This is thorough and engaging account of Henry VIII’s time as king. As the title implies, it also covers members of his court, and it does not dwell on Henry’s life before he came to the throne.

Like all Alison Weir’s books, this is meticulously researched, yet in no way is it a hard-to-digest scholarly work.

Passages here and there didn’t hold my attention, but then the author covers a lot of ground, so other readers like myself may not be hooked on every topic. On the most part, though, this heavy tome is well worthwhile reading. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book. While I’m not a big fan of everything Henry VIII did, it’s nice having this book accessible to read. Many people only know Henry VIII for his six wives - only two of which were actually beheaded. I did feel like the book could have done better structured into parts along with chapters, and I feel like Weir tries to balance out the character of a person who wasn’t necessarily so balanced. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this. ( )

I found this to be an absorbing look at Henry VIII's court, both in terms of its structure (human and material) and how it functioned (human and material, again). The author notes, with some justice, that Henry VIII's image has been subject to caricature (a la Charles Laughton), so a relatively balanced and thoughtful look is welcome. The book notes with relative degrees of passing certain events, like the Dissolution or the Pilgrimage of Grace, to focus on the functions of the court. It does very well in examining the poisonous nature of court intrigue from the period 1530 on. Recommended. ( )

Interesting but tough read - As said by others the confusion of names makes for some difficult reading. Great read though of the "good guys" versus the "bad guys" of this era ( )

There were some very interesting details about Henry's life and I have a new "visual" of him. However...there was a lot of "castle talk" (he bought this and that) and the noblemen's titles got confusing. If his name is John Smith, please, have pity on your readers and just refer to him as John Smith, even though he later becomes the Duke of This and/or the Earl of That. Or at least provide a list of important people with their various titles. ( )

This book has its weaknesses, the lack of a coherent thread to its account early on being one of them. But the level of detail and depth of research shown more than make up for that.

And the subject matter is, of course, endlessly fascinating – as Alison Weir herself writes in the very last paragraph: “[Henry’s] charisma still has the power to intrigue us.” ( )

This book is not only a biography of King Henry VIII, but it also takes a close look at the culture of the royal court in 16th century England.

I really liked this. Often, Weir's nonfiction books read like fiction and I would say this is one that did. I really enjoyed all the extra behind-the-scenes look at court life. This included detailed information on all the people at court, their positions, their pay, as well as the design of the palaces, food, fashion and probably more that is just not coming to mind as I write this review. I will say that it can be tricky to remember who's who sometimes; I've read enough of this time period that I'm mostly ok with it, but at the end of Henry's reign it got a bit trickier. What made it tricky for me is when someone's title is used rather than their name. I do mostly remember names, but sometimes remembering titles is a bit more difficult (especially, when those titles “move” from person to person sometimes!).

Overall, though, this is a really good biography of Henry that includes many behind-the-scenes details of court life and culture. ( )

This is, in a way, a dual biography, for to read a biography of Henry VIII is to read a biography of his court. Alison Weir masterfully guides us through Tudor history with an experienced hand. Though a bit slow in parts, the book brings us ever closer to knowing the real Henry. A fantastic read. ( )

There, in a charity shop, completely unblemished as in a proper bookshop, lay Weir’s encylopaedic description of one of the most magnificent courts of English royalty. And it was mine for only 95p.

I’ve not read any of Weir’s books before. She’s written about pretty much every Tudor monarch or individual connected with Tudor monarchy you can think of. I used to read books like this all the time but the 1001 list has my heart set on novels. Because this was immaculate and a tenth of the price it was supposed to be, I snapped it up though. It sat well with my reading of Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies.

There are plenty of reviews out there which complain that this book isn’t actually about Henry VIII at all. They complain that it’s hard to find the king, buried as he is under the detailed descriptions of the world he inhabited. Having read the book, I agree. This book should really be entitled The Court of Henry VIII.

But that didn’t bother me too much. I wasn’t after a blow by blow description of his life. I was after a description of the times, and although the book was mis-named, I tried not to let this distract me from what is after all a good history.

There’s not much narrative thread though, and readers should be forgiven for thinking that because the opening line starts with the death of Henry VII they’re going to get a chronicle of the next 40 years. They’re not. What they do get are just over 500 pages split into 63 chapters. This works out at just under 8 pages a chapter. While this seems quite short, the book is printed in something like 5pt font. And each of these chapters deals with a different facet of the court. I’ll admit, I found it slow going.

