International Lesson Plan: Henry VIII

Authors: collaborative


(This is a compilation of communiques and lesson plans formulated
among educators and students.

Below are the questions Henry VIII sent to Delmar:
--------------------------------------------------
Mistress Martha,

Comely Wench I would tease you and your urchins before the meeting with
Our Royal Self this week:

1) Discover ye the significance of the Rose and the Pomegranate
   growing from the same Vyne?

2) I built 20 new forts along the south coast of England to defend
   the country from invaders. By what art did I manage to have them
   built so quickly and cheaply?

3) Find a plan view of Deal or one of my other coastal forts.
   See how my Art makes the design like unto the symbol of my family then
   consider the advantages of this design in war!

4) And by whose art was I persuaded into agreeing to a marriage with
   that ugly Anne of Cleves (although it did help my plans against
   costly wars with France).

5) Why must you not dare my wrath and blame me for the loss of 700 souls
   on this day in 1545?

Enjoy my Royal Teasing ;-)
Henry Tudor VIII

Below follows the IRC chat on the Internet:
                    **************************************
                     Logfile:  Delmar Interviews Henry VII
                          December 2, 1994 19:00 GMT
                    **************************************

Martha Pfeiffer and class 'meet' Henry VIII...

*** Logfile tudor02 opened at Fri Dec  2 14:05:12 1994
(Martha) Hello Henry, we've just arrived to your palace
(A-Henry) This cold castle Southsea is no Palace!!!!!
(A-Henry) and I'm in no mood for frivolity wench!
(Martha) Is it nice in your castle ? Is it cold enough for you ?
(A-Henry) I look out of this window onto the sunken remains of my beautiful
ship.......
(A-Henry) Tonight I should be celebrating!
(Martha) What has happened to your ship ? Why are you in such a foul mood ?
(A-Henry) Today we repulsed a great Armada..
(A-Henry) the friends of my enemy the Pope attacked us ...
(Martha) Why did they attack you ?
(A-Henry) they had the Gall to land soldiers on my England
(Martha) What nerve ! Who is attacking you ?
(A-Henry) because HE wants to bring me down!! he is afraid that other kings
will follow my example and banish his rule of the church from their lands!
(A-Henry) Their force of ships was 4 times the strength of mine...but they
have fled
(Martha) Do you think he's scared of you ? We think he is !
(A-Henry) even though the poor winds favoured their galleys.....we turned them
round.
(Martha) That's great !!!
(A-Henry) Yes of course the Pope is frightened by what I have done...why else
would he have all Europe and even my Scotland turn against me!
(Martha) We don't think he can do that because you're more powerful !
(A-Henry) This day should have been one of great rejoicing for England
(A-Henry) and yet...
(A-Henry) and yet here am I debating with myself how to direct my historians.
(A-Henry) I am of a mind to tell them to forget this day!
(A-Henry) this day is painful to me and will be painful for my memory...
(Martha) We don't think you should rewrite history. We need to know what
really happened.
(A-Henry) so if I wish to forget it then so will my people not celebrate it!
(A-Henry) WHAT REALLY HAPPENED!!!!
(Martha) You're a king. You could talk to your queen about getting other
ships.
(A-Henry) Wench......comely as you are you annoy me for this day I heard 700
men die!
(A-Henry) my Beautiful Rose my Mary Rose...
(A-Henry) #she reminded me still of my sister
(Martha) It's not your fault or ours. Why did your ship sink ?
(A-Henry) and her husband was in tears today with me as we watched her sink.
(A-Henry) remember that I named this great ship after my beautiful
sister.....she died  so long back but I had her memory with my fine ship...
(Martha) Do you think that God did this to your ship to punish you for
disobeying the Pope ?
(A-Henry) only some 8 years back I had her rebuilt....with such new ideas of
mine....
(A-Henry) Ah you would discuss theology with me would you wench..I like that
...but not this day...
(Martha) Why do you love this ship so much ? It seems like a wife to you. You
treat this ship better than your wives.
(Martha) We will try to be more kind so We can keep our heads.
(A-Henry) I agonise that perhaps my thinking caused the loss of this ship but
I would never admit such a thought nor allow it!
(A-Henry) All my life I have sought to build the defenses of this country...
(A-Henry) I inherited a navy I could count on my hands and have built such
ships and such a shoreline of castle defenses like this one Southsea..
(Martha) How could you be more concerned about your country than the lives of
innocent people?
(A-Henry) Am I not weeping at the deaths of 700 men woman!
