Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis
In preparation for an invasion of France in 1544, Henry VIII signed his third Act of Succession, an inflexion point in his reign which established his two daughters, formerly declared illegitimate, as official heirs to his kingdom. This inclusion had been vigorously advocated by their stepmother, He...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Arts & Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311983.2025.2454116 |
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| author | Susan E. James |
| author_facet | Susan E. James |
| author_sort | Susan E. James |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In preparation for an invasion of France in 1544, Henry VIII signed his third Act of Succession, an inflexion point in his reign which established his two daughters, formerly declared illegitimate, as official heirs to his kingdom. This inclusion had been vigorously advocated by their stepmother, Henry’s sixth queen, Kateryn Parr (1512–1548). Evidence suggests that it was Kateryn, who helped achieve for Mary and Elizabeth the dynastic legitimacy that secured their subsequent reigns. In celebration of this achievement, between 1544 and 1546, evidence also suggests that it was the queen who was instrumental in commissioning a campaign of portraits of her stepchildren as a visual affirmation of their enhanced status. Her use of portraiture to support political goals, beginning with the French invasion, prefaced her protégée Princess Elizabeth’s own use of that art during her reign. Within the context of the 1544 Act of Succession and the events surrounding it, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the production and political role played by this royal portraiture and to examine not only what history can tell us about the commissioning of the portraits but what the portraits can tell us about the intentions and goals of the commissioner. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5725467630574228a0632707ee0c87f0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2331-1983 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Arts & Humanities |
| spelling | doaj-art-5725467630574228a0632707ee0c87f02025-01-27T08:04:36ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Arts & Humanities2331-19832025-12-0112110.1080/23311983.2025.2454116Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysisSusan E. James0Visual & Performing Arts, Independent Researcher, La Canada-Flintridge, CA, USAIn preparation for an invasion of France in 1544, Henry VIII signed his third Act of Succession, an inflexion point in his reign which established his two daughters, formerly declared illegitimate, as official heirs to his kingdom. This inclusion had been vigorously advocated by their stepmother, Henry’s sixth queen, Kateryn Parr (1512–1548). Evidence suggests that it was Kateryn, who helped achieve for Mary and Elizabeth the dynastic legitimacy that secured their subsequent reigns. In celebration of this achievement, between 1544 and 1546, evidence also suggests that it was the queen who was instrumental in commissioning a campaign of portraits of her stepchildren as a visual affirmation of their enhanced status. Her use of portraiture to support political goals, beginning with the French invasion, prefaced her protégée Princess Elizabeth’s own use of that art during her reign. Within the context of the 1544 Act of Succession and the events surrounding it, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the production and political role played by this royal portraiture and to examine not only what history can tell us about the commissioning of the portraits but what the portraits can tell us about the intentions and goals of the commissioner.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311983.2025.2454116Kateryn ParrKatherine ParrHenry VIII16th-century portraitureElizabeth IMary I |
| spellingShingle | Susan E. James Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis Cogent Arts & Humanities Kateryn Parr Katherine Parr Henry VIII 16th-century portraiture Elizabeth I Mary I |
| title | Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis |
| title_full | Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis |
| title_fullStr | Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis |
| title_short | Representing succession: Tudor royal portraits, 1544–1546: context, production and analysis |
| title_sort | representing succession tudor royal portraits 1544 1546 context production and analysis |
| topic | Kateryn Parr Katherine Parr Henry VIII 16th-century portraiture Elizabeth I Mary I |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311983.2025.2454116 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susanejames representingsuccessiontudorroyalportraits15441546contextproductionandanalysis |