For decades we have understood the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which took place in the late 1530's during the reign of Henry VIII, in a short hand, summarised and sanitised version of events. Professor James Clark, in his book 'The Dissolution of the Monasteries. A New History' published by Yale University Press in 2021, looks at how the dissolution unfolded for the ordinary people and exposes the received history and its short hand explanations of the process as way too simple and, in many ways, inaccurate.
In this series "The Truth About the Dissolution of the Monasteries," over 5 episodes, Professor James Clark discusses in fascinating detail, how the dissolution unfolded.
In this episode, Episode 1 - Henry VIII's real intention for the Monasteries of England and Wales
"The starting point for the dissolution is NOT a total dissolution."
"The story to be told is not endlessly revisiting the drama between Henry, Cromwell and Anne Boleyn but actually trying to understand what it means for people in the Kingdom of England."
Watch this episode on Youtube - click here to go to Youtube.com/BritishHistory
Episodes in this series:
Episode 1 - Henry VIII's real intention for the Monasteries of England and Wales
Episode 2 - How the Pilgrimage of Grace may have led to the more monasteries being closed
Episode 3 - What was the Valor Ecclesiasticus?
Episode 4 - What really happened when a monastery was closed.
Episode 5 - "Even in 1539, they still don’t believe the end is coming."
There is a bonus hour with James in which he discusses what Anne Boleyn thought about the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the fundamental lack of consistency in Henry's ideas on religion, and what happened to the women ejected at the closure of the religious institutions, among many other fascinating topics. Join Patreon.com/BritishHistory to access it.
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About Philippa Philippa is a Historian and History Event Organiser Philippa Lacey Brewell lives in Central England and is well respected in her field as a historian and tour guide. She is the owner and founder of British History Tours, a tour company for those who love British History. Philippa entertains thousands each week with her videos and stories from across the UK and British History. This ability to engage an audience, as well as being an expert in traveling the historical sites of the UK, makes her your perfect guide.
Henry VIII's real intention for the Monasteries