In the King's Grace: A Novel of Henry VIII

Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty was a great king who expanded Parliament, founded the Royal Navy, and patronized the arts. In youth, he was considered the embodiment of virtues, but his reign is remembered as a time of dangerous intrigue and bloodshed. Henry broke ties with the Pope, plundered monasteries, beheaded two of his wives, and drove away two others. He died as a suspicious, corpulent tyrant, worn down by illnesses. Despite this, his memory is alive nearly five centuries later.