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Primary sourceBook1904 edition

The Triumphant Reign of King Henry the VIII

Edward Hall · 1904 edition

A 1904 edition of Edward Hall's chronicle of Henry VIII, written by a contemporary of the king.

A chronicle written by a contemporary of Henry VIII, offering a primary account of his reign.

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The Triumphant Reign of King Henry the VIIIPDF · 372 pages
Edward Hall, The Triumphant Reign of King Henry the VIII, 1904 edition.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1904 edition of a chronicle of Henry VIII's reign originally written by Edward Hall, who lived during Henry's time and died in 1547, the same year as the king. The edition includes an introduction by Charles Whibley and is part of a series called The Lives of the Kings.

Why it matters

Because Hall was a contemporary chronicler, his account is a primary source, giving a view of Henry's reign from someone who lived through it. Chronicles like this shaped how later generations, including Froude and Hume, understood Henry's rule.

Look closer

  • Why might a chronicler writing during the king's own reign describe him differently than a modern historian would?
  • What does the title "triumphant reign" suggest about the chronicler's attitude toward Henry?
  • How might Hall's closeness to events affect what he includes or leaves out?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Henry VIII on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white photograph of a painting: a crowned king in ornate robes sits on a throne holding a scepter, with a line of men in dark robes and caps standing to the right, beneath a leaded window.Painting

Secondary source

Henry VIII Presiding at the Barber-Surgeons Act of Union

Hans Holbein (style of) · 1540 (depicted event); painting later

Stipple engraving of a group of five people in Tudor-style dress standing or seated behind a table draped with a curtain. On the left, a heavyset man in a fur-trimmed robe and jeweled cap holds a staff. Behind him, a man peers from the shadows. Three young people sit at the table: a boy in a dark cap and two young women in lace collars and hoods. Signed Hans Holbein Del. and F. Bartolozzi R.A. Sculpt.Painting

Secondary source

Henry VIII and His Three Children with Will Summers

F. Bartolozzi after Hans Holbein the Younger · c. 1800

Hand-coloured woodcut print of a bearded man in a black hat with white feather plume, wearing a fur-trimmed black and gold robe over a pink doublet, holding a gold-hilted dagger. A crowned coat of arms with a Latin motto and a Dutch-language inscription at top are visible against a green backdrop.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Henry VIII of England

1547

Scanned black-and-white page of an early printed book in dense black-letter type, headed 'SERENISSIMO INVICTISSIMOQUE ANGLIAE' with a small woodcut decorative initial at left. The text is a Latin dedication, and a handwritten marginal note appears at the bottom left.Document

Primary source

Dedication to Henry VIII in Compendiosa Anatomiae

Thomas Geminus · 1545

Engraved astrological birth chart in an oval frame. Central oval portrait of a man in a feathered cap and high collar, labeled HENRY VIII King of England, Born June 28.10 H.40 m.A.M. 1491. Zodiac signs and planetary symbols with numbers surround the portrait.Artifact

Primary source

Astrological Birth Chart for Henry VIII

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