ABSTRACT
Henry VIII’s progresses played a vital role in presenting the king to his people and displaying his sovereignty on a public stage. Despite their importance to the king’s political agenda, they remain a significantly underappreciated feature of his reign. In particular there has been no attempt thus far to consolidate existing sources and historiography into a single complete itinerary of Henry’s progresses. Studying the nuances of his progresses provides new insights into personal monarchy, modes of government and representations of royal authority. Theoretically, travelling beyond his standing houses in the south-east of England enabled Henry to strengthen his authority in the localities, to project the power of the crown and to nurture relationships with county and urban elites. But were royal progresses always the success story historians tend to assume? Assessing two progresses in detail, this chapter teases out their unique motivations and distinctive features within an overall political strategy of taking the majesty of kingship on tour. Progresses were individual and flexible, responsive to the religious and political contexts of the moment. As such they were a more complex and varied phenomenon than recognised in the past, capable of inspiring fear as well as celebration in the English shires.
