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Dedicated to Loyalty: Book Dedications to King Henry VIII

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Loyalty to the Monarchy in Late Medieval and Early Modern Britain, c.1400-1688

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Abstract

During the course of King Henry VIII of England’s nearly thirty-eight-year reign there were ample opportunities to present him with the gift of a book. Be it as a wedding gift, a New Year’s gift, or simply a gift for no occasion, Henry was given many books, several of which were dedicated to him. However, when one reads the dedications to Henry, it becomes apparent that dedicators not only directed dedications to him to seek patronage or in some cases to counsel him, but that several authors also wrote to him to express their loyalty. In a time when Henry was known for having a quick temper, executed two wives, and reformed the English church, many gave books to Henry to support his evangelical changes, yet some men also dedicated books to him to express their loyalty to the crown, so they did not suffer the same fate as those around him who did not remain loyal, namely Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Felicity Heal has recently explained gift-giving in early modern England. See her chapter ‘The Politics of Gift-Exchange Under the Tudors’, in The Power of Gifts: Gift-exchange in Early Modern England (Oxford, 2014), pp. 87–120.

  2. 2.

    V. Schutte, Mary I and the Art of Book Dedications: Royal Women, Power, and Persuasion (New York, 2015); V. Schutte, ‘Perceptions of Sister Queens: A Comparison of Printed Book Dedications to Mary and Elizabeth Tudor’, Sederi Yearbook 27 (2017), 149–66; V. Schutte, ‘Perceptions of Princesses: Pre-Accession Book Dedications to Mary and Elizabeth Tudor’, in Unexpected Heirs in Early Modern Europe: Potential Kings and Queens, ed. V. Schutte (New York, 2017), pp. 63–83; E. Dearnley, Translators and Their Prologues in Medieval England (Cambridge, 2016); C. Guardiola-Griffiths, Legitimizing the Queen: Propaganda and Ideology in the Reign of Isabel I of Castile (Lewisburg, 2011); N. Baranda Leturio, ‘Women’s Reading Habits: Book Dedications to Female Patrons in Early Modern Spain’, in Women’s Literacy in Early Modern Spain and the New World, ed. A. J. Cruz and R. Hernández (Surrey, 2011), pp. 19–39; J. Buchtel, ‘“To the Most High and Excellent Prince”: Dedicating Books to Henry, Prince of Wales’, in Prince Henry Revived: Image and Exemplarity in Early Modern England, ed. T. V. Wilks (London, 2008), pp. 104–33.

  3. 3.

    Schutte, ‘Perceptions of Sister Queens’, pp. 154–5.

  4. 4.

    BL, Royal MS 7DX (Elizabeth’s trilingual translation of Katherine Parr’s Prayers or Meditations). The dedication is dated 30 December 1545. The dedication is in Latin. This English translation comes from Elizabeth I, Translations 1544–1589, ed. J. Mueller and J. Scodel (Chicago, 2009), p. 136.

  5. 5.

    The workes of Geffray Chaucer newly printed, with dyuers workes whiche were neuer in print before (London, 1532), Short-Title Catalogue (afterwards STC) 5068.

  6. 6.

    T. Whittington, Libellus Epygrammaton (London, 1519), STC 25540.5.

  7. 7.

    John Gower de Confessione Amantis (London, 1532), STC 12143. A copy of this book was in Henry VIII’s library inventory, suggesting that he was aware of the text and may have read it: J. P. Carley, The Libraries of King Henry VIII (London, 2000), p. 63.

  8. 8.

    Simon Fish, A supplicacyon for beggers (Antwerp(?), 1529), STC 10883.

  9. 9.

    Fish, A supplicacyon, f. 1v.

  10. 10.

    Sir Thomas Elyot, The boke named the gouernour (London, 1531), STC 7635.

  11. 11.

    Stephen Hawes, A ioyfull medytacyon to all Englonde of the coronacyon of our moost natural souerayne lorde kynge Henry the eight (London, 1509), STC 12953.

  12. 12.

    V. Schutte, ‘The Politics of Dedicated Printed Books and Manuscripts to King Henry VII’, Journal of the Early Book Society 19 (2016), pp. 154–6.

  13. 13.

    Schutte, Mary I, p. 8.

  14. 14.

    Hawes, A ioyful medytacyon, f. 4v.

  15. 15.

    John Palsgrave, Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse (London, 1524 and 1530), STC 19166.

  16. 16.

