Henrik VIII: Makt, äktenskap och arvet av en Tudorkung : En studie om historieskrivningen om Henrik VIII mellan 1887–1995

Sammanfattning: This degree project is a study investigating how the historiography of king Henry VIII of England has changed between 1887-1995. The aim of the study was to gain insight into how the historiography of Henry VIII and the most important aspects of his reign were viewed at different periods of the 19th and 20th centuries and how it has changed over that period. To achieve this aim, Karlsson’s and Zander’s theory about the uses of history was used along with a qualitative method of analysis. The results show that a change did occur in the historiography around Henry VIII at the beginning of the 20th century when the traditional Whig-school of writing history was surpassed by the modernist school of writing. Henry VIII went from being represented as a great ruler with his peoples’ best at heart to a flawed individual whose decisions were often motivated by selfish reasons. Overall, the historiography of Henry VIII has changed from glorifying the king’s personality to showing a more factual picture of the king and the advisors at his court.