Henry VIII and the Saints: Travel and Transactionalism

“I have to be seen to be believed.” So, apparently, said the late queen Elizabeth II. Did Henry VIII think likewise? And did his visibility reflect his beliefs? Royal progresses were traditionally opportunities to be seen, and to be seen to be devout. The accounts of Henry VII, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth of York, Margaret Tudor, and Edward Stafford record many shrine offerings and pilgrimages. Henry VIII began in like manner, but generally used his progresses for recreation rather than demonstrations of public piety. His progresses were mainly circuits of the southern counties. Only twice did Henry venture far north (1511 and 1541), and public royal entries were exceptional, restricted mainly to 1510 and 1511. Pilgrimage sites and religious houses feature only intermittently and, unlike his grandmother, mother, father, elder sister, and peers, Henry did not align his progresses to the liturgical calendar. In order to shed light on his attitude towards the cult of saints, Henry VIII’s practice is compared with the devotional patterns of his ancestors, from Henry III, and his immediate forerunners. Travelling, visiting shrines, and being seen were closely interlinked.