The discovery of a prayer roll once owned by King Henry VIII in a British Catholic seminary proves that the monarch who split with Rome was indeed a pious believer in his youth, historian Dr David Starkey says.
The bede (prayer roll), which has never been publicly exhibited before, was owned and used by Henry when he was Prince of Wales, the UK Telegraph reports.
It will be shown in public for the first time at the British Library's exhibition Henry VIII: Man and Monarch.
Under the central image of Christ's Passion is an inscription written by Henry, which reads: "Willyam Thomas, I pray yow pray for me your lovyng master: Prynce Henry."
The roll is also inscribed with Latin prayers and rubrics, or religious instructions, explaining how the devotions are to be performed and what rewards the faithful might expect, such as remission of time in purgatory and protection against illness.
The prayer roll will go on loan to the British Library from Ushaw College, a seminary for the formation of Catholic priests in Durham, which has owned the roll since the mid-19th century.
Dr David Starkey, the historian, who has curated the British Library's exhibition, described the roll as "a very exciting discovery".
He said that its existence finally ended the ongoing debate between scholars and historians over whether Henry had always harboured doubts about Catholicism or whether he underwent a "conversion" during his struggles with Rome over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his first wife.
"Many academic historians have long argued that Henry was sceptical of religion from his youth, and that this scepticism ultimately led to the break with Rome and the Reformation," Dr Starkey said.
"But what we have here, for the very first time, is absolute concrete evidence to the contrary. The Ushaw roll shows just how conservative and pious he was as a young man and how he was, in fact, two very different men before and after his divorce.
"We tend to remember Henry for all the extraordinarily revolutionary things he did, but this highlights how incredibly old-fashioned the young Henry was.
"It is proof that he actually believed in the religion characteristic of late medieval piety and believed that the sacraments carried out miracles - beliefs which he tried to destroy with the Reformation. It will surprise a lot of people."
The prayer roll was donated to Ushaw College around 1850 by a wealthy Liverpool merchant.
SOURCE
'Exciting discovery' reveals Henry VIII as firm believer in Catholicism (Telegraph)
Scroll reveals Henry VIII was devout Catholic (Irish Times)
LINKS
Henry VIII: Man and Monarch (British Library)
Ushaw College