ABSTRACT
In 1516 Sir Thomas More mused on the acquisition of wealth and possessions in his book Utopia and made the following observation:
By 1547 Henry VIII could be seen as just such a rich man but with one important caveat. He was not only ‘procuring his own commodities’ to use More’s words, he was actively procuring those of others. The king’s covetous attitude to other people’s property subsequently led W.G. Hoskins to dub Henry VIII’s reign The Age of Plunder.3 With plunder in mind, this chapter will consider how Henry VIII exploited the crown’s powers of confiscation, so greatly boosting his monetary reserves, as well as his holdings of plate, furnishings, books, and other ‘household stuff’. The discussion begins by considering the context for Henry VIII’s use of confiscation. It then looks at how Henry VIII used confiscation, against whom, and with what benefits to him. As such it will shed new light on the political culture of the Henrician
court. Finally, it will assess how significant the items were that Henry VIII acquired by confiscation in shaping the king’s possessions.4