    Palsgrave, Lesclarcissement, A. ii.r.

  17. 17.

    Ibid., A. ii.r.

  18. 18.

    Ibid., A. ii.v.

  19. 19.

    Ibid., A. iii.r.

  20. 20.

    G. Stein, ‘John Palsgrave’, in ODNB, available at: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-21227?rskey=dE9JqB&result=1 (accessed 20 March 2016).

  21. 21.

    Ioannis Palsgraui Londoniensis, ecphrasis Anglica in comoediam Acolasti, The comedye of Acolastus translated into oure englysshe tongue (London, 1540), STC 11470.

  22. 22.

    David Starkey, ‘An Attendant Lord? Henry Parker, Lord Morley’, in ‘Triumphs of English’: Henry Parker, Lord Morley Translator to the Tudor Court, ed. J. P. Carley and M. Axton (London, 2000), pp. 2, 10.

  23. 23.

    For a record of all known manuscripts and printed books given by Parker, see J. P. Carley, ‘The Writings of Henry Parker, Lord Morley: A Bibliographic Survey’, in ‘Triumphs of English’, ed. Carley and Axton, pp. 27–68. See also, Carley, Libraries, pp. xlvi–li; Forty-Six Lives Translated from Boccaccio’s De Claris Mulieribus by Henry Parker, Lord Morley, ed. H. G. Wright (Oxford, 1943), pp. lii–lxiii. All dedications written by Parker appear in an appendix in this same volume, Forty-Six Lives, ed. Wright, pp. 160–90.

  24. 24.

    Text of the dedication taken from the reprint in Forty-Six Lives, ed. Wright, p. 161. For dating, see Carley, ‘The Writings of Henry Parker’, pp. 28–9, 31, 40–5. BL, Royal MS 17 DXI.

  25. 25.

    Text of the dedication taken from the reprint in Forty-Six Lives, ed. Wright, p. 165. For dating, see Carley, ‘The Writings of Henry Parker’, pp. 28–9, 32.

  26. 26.

    Forty-Six Lives, ed. Wright, p. 165.

  27. 27.

    Starkey, ‘An Attendant Lord?’, p. 18; Schutte, Mary I, pp. 82–90.

  28. 28.

    Text as reprinted in ‘Triumphs of English’, ed. Axton and Carley, p. 253; BL, Add. MS 12060, f. 2r.

  29. 29.

    Starkey, ‘An Attendant Lord?’, p. 19.

  30. 30.

    R. Rex, ‘Morley and the Papacy: Rome, Regime, and Religion’, in ‘Triumphs of English’, ed. Axton and Carley, p. 87.

  31. 31.

    Ibid., p. 101.

  32. 32.

    Carley, ‘The Writings of Henry Parker’, p. 27; Rex, ‘Morley and the Papacy’, p. 89. Morley’s daughter, Jane, was wife to George Boleyn, executed for being sexually involved with his sister Anne, Henry VIII’s second wife.

  33. 33.

    G. Eatough, ‘Thomas Paynell’, in ODNB, available at: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-21661?rskey=RWkQYW&result=1 (accessed 13 March 2016).

  34. 34.

    Ibid.

  35. 35.

    H. Moore, ‘Gathering Fruit: The “Profitable” Translations of Thomas Paynell’, in Tudor Translation, ed. F. Schurink (New York, 2011), pp. 40, 45.

  36. 36.

    Constanzo Felice, The conspiracie of Lvcivs Catiline translated into englishe by Thomas Paynell, worthy, profitable and pleasaunt to be red (London, 1541), STC 10751, A. ii.v.

  37. 37.

    Thomas More, The workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, sometime Lorde Chauncellour of England, written by him in the Englysh tonge (London, 1557), STC 18076, C. ii.v.

  38. 38.

    Thomas Elyot, The Dictionary of syr Thomas Eliot knyght (London, 1538), STC 7659.

  39. 39.

    Thomas Elyot, Bibliotheca Eliotae or Eliotes dictionarie the second tyme enriched, and more perfectly corrected, by Thomas Cooper, schole maister of Maudlens in Oxforde (London, 1552), STC 7662.

  40. 40.

    Thomas Gemini, Compendios a totius anatomie delineation (London, 1545), STC 11714; T. Gemini, Compendios a totius anatomie delineation (London, 1553), STC 11715.5; T. Gemini, Compendios a totius anatomie delineation (London, 1559), STC 11718.

  41. 41.

