About 'The mystery of Henry VIII's will'
On 28th January 1547, the sickly and obese King Henry VIII died at Whitehall. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped and sealed. The will confirmed the line of succession as Edward, Mary and Elizabeth and, following them, the Grey and Suffolk families. It also listed bequests to the king’s most trusted councillors and servants.
Henry’s will is one of the most intriguing and contested documents in British history. Historians have disagreed over its intended meaning, its authenticity and validity, and the circumstances of its creation.
As well as examining the background to the drafting of the will and describing Henry’s last days, Dr Suzannah Lipscomb will offer her own, illuminating interpretation of one of the most significant constitutional documents of the Tudor period.
About Dr Suzannah Lipscomb
Dr Suzannah Lipscomb MA, MSt, DPhil (Oxon), FRHistS is Head of Faculty and Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at Northeastern University London.
Suzannah is a historian, author, broadcaster and award-winning academic. Her television work includes writing and presenting the two-part ‘Witch Hunt: A Century of Murder’ for Channel 5; the four-part Hidden Killers series including ‘Hidden Killers of the Tudor Home’ and ‘Hidden Killers of the Victorian Home’ for BBC4, and her two-part series ‘Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History’ for Channel 5.
She has a double first in BA History and a distinction in her MSt in Historical Research from Lincoln College, Oxford and a DPhil in History from Balliol College, Oxford, where she was a Jowett Senior Scholar. Her previous positions include Royal Historical Society Marshall Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, Research Curator at Hampton Court Palace and Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia. Suzannah’s books include 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII (2009) and A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England (2012).
Suzannah’s latest book, The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII, was published by Head of Zeus on 5th November 2015.