HENRY VIII
Court life
HAMPTON COURT
HAMPTON COURT,
Richmond upon Thames
A royal palace
A mansion
A manor house
Crenelated castle
Keep vs dungeon
Main entrance / portal / gate
Alleyway
Chimneys
Openings
When he died in 1547 Henry
VIII had more than 60 houses,
Hampton Court Palace was the most
sumptuously decorated. The palace
was one of the most modern,
sophisticated and magnificent in
England.
There were tennis courts, bowling
alleys and pleasure gardens for
recreation, a hunting park, kitchens
covering 36,000 square feet, a fine
chapel, a vast communal dining room
(the Great Hall) and a multiple
garderobe (or lavatory).
All of Henry’s six wives came to the
palace and most had new and lavish
lodgings. The King rebuilt his own
rooms at least half a dozen times.
The palace also provided
accommodation for a large number of
courtiers, visitors and servants.
Henry used Hampton Court to
impress.
LIFE AT COURT
The court was a great place for Henry to show how rich and
important he was. This would make people from other countries
see him as very powerful. It would put off people from plotting to
take his throne.
All the activities at court were planned to show Henry's talents
and interests. So the court was a centre for art, music, dance,
poetry and tournaments.The court was the most fashionable place
in the land.
Henry had artists and musicians at court. Hans Holbein was the
court painter by 1536. He may have painted as many as 150
portraits of the king, his wives and family and courtiers. Holbein
also designed furniture, jewellery, buttons, buckles and the king's
state robes.
LIFE AT COURT
Courtiers were the richest and most important people in the
country.They had to be rich to come to court. They would need to
give the king presents that cost a lot of money.
They had to wear expensive clothes made from silk, velvet and
lace.They were often decorated with jewels, embroidery and fur.
Courtiers and royalty moved in a stiff way.
Courtiers wanted to be near the king because it was a chance to be
noticed and to make a good impression. In return, they might get
jobs and titles for their family and friends. When Catherine Parr
married Henry, her uncle, William was made a baron.The rewards
at court were great if you had friends in high places.
All Tudor kings and queens chose their servants from those who
were closest to them. This is why the court was the centre of
power.
LIFE AT COURT
Life at court was not safe. Henry had complete power over
his servants and ministers. If they upset him or did not obey
him, he would punish them. Sometimes people were put to
death. The court was often the centre of secrets and
squabbles between courtiers. Everyone wanted to be in
favour with the king.
Courtiers had their own rooms in Henry's palaces. They
brought their own servants with them who often had to make
do with sleeping in the corridors. When Henry stayed at
Hampton Court, up to a thousand people attended court.
Hampton Court had three large kitchens.
Translate the following sentences:
Pour montrer combien il était riche, le roi organisait des fêtes
somptueuses.
Le roi affirmait son autorité pour dissuader ses rivaux de
comploter contre lui.
A la cour, des tournois étaient organisés.
Les vêtements d’apparat du roi étaient dessinés par des artistes
étrangers.
Avoir des amis haut placés à la cour vous permettait de recevoir
des titres.
Pour bénéficier des faveurs du roi, les courtisans étaient prêts aux
pires querelles.
Jusqu’à 1 000 personnes fréquentaient le cour pendant le règne du
roi Henri VIII.
Be sitting on a throne
Be dressed / clad in ceremonial costume embroidered garments
A pilar decorated wooden panels
A tapestry
A symetrical composition: there are two arches on each side of the throne
A fool
The scene features / portrays Henry VIII with Jane Seymour (represented on the left) and his three
children: Edward, Mary and Elizabeth.
All the King’s Fools
By Suzannah Lipscomb | Published in History Today Volume: 61 Issue: 8 2011
At Hampton Court Palace there is a beautiful painting
dating from 1545 that shows Henry VIII with his long-
dead, favourite wife, Jane Seymour, his son Edward and
his daughters Mary and Elizabeth. There are two other
figures, strikingly framed by the two archways in the
wings. One is a man in red hose with cropped ginger
hair, who has a monkey poised to check his head for
lice. He can be identified as William Somer, the king’s
fool. The bald woman on the left, whose attention has
been gripped by something in the distance, is probably
‘Jane the Fool’, fool to Anne Boleyn, Princess Mary
and Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth and actual wife at
the time. Their inclusion in this royal dynastic portrait
suggests that fools had a distinct, privileged and vital
role to play at the Tudor court.
http://www.historytoday.com/suzannah-lipscomb/all-
king%E2%80%99s-fools
GRAMMAIRE: ordre et place des
adjectifs
Adjectifs épithètes: du plus subjectif au plus objectif (a
beautiful fur-lined stole; an impressive embroidered gown);
du plus temporaire au plus permanent (a young astute
monarch; a sporty English man). Ordre des adjectifs
descriptifs: TACOM (taille, âge, couleur, origine, matière).
LES ADJECTIFS SONT INVARIABLES ET SE PLACENT
DEVANT LES NOMS.
Sauf s’ils sont suivis d’un complément (The king’s throne,
covered with silk fabric, was designed by Holbein himself).
Adjectifs attributs: Henry VIII was versatile and
knowledgeable; he looked impressive.
Exercice
Insérez les adjectifs et adverbes dans les phrases données:
Jane Seymour is dressed in a state costume.
ADJ: embroidered , dark-brown
ADV: beautifully
This painting used to decorate the hall of Hampton Court.
ADJ: composed; large-scale; medieval; magnificent
ADV: masterfully
A portrait of the King, painted by his court painter, would decorate
the entrance hall.
ADJ: Flemish; idealized; dressed lavishly; favourite; vast;
monumental
ADV: incredibly