The course

Delve into the fascinating life and deadly preoccupations of one of history's most infamous figures – Henry VIII.


Henry VIII is a king we all think we know. But his psychology has been described as the 'ultimate unresolvable paradox of Tudor history'.

Join Professor Suzannah Lipscomb for an in-depth online course that attempts to unravel the riddle. 

In this four-month course, through video lectures, online reading, and engaging live discussions, we'll examine the events and influences that transformed Henry VIII.

We'll explore the experiences, ideas and people who helped to change Henry from an acclaimed young king into a paranoid and cruel monarch, presiding over an irrevocably changed religious and political landscape.

Above all, we will try to answer: did Henry VIII become a tyrant?

Don't miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the man behind the myths with one of Britain's leading Tudor historians.


What's included:

16-week course + bonus material

  • 8 core modules + 1 bonus module

  • 47 video lectures

  • 8 live 1-hour Q&A sessions with Suzannah

  • online community

  • primary sources introduced throughout

  • closed captions on all videos

  • further reading lists

Reviews

5 star rating

Fantastic

Laura G

Really wonderful course, very glad I signed up. So much information and work has gone into this. Thank you so much Suzannah! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really wonderful course, very glad I signed up. So much information and work has gone into this. Thank you so much Suzannah! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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5 star rating

Amazing course, so accessible! I’ve loved every minute!

Rebecca (Becki) Dignam

I have loved everything about this course. As someone with health issues I would never have access were it not for this amazing format. I also have auditory issues, so cannot thank you enough for ensuring all the videos were captioned! I have lear...

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I have loved everything about this course. As someone with health issues I would never have access were it not for this amazing format. I also have auditory issues, so cannot thank you enough for ensuring all the videos were captioned! I have learnt so much and found a wonderful community.

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5 star rating

An enjoyable and informative course. Thank you!

Rachel Carter

I’m so glad I joined this course. I’ve been fascinated by the Tudors since I first discovered them in year 6 (and then went on a school trip to Hampton Court Palace) Thank you Suzannah for delivering this rich and engaging course on Henry VIII! I...

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I’m so glad I joined this course. I’ve been fascinated by the Tudors since I first discovered them in year 6 (and then went on a school trip to Hampton Court Palace) Thank you Suzannah for delivering this rich and engaging course on Henry VIII! I’ve enjoyed every moment and I’ve learnt a lot that I didn’t know before. You conveyed the information in a way that I found easy to engage with and digest. I very much hope there are more courses in the future!

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5 star rating

Excellent Course

Jerry Busone

This course exceeded my expectations. It was easy to follow and taping the live sessions helped tremendously to stay and or get back on track. Thank you for your work Suzannah; your knowledge and how you present history makes the past come to life...

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This course exceeded my expectations. It was easy to follow and taping the live sessions helped tremendously to stay and or get back on track. Thank you for your work Suzannah; your knowledge and how you present history makes the past come to life. Thank you.

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5 star rating

Perfect Way to Spend 4 Months

Allison Donlevy

A totally absorbing, interesting and yet fun way to delve into the murky world of Henry VIII. Covering the politics, religion and intrigue of one of England's most famous monarchs. Highly recommended.

A totally absorbing, interesting and yet fun way to delve into the murky world of Henry VIII. Covering the politics, religion and intrigue of one of England's most famous monarchs. Highly recommended.

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5 star rating

Wonderful course

Petra Ivenz

Thank you once again for the wonderful course you put together for us. I've been crazy about the Tudors for many years, and despite thinking I knew a lot, each module taught me something new. The course was carefully planned and prepared, reflecti...

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Thank you once again for the wonderful course you put together for us. I've been crazy about the Tudors for many years, and despite thinking I knew a lot, each module taught me something new. The course was carefully planned and prepared, reflecting your obvious passion for the subject. This dedication shone through in every aspect of the material. Your passion and dedication are very inspiring. I particularly enjoyed working with the primary sources and found your informative videos a highlight. Starting this September, I'll be teaching a course on English History, and I cannot wait to incorporate as much of the knowledge I gained here as possible. Thank you again, and I look forward to attending your next course.

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5 star rating

An Informative and Thought-Provoking Course

Lucy Menadue

This wonderful course is filled with information, thought-provoking questions and primary source documents. It invites participants to digest the information presented in bite-size chunks to best be able to process and reflect. Professor Lipscomb ...

