EDIT: I am from England, forgot to mention that, but it is key. There's a series on television at the moment called "wolf Hall" about the court of king Henry VIII. Apparently it's amazing, as is the book its based on. I will probably not be watching it, as it's about the billionth portrayal of that era to grace our screens that I'm aware of. One of the reasons that this period is so popular is because its such common knowledge. EVERYONE gets taught Henry VIII in school at a young age, its usually the first thing that you cover (that or Hastings, according to a survey of people that I've asked). Therefore, very safe to make a TV drama about without alienating a lot of people. I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason we place so much emphasis on Henry VIII in history lessons is not actually because he was the most important king who ever lived, but actually because that period of history is comparably straightforward and therefore easy to teach. Its more or less just Henry Vs. the Catholic church, there's not a whole lot of international politics, Henry's motivations are pretty easy to understand and relatable to a modern audience, as are Thomas More's. Plus there's just a touch of blood and guts to keep the kids interested and most of the sites involved have actually been preserved and can be used for field trips etc. I get the feeling that the preponderance of Tudors in the timetables of English schools is more due to laziness by teachers than significance by Henry. I'd be interested in hearing the views of history buffs on this. NOTE: I'm not saying he wasn't an incredibly important king, but bear in mind that he takes precedence over (to name but a few things) the civil war, the wars of the roses, the signing of the Magna Carta and the industrial revolution in most syllabuses, as well as both world wars.
All family historians love Henry 8th. He was the one that ordered ALL his parish priests to record in a Parish Register all the BDMs conducted by them. English research would be hopeless without them.
I have always considered him to be a self-obsessed monster. Various TV and movie versions have done nothing to change my view. I am very bored with the Tudors, and I don't intend watching this new series. As far as I can see they were vicious power hungry oppressors.
