ABSTRACT
Given the obvious significance, in retrospect, of Henry VIII’s break with Rome in 1533, it can be easy to forget that for the first 24 years of his reign England was a part of Catholic Europe and Henry was one of the Christian princes who contended symbolically for precedence at the papal court. When his ambassadors to Rome acted out their roles on the grand liturgical occasions, as bearers of the papal canopy or of water to wash the Pontiff’s hands, they were playing the part of their prince in the ‘theatre of the world’. Outside the ceremonial context they would cultivate a lifestyle to reflect their master’s princely honour. An examination of Henry’s representation in Rome, therefore, offers a means to rediscover his early persona as Defender of the Faith and to track developments in Tudor diplomatic practice.
