David Starkey lecture on Henry VIII at Colston Hall - Review
Posted on: 2017-04-28
Our rating:
Incisive, straight talking and seemingly unperturbed by the media generated moniker of ‘Britain’s rudest man’, David Starkey proved to be a real delight to behold; charming, witty and engaging as he gave a shrewd and insightful commentary
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. This is the stock phrase that we learnt as children and that sums up what the majority of us known about the much married English monarch Henry VIII. There was however a great deal more to the portly, lady-killing sovereign, as distinguished constitutional historian and political commentator David Starkey explained at Colston Hall’s Lantern on 26th April, when he delivered a masterful and awe-inspiring lecture on the reign of this colossus of a king; a big man in more than just girth.
Dr Starkey is a learned scholar, who has authored a collection of books and fronted a series of acclaimed television documentaries on the life and times of the Tudors, and who has done much to bring this lively and brutal period in English history to gloriously colourful life for the masses.
Known to be a controversial character who divides opinion with his provocative statements and no-nonsense take on modern day issues, I was looking forward to hearing his unique take and as a history graduate with a particular interest in this period of England’s past I hoped to come away having learnt something new. I was not disappointed. Starkey is an experienced orator and educator - having been a history lecturer for 30 years- who clearly has a passion for his subject and revels in sharing his immense knowledge with the audience. He manages to seamlessly link affairs from 500 years ago with events unfolding today and provided a vibrant new perspective on the societal change and global unrest we are living through at the moment. Times may have changed, but the people and issues are still very much the same.
Henry VIII was a behemoth of a man; a strong, powerful monarch whose impetuous nature, capacity to fall in and out of love and overwhelming sense of entitlement shook the very core of English values and social order. This was a king who was proud of his country, confident in his ability to rule and who made a string of decisions to further his own interests which still have a resounding impact on the country today. His turbulent and unconventional person life changed the face of the Christian religion; moving England away from Catholicism and the control of Rome under the Reformation in a manner akin to the way Brexit has pulled us away from European governance. He remained a robust and fervent leader as he pitted religion against politics in a fashion recently played out with ISIS in the present day.
Incisive, straight talking and seemingly unperturbed by the media generated moniker of ‘Britain’s rudest man’, David Starkey proved to be a real delight to behold; charming, witty and engaging as he gave a shrewd and insightful commentary of the key events in Henry’s rule throughout the lecture and subsequent audience Q and A session. Drawing on his unique knowledge of Henry VIII’s reign Starkey’s thought provoking and intelligent discourse comprehensively conveyed the feeling of the 16th Century while illuminating the topics that matter today.
The audience clearly enjoyed every minute of their 90 minutes listening to this authoritative narrator, totally engrossed in the themes and hanging on his every word; many making copious notes so they didn’t miss a thing.
All in all this was a splendid evening, soaking up the undeniable genius and enthusiasm of one of Britain’s best known historians and social analysts. This was the first stop on a short tour talking about Henry VIII and discussing the ideas set out in Starkey’s upcoming book, Henry: Model of a Tyrant. Thought-provoking and surprisingly relevant; for anyone with an interest in Tudor history these sessions shouldn’t be missed.
5/5
Article by:
Sarah-Jane is an aficionado of film, theatre, culture and the arts. A voracious reader and avid crafter, she can be found volunteering her face painting talents at Bristol Zoo when she's not cementing her reputation as Coalpit Heath’s cake maker extraordinaire. Known to have an opinion on everything she’s never happier than when sharing these with the good folk of Bristol!