(A-Henry) 700 men who might not have died had the design of this ship been
otherwise...
(Martha) Who designed the ship ?
(A-Henry) twas my own idea to cut the hull and have gun ports so near the
waterline...
(A-Henry) and some murmured today that this was the cause!!
(Martha) Now we see why you blame yourself. We are sorry for you.
(Martha) How is your daughter Elizabeth ?
(A-Henry) Let us talk of other things to take my mind from the horrors of the
cries of those trapped men.
(A-Henry) she is cared for ........I rarely see her.
(A-Henry) My Catherine meets her and tells me she is well
(Martha) Why not ? Why don't you see your own daughter /
(A-Henry) I wanted a son!!
(Martha) Who is Catherine ?
(A-Henry) I needed a son to ensure the reign of my dynasty
(A-Henry) I talk of my Catherine who was Parr...
(Martha) We think a queen would be just as good.  Don't you have two
daughters ?
(A-Henry) we sat together listening to her musicians early this eve
(A-Henry) they will be trouble I fear
(Martha) Maybe a king would be just as much trouble .
(A-Henry) I am at a loss how to foresee the troubles ahead...these fears are
disturbing my mind
(A-Henry) This country needs a man to overcome the threats of war
(Martha) We happen to know that your daughter Elizabeth will be the best queen
that England ever had. Do you want to know about the future ?
(A-Henry) She is ...has a strong mind...has dared argue the once or twice with
me!
(A-Henry) you tell me she will be queen...........how can England be ruled by
a queen?
(A-Henry) A queen would not have foreseen the need to build these defenses
(Martha) Yes she would . Elizabeth defeated the Spanish Armada.
(A-Henry) Why do you talk of my daughters when I have a son?
(A-Henry) Edward is only seven ...but I will live long enough to help him take
the throne.
(Martha) Why do you have such a low opinion of women ?
(A-Henry) How can you say this? I spend hours debating with my Catherine?
(Martha) Do you think Edward will rule ? We know he is very sick.
(A-Henry) You talk of another Armada...this time from Spain?
(A-Henry) these are my fears !!
(A-Henry) that my country will have to invest so much monies into defense!
(Martha) Yes. The Spanish Armada is very powerful. But your daughter Elizabeth
will build a fleet to destroy it.
(A-Henry) He is 'sickly' he is not the sportsman...or hunter I would have had
as a son but he is a SON!
(Martha) And these ships were built along the designs of the Mary Rose. So you
should feel good.
(A-Henry) MY Daughter build a fleet!..!!
(A-Henry) she must have more of me in her than I thought!!
(A-Henry) Ahh you please me Wench
(Martha) She had a lot of you. She brought your religion back when it was in
trouble.
(A-Henry) My son has already strong beliefs ...he may not have my body but he
has my mind...he will be good for England..he will defend the faith...against
the Pope!
(Martha) We need to report back to the 20th century. We hope we cheered you up
a little today. Will you write about us in your History ?
(A-Henry) I will lose this dream just as I lose this day and few will hear of
these things
(A-Henry) you are a dream as I look out of my window back into the day...you
would have me look forward into a future I cannot comprehend.
(Martha) . We wish we could have something to prove to our friends that we
visited you today.
(Martha) A symbol from you or something...
(A-Henry) I have enjoyed this time together....
(A-Henry) I have a present for you My Pretty Lady...
(A-Henry) a Tudor Rose
(A-Henry) to remember me by...
(Martha) A present !!! You called me a lady for once .  I am greatly honored.
(A-Henry) a Tudor Rose for you to wear and think of me ..my mind not my body
as it is now...
(A-Henry) but perhaps as I was.
(A-Henry) I have liked our debate...you have cheered me...
(A-Henry) Look on that Rose and it will remind you of much that is so
important to me...
(A-Henry) even the castles I built here along the coast are shaped so by my
art were they viewed from above.
(Martha) We will remember you the way you were...We are glad we could cheer
you.  Thank you for the pressie.  We must depart.  Farewell and take care.
 We wish you luck our fair king
(A-Henry) Farethee well Lady Martha and your charges.
(Martha) Farethee well and a pox on your enemy the Pope !
(A-Henry) Take care of them...and their minds ....I am not the monster history
would make me.
(A-Henry) Ahh you speakest well!!!!!
(Martha) We believe you. We'll tell everyone about your kindness.
(A-Henry) I would kiss you for such sentiments!!
(A-Henry) Goodbye ....
(A-Henry) I must go...
(Martha) Farewell...
(A-Henry) write to me
(A-Henry) I would like that
(Martha) Soon we promise.
*** Signoff: A-Henry (Leaving)
*** Logfile closed at Fri Dec  2 14:57:32 1994

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