Author(s): Suzannah Lipscomb

History

One of the best-known figures of British history, collective memory of Henry VIII presents us with the image of a corpulent, covetous, and cunning king whose appetite for worldly goods met few parallels, whose wives met infamously premature ends, and whose religion was ever political in intent.Moving beyond this caricature, "1536" - focusing on a fulcrum year in the life of the King - reveals a fuller portrait of this complex monarch, detailing the finer shades of humanity that have so long been overlooked. We discover that in "1536" Henry met many failures - physical, personal, and political - and emerged from them a different man: a revolutionary new king who proceeded to transform a nation and reform a religion. A compelling story, the effects of which are still with us today, "1536" illustrates with chilling clarity what a profound difference can be made merely by changing the heart of a king.