But it wasn’t slow going in the way a plate of broad beans is slow going. This was slow going in the way treacle pudding with custard is slow going. You want to take your time. You want to gaze on the awesome jewel-encrusted splendour before you, to soak yourself in the sumptuous riches of cloth of gold, velvet and syphilis.

Wait, no! He didn’t have syphilis! This is a common myth and one of many that Weir debunks in her attempt to get at the truth behind a man who was very much larger than life. In the end, he appears as one who ruled according to the beliefs of his day. Let’s not forget that these shifted like the sands of the Thames estuary and doomed many who attempted the passage.

Henry was a magnificent statesman, of that there is no doubt. He may well have even been the preeminent one of his day. But he was a product of his time and Weir shows this very well. It is a flattering portrayal.

However, like the wardrobes of the day, Weir’s writing is weighed down by almost ludicrous attention to detail. There are more characters in here than a Russian epic and it’s hard to keep track sometimes of who is central to the events described. There are long lists of things, clothes, purchases, buildings, gifts, animals, etc., etc. It’s all a bit too much sometimes.

If you are a fan of the Tudors and not too much of a fan of Henry, you’re going to love this. If you are after a more traditional biography of Henry himself, be warned that this might be a frustrating read. ( )

This is a must for English history buffs. It's full of fascinating facts about court life. ( )

An exhaustive examination of Henry VIII and court life during his reign. ( )

I remember when I was younger and still in school, before the days of Google and Wikipedia, I found it so frustrating that great, yet interesting, historical biographies seemed difficult to find. It’s too bad this book didn’t exist back then!

Prior to reading this book, I had heard that Alison Weir managed to make a historical biography seem almost as easily read as a historical fiction novel, and she certainly does. Once you get past the initial chapters where the details of money and administration are mostly passed, the story is so lovely that you really do forget you’re reading a biography rather than a fictional tale.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1405 ( )

As a sequel*, of sorts, to her well-received Six Wives, Weir exhaustively details the 15th c. Tudor Court. Weir's encyclopedic knowledge of her subject is evident as she weaves an entrancing picture of life for & with Henry VIII. The exhaustive descriptions of the clothing, dining experience, etc, are exquisitely laid bare as if the she was retelling a visit to the Tudor King & his court on holiday.

A reader can get bogged down in the extravagance of details upon details but I was most disappointed with the oddly transitioned cutaways that *refer the reader to Six Wives of Henry VIII &/or Children of Henry VIII. Undoubtedly this was done in the interest of economy (& I concede that I cannot offer a better solution). ( )

I found this quite readable, but there was a bit too much about exactly what people wore, and about tournaments. The index is terrible, too many page numbers and no detail. I agree the current TV series is far from what we know to be the truth. ( )

http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/2009/08/henry-viii-king-and-his-court-by-aliso... ( )

I absolutely love Alison Weir. She is always thorough in her research and this book is no different. In this book she focuses solely on King Henry VIII and his court. She gives the reader a strong image of what his court looked like and acted like during his long reign as king. It is an interesting book with a great deal of detail, which is both good and bad since it did get a little dry from time to time. However, I still recommend this to anyone who is interested in the topic. ( )

A great book to balance the current television series. The book gives a realistic portrait of court life in tudor England. Sometimes the reader is overwhelmed by the minutiae and yearns for some more typical historical -political narrative to give the court life some perspective and relevance. Still a fascinating book ( )

A great look into the day to day life of Henry VIII, though a bit dry and not as easily read like other works by Weir. ( )

A brilliantly detailed account of Henry's court. I love to read about all the facts and I like these to be historically correct, unlike the recent TV series which is full of discrepancies. Alison Weir really does a lot of research into her subject, so if you like history and you like it to be accurate you will like this book. ( )

One would think with all the books Weir has done on the Tudors, especially Henry's children and wives, there would be nothing left to say. Not so, as she proves here. Most Americans think of Henry VIII as the fat bearded man from the portrait we are all familiar with. But, that is a much older Henry after debauchery, bad eating habits and a nasty leg wound have ruined his health. As a young man, Henry was quite the stud; one who never expected to inherit the throne until his older brother died so young. Weir offers a more complete view of Henry as a man and as a monarch. Excellent. ( )