intimidating and inspiring - an awesome reminder of the man himself. Holbein was renowned throughout Europe for his ability to capture likeness and to generate a real sense of physical presence, and his portraits of Henry VIII are more than potent statements of royal authority – they paint a picture of a formidable man and ruler.

The painting is now displayed in the Wolsey Closet at Hampton Court Palace, a rare surviving Tudor interior at Henry’s Thames-side home. The room is a restored portion of Henry’s private chambers - almost all of which were destroyed during the construction of William III’s new palace in the 17th century. The setting evokes the intimacy and opulence of a typical 16th-century ‘closet’, a private retreat where the King could relax or entertain his closest companions.

My favourite wife is Katherine Parr. To me this attractive, vivacious and affectionate woman is simply the most likeable of the six. She is also a perfect example of the cultured and intellectually aware women whose importance in the history of the sixteenth century is only now being fully appreciated. And it is impossible not to be charmed by her sense of style. The queen who had a red velvet toilet seat and decked out her spaniel, Rig, in ‘a collar of crimson velvet embroidered with damask gold’ gets my vote.
Linda Porter, Historical Consultant to BBC One's 'Six Wives with Lucy Worsley'

Anne of Cleves has traditionally been dismissed as ‘the ugly wife’, but I think she was the most successful. A shrewd and pragmatic woman, she had learned from the example of her predecessors and was not about to sacrifice her future in the interests of principle. She gave Henry an annulment with minimum fuss and was rewarded with a handsome endowment, several fine properties and was welcomed back to court as ‘the king’s sister’. She, more than any other wife, knew how to handle Henry.
Tracy Borman

As the first Englishwoman to publish under her own name, Catherine Parr is a hugely significant figure. She also played an important role in the spread of the Reformation. Catherine comes across as very human in the sources. She was Henry VIII's reluctant bride, while her fourth marriage to Thomas Seymour ended tragically.
Elizabeth Norton

Jane Seymour was Henry VIII’s favourite, but this icy, ruthless woman wouldn’t win the popular vote. Anne Boleyn would take those laurels today. But for contemporaries Katherine of Aragon was Queen of Hearts. She also gets my vote as the only wife Henry VIII expressed real fear of. Go girl.
Leanda de Lisle

Anne Boleyn was the wife who changed the course of English history - and, as essentially a self-made woman, the one with most resonance for our own day. Plus, we're all still dying to know just what she had that so fascinated Henry!
Sarah Gristwood, author of 'Game of Queens: the Women who made Sixteenth Century Europe'

My favourite is Katherine Parr, linguist, writer, patron, loving (and loved) stepmother to the royal children, and effective regent for Henry VIII when he was in France in 1544. A woman of sincere and thoughtful Protestant convictions who also had a taste for milk baths, rose water scent and high fashion.
Dominic Pearce, author of 'Henrietta Maria'

I’ve always had great admiration for Katherine of Aragon as a woman of high integrity and principle – I even named my daughter for her. She deserves to be celebrated as one of the most courageous and loved queens of England.
Alison Weir

Aaaah, questo mi aiuta a capire perchè quando scrive della Boleyn sputa veleno xD

Punti per la fantasia per Jane Seymour icy and ruthless.