Who is George W. Bernard?
George W. Bernard is a British historian who specializes in the reign of Henry VIII, the English Reformation of the 1530s, and the years Anne Boleyn spent as queen. He is a professor at the University of Southampton.
Questions about George W. Bernard
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What did George W. Bernard argue about Anne Boleyn?
George W. Bernard argued that Anne Boleyn was guilty of adultery in 1536, basing the theory on a poem written by Lancelot de Carles. The argument put him at odds with historians David Starkey and Eric Ives.
Where did George W. Bernard study and work?
George W. Bernard was born in London and educated at Reading School before earning degrees at St Catherine's College, Oxford, where he completed his DPhil in 1978. He taught at Wolverhampton Polytechnic before joining the University of Southampton in 1981, where he still works alongside Mark Stoyle.
When did George W. Bernard edit the English Historical Review?
George W. Bernard served as editor of the English Historical Review from 2001 to 2011. He also spent fifteen years on the Council of the Royal Historical Society, including a term as Vice President from 2008 to 2011.
Which historians disagree with George W. Bernard's arguments about Henry VIII?
David Starkey and Eric Ives are the historians most often set against George W. Bernard's arguments. Bernard is best known for holding that Henry VIII ruled as a genuinely powerful king rather than one controlled by rival court factions.
What are George W. Bernard's most notable books?
George W. Bernard's books include Who Ruled Tudor England? Paradoxes of Power (2021), Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions (2010), and The King's Reformation: Henry VIII and the Remaking of the English Church (2005). His first book, published in 1985, examined the fourth and fifth Earls of Shrewsbury, the same subject as his doctoral thesis.