"Henry VIII in particular is a character cloaked in the judgments of the ages," said Natasha Roule '11. Roule, a Medieval and Renaissance Studies major, wanted to bring attention to the earlier part of Henry's reign in a multidisciplinary fashion. Roule organized the Nov. 18th lecture by Dr. Jonathan Foyle and the performance by Collegium Musicum.
The event began with Roule's welcome to the crowd and her introduction to Collegium Musicum, of which she is a member. Collegium Musicum is the college's early music performance group.
Collegium Musicum performed four pieces written by a young Henry VIII. Roule explained that the group would be using instruments that the British king would have "seen, heard and likely played."
The seven instrumentalists accompanied six singers. Some instruments were more recognizable to the modern eye, resembling flutes and cellos; others were more foreign. One instrument looked like an open coffin.
One soon forgot about the look of the coffin when the six singers began to sing. Sweet and melancholic notes recalled the romantic court of Henry's early reign. That is, before nasty rhymes about beheaded wives became his legacy to the historical chronicle. "My heart, it is so sore," began one piece.
It seemed incredible to hear the words of this fascinating 16th century monarch echo in the walls of Founders 120, mediated by the extraordinary Collegium Musicum.
After the last of the pieces finished, the musicians broke down their instruments and moved them to the sides. The singers moved to make way for Dr. Jonathan Foyle, the guest lecturer.
Dr. Foyle is the CEO of World Monuments Fund Britain, and a popular figure in British television. He has contributed to the BBC shows "History Mysteries," and hosted "Climbing Great Buildings." He is an architectural historian with an interest in Tudor houses.
Dr. Foyle opened his lecture by explaining his topic: the environment that Henry VIII created for himself and that others influenced, before the pivotal 1527 divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII is often thought of in terms of his later marital conquests and disasters; in contrast, Dr. Foyle joked, "Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth's sexual inexperience."
Before the 1527 divorce, before Henry VIII became a wifeslayer, who was he? As Dr. Foyle is an architectural specialist, he focused on the buildings that Henry VIII built and lived in during the early period of his reign.
"As unfocused as he was radical," said Dr. Foyle, describing the young king. In some ways, Henry looked back to chivalric ideals to define his court. There are architectural instances of Arthurian imagery and quotes from Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur."
At the same time, Henry VIII began to be influenced by the Italian Renaissance that was taking continental Europe by storm. This is the exciting part of new historical research: for years, the lack of British participation in the Renaissance was confusing. Now, it appears that Henry VIII was interested in the Renaissance but his interest was interrupted by his first divorce.
Henry VIII was part of a relatively young dynasty. The Tudors had a tentative claim to the throne at best. Henry VII had won the Battle of Bosworth and wrenched the crown for himself; he also was the nephew of Henry VI. Neither claim was conclusive. Dr. Foyle explained that through building new palaces, the Tudors were cementing their royal position.
When Henry VIII became king, he strengthened his relationship with Pope Julius II in Rome. The English were terrified that the Scottish would unite with the French and move on England. To counteract this, Henry reached out to the Pope to put pressure on the French.
Wallace and Gromit would have approved of the Roman-British friendship. Pope Julius II sent Henry VIII 100 wheels of Parmesan cheese as a token of appreciation.
Dr. Foyle showed pictures of Renaissance influences in Hampton Court architecture, noting how the British were beginning to incorporate Italianate design in their own decorating.
He closed the lecture with a discussion of Cardinal Wolsey, a man whose rise and fall shaped the reign of Henry himself.
After the lecture, Dr. Foyle answered questions from the audience about the financing of Henry's ventures and the architectural influence of the Tudor queens.
From the music to the architecture and the 100 wheels of cheese, this event shed light on one of history's most fascinating characters. Who was he – an artist, a reformer, a lunatic? How should our age judge such a figure? Perhaps it is worthwhile to consider one of Dr. Foyle's factoids:
When Henry VIII died, he had 67 flutes.
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