    P. M. Jones, ‘Thomas Gemini’, in ODNB, available at: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10513?rskey=Es9CS4&result=1 (accessed 13 March 2016).

  42. 42.

    Miles Coverdale, Biblia the Bible, that is, the holy Scripture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully and truly translated out of the Douche and Latyn in to Englishe (Cologne(?), 1535), STC 2063.

  43. 43.

    Ibid., + ii.v.

  44. 44.

    Ibid., + ii.v.

  45. 45.

    Ibid., + ii.r.

  46. 46.

    Ibid., + iii.v.

  47. 47.

    The Byble which is all the holy Scripture: in which are contained the Olde and Newe Testament truly and purely translated into Englysh by Thomas Matthew (Antwerp, 1537), STC 2066, f. 5v.

  48. 48.

    Ibid., f. 5v.

  49. 49.

    Sir Francis Bigod, A treatise concernynge impropriations of benefices (London, 1535), STC 4240.

  50. 50.

    Sextus Julius Frontinus, The strategemes, sleyghtes, and policies of warre, gathered togyther, by S. Iulius Frontinus, and translated into Englyshe, by Rycharde Morysine (London, 1539), STC 11402.

  51. 51.

    Richard Tracy, The profe and declaration of thys proposition: faith only iustifieth: gathered and set forth by Richarde Tracy (London, 1543(?)), STC 24164.

  52. 52.

    Erasmus, Common places of scripture ordrely and after a compendious forme of teachynge, set forth with no little labour, to the great profyte and helpe of all suche studentes in gods worde as haue not had long exercise in the same by the right excellent clerke Erasmus Sarcerius. Translated into Englysh by Rychard Tauerner (London, 1538), STC 21753, A. iv.v; Wolfgang Capito, An epitome of the Psalmes, or briefe meditacions vpon the same, with diuerse other moste Christian prayers, translated by Richard Tauerner (London, 1539), STC 2748, f. 2v.

  53. 53.

    The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament, translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faithful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner (London, 1539), STC 2067.

  54. 54.

    Taverner as cited in Erasmus, Common places, A. iii.v, A. iv.r, A. iv.v.

  55. 55.

    A. W. Taylor, ‘Richard Taverner’, in ODNB, available at: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-27006?rskey=n1Rw2A&result=1 (accessed 13 March 2016).

  56. 56.

    All biographical information comes from W. R. D. Jones, ‘William Turner’, in ODNB, available at: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-27874?rskey=IZ19rK&result=9 (accessed 13 March 2016).

  57. 57.

    William Turner, The hunyng & fyndyng out of the Romishe fox whiche more than seuen yeares hath bene hyd among the bisshoppes of Englong after that the Kynges hyghnes had commanded hym to be dryuen out of hys realme (Basel, 1543), STC 24353.

  58. 58.

    William Turner, The rescuynge of the romishe fox other wyse called the examination of the hunter deuised by steuen gardiner (Winchester, 1545), STC 24355.

  59. 59.

    Jones, ‘William Turner’.

  60. 60.

    Richard Smith, The assertion and defence of the sacramente of the aulter (London, 1546), STC 22815.

  61. 61.

    Richard Smith, A defence of the blessed masse (London, 1546), STC 22820.

  62. 62.

    J. A. Löwe, ‘Richard Smyth’, in ODNB, available at: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-25885?rskey=2vYKwo&result=3 (accessed 13 March 2016).

  63. 63.

    C. Haigh, The English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society under the Tudors (Oxford, 1993); E. Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England c. 1400–c. 1580 (New Haven and London, 1992).

  64. 64.

    C. S. Clegg, Press Censorship in Elizabethan England (Cambridge, 1997), pp. 26–7.

  65. 65.

    For the complete list of books in Henry’s libraries, see Carley, Libraries. See also J. P. Carley, The Books of King Henry VIII and his Wives (London, 2004): for a discussion of books given to Henry at New Year and mention of books dedicated to him, see pp. 53–79.

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  1. Independent Scholar, Beaver Falls, PA, USA

    Valerie Schutte

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  1. Department of History, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Matthew Ward

  2. Department of History, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Matthew Hefferan

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Schutte, V. (2020). Dedicated to Loyalty: Book Dedications to King Henry VIII. In: Ward, M., Hefferan, M. (eds) Loyalty to the Monarchy in Late Medieval and Early Modern Britain, c.1400-1688. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37767-0_6

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