'Henry VIII: Court, Church and Conflict' focuses on the fluctuating, often fraught relationship between the king and his court, his Church and his people - and with the other powers of continental Europe. It shows how Henry manipulated key players such as Wolsey, Cromwell, Fisher and More, and how his royal image was shaped over decades of change. It also probes the intriguing nature of the man behind the monarch - his passions, his pleasures and complex religious beliefs.

Tudor historian David Loades explores the expectations that contemporaries had of the Renaissance prince who ascended to the throne and the England that the young king inherited. He considers Henry's rich and varied reign in detail, revealing his role in the court, in wars, law enforcement, rebellions and the problem of Ireland, illustrating the narrative with original National Archives documents and full color portraits. Finally Loades unravels the ambiguous but still tangible legacy that this most high profile of monarchs has left us....

For over 700 years, the title ‘Prince of Wales’ has been awarded to royal heirs waiting to accede to the throne of England. They did not always achieve it—even the highest in the land have been subject to disease, death and the fortunes of war, or of politics. Others have spent long years waiting for the crown itself, living for decades in the shadow of the throne. Yet all who inhabit this intriguing role have left their stamp upon it, and it has been shaped and relished by some of the greatest personalities of the age.

Princes of Wales explores the stories of history’s most interesting royal heirs, from the charismatic Black Prince and the dissolute Prince Hal to the ill-fated Arthur and the flamboyant Prince Regent—as well as the colorful characters of the 20th century. It shows how the role reflects and defines the spirit of its age, be it medieval chivalry or Tudor mythmaking, Regency excess or 1930s glamour. It charts the legendary battles of sovereigns and their sons (especially over money and marriage) and shows how different characters responded to an evolving role and a changing world. As the present Prince of Wales approaches 60, this is a compelling and sympathetic portrait of those who have enjoyed this uniquely privileged yet often frustrating position—the men who would be king.

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When Henry VIII came to the throne in 1509 the English Navy was rather ad hoc: there were no warships as such, rather just merchant ships, hired when needed by the king, and converted for military purposes, which involved mostly the transport of troops and the support of land armies. There were no permanent dockyards and no admiralty or other standing institutions to organise naval affairs. Throughout the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary, and the early part of the reign of Elizabeth, all this changed, so that by the 1580s England had permanent dockyards, and permanent naval administrative institutions, and was able to send warships capable of fighting at sea to attack the Spanish in the Caribbean and in Spain itself, and able to confront the Spanish Armada with a formidable fleet. This book provides a thorough account of the development of the English navy in this period, showing how the formidable force which beat the Spanish Armada was created. It covers technological, administrative and operational developments, in peace and war, and provides full accounts of the various battles and other naval actions. David Loades is Honorary Research Professor, University of Sheffield, Professor Emeritus, University of Wales, Bangor, and a member of the Centre for British and Irish Studies, University of Oxford. He has published over 20 books, including "The Tudor Navy" (1992)....