The Era Of Parity In King Henry Viii

Henry VIII used princely magnificence as a way to impress and gain parity over his rivals and that can be seen through the plentiful sums of money he spent in order to build and redesign structures such as the Hampton Court and Nonsuch Palace as well as spending vast amounts of entertainment, clothes, jewellery and art. In this essay, I will be looking at the materialistic obsessions of Henry VIII, his court during his reign and how he used princely magnificent to gain parity over his rivals.
The Tudor era became an era of extravagance due to the fact that Henry VIII sought to impress his rivals and show that he is of a higher calibre compared to his rivals, particularly French King, Francis I, who was Henry VIII’s arch rival. Francis hiring Leonardo Da Vinci as his architect impressed Henry VIII and thus, in order to upstage the French King, Henry started building an architectural collection of his own and the construction of Nonsuch Palace was …show more content…
His wife’s clothing was a reflection of her status as well, and in the case of Anne Boelyn, it is stated that she was stripped of her short mantel furred with ermines when she was arrested. Katherine Howard was stripped of her amenities as well which included several silks and velvets adorned with jewels. Thus showing how many material possessions played a part in showing the status of The King and his wives. A great example of this is Henry VIII’s generosity towards Anne Of Cleaves after the annulment from his marriage and he bestowed upon her various jewels and pearls. The French ambassador, Marillac, who wrote to King Francis I, explains that Anne of Cleaves was being showered with priceless jewels and attire. Hence, we see the King Henry VIII again using materialistic objects as a way to gain parity over his rivals, whilst commanding the attention on him and his