Who was really in charge of Henry VIII’s court? | Tudor History | Schools and Teachers

Right Tracy, time to make the best ever seating plan for your dinner party tonight to show everyone what a great life you have here in the big city. And you're definitely not stressed about that big report you have on Henry VIII. Who to sit where? Charlie and Stevie can't sit together. They had an awkward snog last week. And Christina just talks about her half marathon for that thing she cares about so she can't sit next to anyone. Politics is hard. But wait, if it's hard for my friendship group it must have been even harder for Henry VIII who had a whole country to manage. Let's investigate. Welcome to Tudor News Night from Hampton Court Palace with me, Tracy Tooley. I wanted to call this episode Tudor Night to combine the concepts of Tudor and News Night and my producer said no one would get it. But I've said it now and there's no going back from that. Am I right Gary the cameraman? My name's Dave. I couldn't possibly comment. First rule of history reporting is to talk to people who were there at the time. Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife. Sup. Catherine, I can tell straight away you are 100% very cool. When you are married to a guy like Henry Hen Hen you gotta be tough. Cute nickname. Tough, yes. And not just in marriage. You ran the whole country as regent in 1513 while Henry was away at war. Yeah, my full title was regent, governor of the realm and captain general. Boom. And you won the Battle of Flodden, a major victory for England against an invading Scottish army. Yeah. The Scottish king James IV was killed and I sent a piece of his bloodstained cloak to Hen Hen. Badass. And you're a scholar, fluent in multiple languages. Okay. Major history crush alert. It sounds like you can do anything. Everything but one. I couldn't give Henry a son to be king after him. Why'd it have to be a son? I know, right? He said a queen will cause chaos. And plus his whole thing where he thought our marriage was cursed from God because I was originally married to his brother Arthur just before he died. Weird. Henry is weird. But also great. We had so many interesting conversations about politics and books until he started looking elsewhere. I am Berlin. Oh, way to bring her up. Sorry. No, it's okay. It's Henry's problem, really. He fell in love with her and did everything he could to get rid of me. He took me to court. He broke up our family. He banished me to this rubbish castle in Cambridgeshire. Ouch. And your stupid parties? I still love Henry above all else. Even after all he did to me. I guess my heart is tougher than I am. Deep. Thanks for talking to us. De nada, chica. Be still, my beating history crush. Ara going, ara going, ara gone. Time to throw questions at our next interviewee. Like throwing netballs into the hoop of truth. Carta nawazi. You were very powerful. Could you crush people at a click of the finger? I didn't crush anyone unless absolutely necessary. Creepy. What's your top tip for people going into politics? Have a great big palace. To intimidate your rivals and impress the king. Did you follow that rule? Follow it. You're standing in it. Hampton Court Palace used to be mine. All mine. No way! You were a big cheese. I was the cheddar, the brie, and the baby bell, baby. Look at my elephant tapestry. Creepy again, but fine. How'd you get a place like this? Ah, the glory days. When Henry came to the throne, he was a young man. Only just turning 18, he needed an experienced advisor. So you took all the power. Look at this poem from Henry's tutor, John Skelton, in 1522. The king's court should have the excellence, but Hampton Court hath the preeminence. Sick rhyme, but sadly my power didn't last. Yes, Henry wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, didn't he? The madman. Yes, and I had to make it happen. I tried everything with the Pope to get his permission, but I failed and Henry banished me to York. I'm starting to see a pattern of Henry banishing people here. At least I still have my sweet Fernandes. You smell so sweet and you make the air smell so sweet, don't you? Yes, you do. Yes, you do. Yum, yum. So I've talked with two high-flying political animals who both met their downfall after Henry's first divorce. But who feathered the nest after them? Mainly Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith who rose up the ranks. Welcome to the Great Hall. Careful what you say in here. Some people believe those strange eavesdroppers were carved into the ceiling to spy on you. Well, aren't you a paranoid android? Thomas Cromwell, you had a lot of power after Cardinal Wolsey got into trouble over Henry's first divorce. But where did it go wrong for you? Well, Henry was looking for a wife. Another one? Another, another, another wife. This is to be wife number four. Cripes. So I suggested Anne of Cleves, a fine match from a good German family. I arranged everything and then the king didn't like her. Ouch. Indeed. Henry didn't like her, which means Henry didn't like me. I was locked up for treason in 1540 and then beheaded. Jeez Louise, does anyone survive Henry's court? Well, I don't know. I mean, I died before him, obviously. On reflection, that was insensitive. So's Clums. What a wild Tudes night. Doing politics under Henry VIII was as backstabbing and gossipy as it is today, with the added twist that he could have your head chopped off. But on the other hand, Henry could be very trusting and he gave a lot of power to his advisors and his wives. So what do you make of all this? Was Henry a good ruler? Would you have wanted the job of advising the king with lots of power but serious risks if you displeased him? I'm Tracey Tooley, Towering Titan of Tudor times. Toodaloo. Hey Trace, do you want to hang out or whatever? Oh my goodness, yes please. I've got this dinner party tonight if you fancy coming to that. Sounds rad. I wanted to say, this whole thing about having a son with Henry, it's actually not your fault. There are these things called Y-chromosomes. And...