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This wonderful course is filled with information, thought-provoking questions and primary source documents. It invites participants to digest the information presented in bite-size chunks to best be able to process and reflect. Professor Lipscomb has created a truly brilliant learning experience. Highly recommend.

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5 star rating

Brilliant

Heather Rima

If you love the Tudors and want a place to learn more and talk to others that share your love this is the place for you! You get to be taught by a world renowned Tudor historian. You are shown primary source material (including Henry’s love letter...

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If you love the Tudors and want a place to learn more and talk to others that share your love this is the place for you! You get to be taught by a world renowned Tudor historian. You are shown primary source material (including Henry’s love letters to Anne Boleyn!). And you get to participate in group zoom chats with the professor herself. Highly recommend!

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5 star rating

Fantastic

Laura G

Really wonderful course, very glad I signed up. So much information and work has gone into this. Thank you so much Suzannah! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really wonderful course, very glad I signed up. So much information and work has gone into this. Thank you so much Suzannah! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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5 star rating

Once In A Lifetime

Jamie Blackford

I have been intrigued by the Tudor court for over 15 years. Suzannah Lipscomb has been one of my go-historians. This class has taught me more than I ever thought possible. The people of the court came alive, and many concepts could translate to t...

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I have been intrigued by the Tudor court for over 15 years. Suzannah Lipscomb has been one of my go-historians. This class has taught me more than I ever thought possible. The people of the court came alive, and many concepts could translate to today's world. The live lectures were amazing and covered a variety of topics to answer any Tudor interests. I would recommend this course to any history lover.

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Your tutor

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb

Suzannah Lipscomb FSA, FRHistS is an award-winning historian, author and broadcaster.

She is Professor Emerita at the University of Roehampton and Senior Member at St Cross College, Oxford. She received a Double First, MSt and DPhil in History from Lincoln and Balliol Colleges, Oxford.

Suzannah is a leading Tudor historian. She has written and edited seven books, including 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII, A Visitor's Companion to Tudor England, and The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII. She is currently writing a new history of Henry VIII's queens.

Suzannah is also an established television presenter. She has written and presented history series on the BBC, ITV, More 4 and Channel Five, including A History of Royal Scandals, Walking Tudor England, Hidden Killers of the Tudor Home  and Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History.  

Suzannah has been a research curator at Hampton Court Palace, royal historian for NBC, columnist for History Today, and is a Trustee of the Mary Rose.

She also hosts the successful Not Just the Tudors podcast from History Hit.

 

Course curriculum

    1. 1.0 Introduction to the course

    2. 1.1 Welcome to Henry VIII: The Making of a Tyrant?

    3. 1.1a What do you know about the main players in Henry VIII's court?

    4. 1.2 Henry VIII, Katherine and Wolsey: politics and the search for glory

    5. 1.2a Katherine's influence on Henry

    6. 1.2b Katherine's letter of 16 September 1513

    7. 1.3 War, Wolsey and the Field of Cloth of Gold

    8. 1.3a Wolsey's rise

    9. 1.3b George Cavendish on Wolsey

    10. 1.4 Wolsey's pomp

    11. 1.5 The politics of persuasion

    12. 1.5a Foxe or lion?

    13. 1.6 Module 1 Q & A (recorded session)

    14. Module 1: Optional further reading

    15. Feedback for Module 1

    1. 2.0 Divorce and supremacy

    2. 2.1 Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn

    3. 2.2 The love letters

    4. 2.2a Henry VIII's letters to Anne Boleyn

    5. 2.2b Transcriptions of Henry VIII's letters to Anne Boleyn

    6. 2.2c If you want to hear more about the love letters...

    7. 2.2d Anne's voice

    8. 2:3 Seeking an annulment

    9. 2.3a Katherine at Blackfriars, 1529

    10. 2.3b George Cavendish, Katherine's speech

    11. 2.4 Wolsey's fall

    12. 2.5 Supremacy and the break with Rome

    13. 2.6 Bonus Videos: Channel 5's Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History (externally hosted)

    14. 2.7 Divorce and supremacy quiz: test what you've learnt!

    15. 2.8 Module 2 Q & A (live Zoom session)

    16. Module 2: Optional further reading

    17. Feedback for Module 2

    1. 3.0 Faction and counsel

    2. 3.1 The fall

    3. 3.2 The evidence

    4. 3.2a The dossier

    5. 3.2b Innocent or guilty?

