This exploration of Henry's life and image, and the extraordinary reaction to his death, transforms our understanding of this exceptional prince and the time in which he lived. In November 1612, shortly before his nineteenth birthday, Henry, the eldest son of James I and Anne of Denmark, died of typhoid fever after a short illness. The nation was struck by grief at the loss of this most promising prince who, it was believed, would become a king to transform Britain. Unlike his father, Henry was seen as militaristic, ardently Protestant and fiercely moral; he was also a precocious patron of the arts, collecting paintings, sculpture and books, commissioning ambitious garden designs and architecture, and performing in elaborate court festivities. Furthermore, Henry took an active interest in the navy and exploration, sponsoring an expedition to find the North-West Passage and giving his name to new settlements in Virginia. Authors Catharine MacLeod, Malcolm Smuts and Timothy Wilks examine Henry's upbringing and education, his court and patronage, his collecting, and finally his illness, death and legacy, and question traditional assumptions about the prince.
The book showcases some of the most important works of art and culture produced in the Jacobean period, including masque designs by Inigo Jones, portraiture by Robert Peake and Isaac Oliver, poetry by Ben Jonson and music by Thomas Tompkins and William Byrd. Also featured are exquisite inlaid armour made for Henry, garden designs, renaissance bronzes, old master paintings from his collection, books from his library, and a selection of manuscript letters and writing exercises in Henry's hand.