And that’s where the trouble began because twenty years later when Henry wished to divorce Katherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, his arguments forwarded to the pope in Rome centred around whether Katherine had consummated her marriage to his brother. Everything hinged on whether one led with Leviticus or Deuteronomy – it’s a sin to marry one’s brother’s wife, or a man should marry his brother’s widow to protect her and the family. Which spawned the rhyme: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

However, Veerapen’s new book is no schoolroom Tudor history. The narrative may be well-worn, but his analysis and interpretation are spikily provoking. Naturally, Overlord takes a linear path through Henry’s life which is the only way to make sense of the man, yet at each stage of Henry’s tumultuous career what we thought we knew is presented with intriguing new perspectives. So, Henry’s battles with the Vatican and arguments for becoming the head of the Church of England are rooted in deeper English history than simply ‘Henry decided that he would become head of the church’; his international diplomacy was not just France and Holy Roman Empire-facing, Henry’s focus on Scotland was equally as important to his dynastic ambitions and aspirations of empire; and Anne was not necessarily the grasping vixen that some historians and film-makers have led us to believe. These are just some examples of the numerous incidents in Henry’s reign that Veerapen explores with a more critical, further-seeing eye. While he has not discovered any new, earth-shattering evidence about Henry, and arguably there may be no Henrician stone left to flip, Veerapen’s historical lens prompts us to sharpen our thinking and perceive new approaches to the catalysts guiding Henry’s hand over a forty-year reign.

This is a lively, pacy history rich with velvets and brocades, hunting accidents and beheadings, and for readers who have enjoyed Veerapen’s recent other titles – The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I and Witches: A King’s Obsession – you will recognise this very much as a Veerapen book. The cheeky asides – Cardinal Wolsey’s grandstanding: frustration or indigestion? – and frequent use of bracketed ‘extras’ means that every sentence works hard, packed with insights and information to offer the reader more than they ever thought they were getting when they selected this book in their favourite book shop.

Man, monster and monarch or just, noble and virtuous sovereign? If you think you know your Henry VIII, Veerapen’s Overlord will make you re-evaluate your Tudor history.

Overlord: The Life and Reign of Henry VIII by Steven Veerapen. Published by Birlinn, 528pp, £30.00