    6. 3.3 The historiography

    7. 3.3a Investigation

    8. 3.4 Henry's reaction

    9. 3.4a Reflection

    10. 3.5 Bonus Video – BBC 2's The Last Days of Anne Boleyn (externally hosted, not subtitled)

    11. 3.6 Module 3 Q & A

    12. Module 3: Optional further reading

    13. Feedback for Module 3

    1. 4.0 The Henrician Reformation

    2. 4.1 The six martyrs

    3. 4.1a Reformation theology – what do you know?

    4. 4.2 England and Europe

    5. 4.2a The Ten Articles – question

    6. 4.2b The Ten Articles – text

    7. 4.3 Reform

    8. 4.3a The Six Articles

    9. 4.4 Reaction

    10. 4.5 Henry's faith

    11. 4.5a Stoning the Pope

    12. 4.6 Module 4 Q & A

    13. Module 4: Optional further reading

    14. Feedback for Module 4

    1. 5.0 Scars on the landscape

    2. 5.1 The scale of English monasteries before the dissolution

    3. 5.1a The monasteries

    4. 5.1b The purpose of the dissolution – reading primary source evidence

    5. 5.1c Articles of inquiry for the dissolution

    6. 5.2 The Valor Ecclesiasticus and the Pilgrimage of Grace

    7. 5.2a The Pontefract Articles – what do they tell us the rebellion was about?

    8. 5.3 The myth of the just king

    9. 5.4 The eradication of monasticism

    10. 5.5 Module 5 Q & A

    11. Module 5: Optional further reading

    12. Feedback for Module 5

    1. 6.0 Magnificence

    2. 6.1 Dress and pageants

    3. 6.1 Chroniclers on pageants

    4. 6.2 Portraiture I

    5. 6.3 Portraiture II

    6. 6.3a Representations

    7. 6.4 Other images of Henry

    8. 6.4a Propaganda

    9. 6.5 Architecture

    10. Bonus Video – Nonsuch Palace – (c) University of Roehampton, prepared for our FutureLearn course on The Tudors 2019

    11. 6.6 Module 6 Q&A (recorded session)

    12. Module 6: Optional further reading

    13. Feedback for Module 6

About this course

  • £199.00
  • 129 lessons
  • 17.5 hours of video content

Pricing options

What people thought

of Suzannah's last course...

FAQ

  • How is this course delivered?

    The online course is fully available for you to start in your own time, with access to recordings of the 2024 live Zoom sessions. The course will run as a live course, with fresh live Zoom sessions with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, from 1 April 2025. Then every two weeks, a new bundle of video lectures will be released, together with online exercises. And every two weeks, for sixteen weeks, there will be a live Zoom session with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, where you have the chance to pose questions to her. Every video will be captioned and available to watch in your own time (for as long as you want). The Zoom session will be recorded for later viewing.

  • When does the course begin?

    You can begin now and follow the course on your own. Or you can wait to join the live course, which will run from 1 April 2025.

  • Can I pay in instalments?

    Yes, you can divide the regular price of the course into four monthly payments. In some countries, you also can choose Buy Now Pay Later payment methods through Klarna, Clearpay or Afterpay.

  • What will I learn?

    You'll learn about the preoccupations, ambitions and character of Henry VIII. We'll look at the young Henry, divorce crisis, Reformation, fall of Anne Boleyn, dissolution, court, wars, magnificence, literature about and opposition to the king, and meet some of the most colourful characters of the age.

  • How much material will I get?

    A lot! In total, there are 47 video lectures, 8 live Zoom sessions with Suzannah Lipscomb, a huge number of primary sources, an opportunity to be part of an online community of learners, and lists of further reading.

  • Are there any reduced price places?

    Yes. Those who put their names on the waitlist received a discount code. It is possible to divide the regular price of the course into four monthly payments. And there is a limited number of discounted concessionary price places available for those who are carers or unwaged, who truly need it: click on 'Contact Us' at the foot of the page if this applies to you.

  • Why is this course more expensive than your Restoring Women to History course for HistFest?

    This course is four times as long and has more than eleven times as many videos as the course for HistFest. Every two weeks you'll get a bundle of video lectures + online exercises + community + live Zoom session where you get to discuss the topic with Suzannah. It's an in-depth, fully immersive course for those who want to dig deep.

  • Who is this for?

    This course is for everyone – from those who love the Tudor period to those who know nothing about Henry VIII but want to find out more. Whether you're a student, retired, mother of babes in arms, PhD candidate, or just plain ol' history fan, you're welcome here.

Dig deep into the Tudors

With one of the world's leading Tudor historians

Enrol now