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King David As a Model for Kingship in the English Renaissance

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King David As a Model for Kingship in the English Renaissance King David as a Model for Kingship in the English Renaissance Word count: 26,434 Ellen Vanderstichelen Student number: 01100862 Supervisor(s): Prof. Dr. Guido Latré A dissertation submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Linguistics and Literature Academic year: 2017 – 2018 2 Preface From literature to Tudor history, the English Renaissance has always sparked an interest in me. It therefore did not take long to decide what the topic for my Master dissertation would be. Because the Bible offers a combination of literature and history, providing the reader with tales offering an insight in Western history, I was keen on having a closer look at how it could have influenced the English monarchy from the Renaissance onwards, hoping to gain more insight in Tudor history and the influence of literature on society. By examining how the Old Testament tale of King David influenced the reign of Henry VIII, I hope that with this dissertation I have succeeded in combining my love for literature and history. I have to admit that this fascination with English Renaissance history and literature was also fuelled by Prof. Dr. Latré, whom I would not only like to thank for guiding me through this writing process, but also for the passion with which he taught, making Monday afternoon lectures suddenly less daunting. I hope you enjoy reading this dissertation as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ellen Vanderstichelen Ghent, 22 May 2018 3 Table of Contents Preface ......................................................................................................................................................2 Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................................3 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................5 1. The English Reformation .................................................................................................................8 1.1. Henry VIII and the Way towards the Breach with Rome ........................................................ 9 1.2. Populism ................................................................................................................................ 12 2. Acts of Representation .................................................................................................................. 14 2.1. Henry VIII and His Search for Power ................................................................................... 15 3. The Question of David .................................................................................................................. 18 3.1. Similarities Between Two Monarchs .................................................................................... 20 3.2. King David Supporting the Protestant Cause ........................................................................ 22 3.3. King David’s flaws: A Threat to the Tudor Throne? ............................................................ 23 3.4. King David’s Flaws: A Tudor King’s Advantage ................................................................. 27 4. The Book of Psalms ...................................................................................................................... 30 5. The Tudor Monarch’s Desire for Absolute Control ...................................................................... 33 5.1. Protestantism ......................................................................................................................... 33 6. King Henry VIII: A Protestant Through Catholic Means ............................................................. 35 6.1. Thomas Cromwell: A Threat to the King’s Authority .......................................................... 37 6.1.1. Thomas Cromwell and Joab: Commanders in Chief ..................................................... 40 6.2. King David and Deception .................................................................................................... 41 6.3. Idolatry .................................................................................................................................. 46 7. The English Bible .......................................................................................................................... 50 7.1. Miles Coverdale: The Quest for an English Bible ................................................................. 52 7.2. William Tyndale: Defender of the English Crown? .............................................................. 58 8. Davidic Kingship and Tudor Dynasty ........................................................................................... 63 8.1. Edward VI: A New Solomon ................................................................................................ 63 8.2. Elizabeth I: Female Monarch, Masculine Rule ..................................................................... 64 8.3. Mary Tudor: The Importance of the Royal Word ................................................................. 67 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 69 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 72 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 76 Appendix A ....................................................................................................................................... 76 Appendix B ....................................................................................................................................... 77 Appendix C ....................................................................................................................................... 78 Appendix D ....................................................................................................................................... 79 4 Appendix E ....................................................................................................................................... 81 Appendix F ........................................................................................................................................ 82 Appendix G ....................................................................................................................................... 89 Appendix H ........................................................................................................................................ 91 5 Introduction Sixteenth-century England saw the arrival of a new sense of identity, characterized by the idea that one could shape or “fashion”, as Greenblatt terms it (1), one’s own persona. However, this does not imply that early modern individuals had the power to decide how to portray themselves, as self-fashioning was driven by social, intellectual, psychological and aesthetic tendencies which fell under the control of family, religious and governmental institutions (Greenblatt 1-2). If Greenblatt is correct, it was not until the 16th century that one saw the full potential of shaping one’s identity as a force to mislead and betray (Greenblatt 1-2). If one wanted to manipulate the perception of identity through the act of self-fashioning, one needed to make adjustments in appearance as well as behaviour as one’s character needed to be reflected in both speech and manners (Greenblatt 3). Institutions sought inspiration in literature (Greenblatt 3), searching for literary heroes who could serve as models to which one’s character could be shaped. Based on their knowledge of literary models, the audience would ascribe the same virtues and qualities onto the individual who takes after the honourable hero. As a result, the distinction between fiction and reality began to fade (Greenblatt 3). This proved to be useful in the act of manipulation of which the reign of Henry VIII serves to be an example, as the Tudor king found inspiration in the Old Testament King David (King, Tudor Royal Iconography, 11). The association made between Henry VIII and David did not come as a surprise; it continued a medieval tradition (King, Tudor Royal Iconography 11), and there were, according to Henry Tudor and his court, many similarities between the two monarchs. What is common in many scholarly texts concerning the subject of David and Tudor iconography is the question: “Why David?”. Perhaps so many have written about this subject because no singular answer can be found to the question. The question of David will recur in this dissertation as well and will prove to be difficult to answer. However, this dissertation aims to provide a complementary perspective on the use of Davidic imagery as a tool for the consolidation of power. Previous literature has widely reported on King David and Henry VIII’s shared interests and talents (King, Tudor-Craig) and how the biblical king’s flaws (being born a shepherd and his great sin) could form a threat for monarchs fashioning themselves a new David (Prescott), however, with this dissertation 6 I will try to show how the similarities between the biblical king and Henry VIII, together with what can be defined as David’s flaws,
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