Lavenham, Suffolk, a town ruined by Henry the Eighth

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A Personal Note (Archive)

It is a peculiar and rather sad fact of history that people who did a good job rarely get much of a mention. Henry the Seventh was a competent king. After a spectacular accession to the throne, following his defeat of Richard the Third, Henry avoided the heroics of war, and got on with being a steady administrator. Trade to him was more important than war, and England did well during his reign. But who remembers Henry the Seventh? A few vague memories of Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck and that's probably it. In 1509 this quiet, competent king died and was replaced by his son Henry the Eighth. Henry was in many ways a disaster. His pointless wars in France destroyed England's wool industry, the mainstay of English trade. He ruined the currency through debasement in pursuit of a quick profit. Any hope of useful redistribution of wealth coming out of overdue religious reform was squandered. And yet the drama of his reign guarantees him a prominent place in history. Reading about Henry makes me wonder if competence is what we really want from our leaders. There seems to be something in humanity that prefers drama to competence. John E Pfeiffer, the writer on ancient culture, suggests that early leaders who claimed authority bestowed by some kind of unseen god were difficult to challenge: leaders who based their authority on plain old competence could always be challenged. They could make a mistake, their claims to greatness could be checked. Far better to claim authority from a source that could never be checked. Even today, when the divine right of kings is a distant memory, people look to charismatic leaders, rather than to a competent person who in all probability could do a better practical job, but who wouldn't make such a good leader. The power of charisma remains, with all its possibilities and perils.

Best wishes,

Martin

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