Target age range: A-level

The resources in this section focus on students analysing a range of primary sources to evaluate the role of conspicuous consumption in early modern diplomacy. There is a strong focus on how ‘real’ historians use primary sources and how these techniques can be adapted for examination preparation.

They have been developed from materials originally produced for a series of workshops exploring the question ‘How can scholars explore the progresses of Henry VIII in the twenty-first century?’ This work was undertaken by Dr Helen Carrel while she was Director of Humanities at Tormead School, Guildford. She is now Head of History and Politics at Sir William Perkins’s School, Chertsey.

Please note: while this resource has been produced as part of a Historical Association Teacher Fellowship, any opinions expressed by the author(s) are their own and do not necessarily represent HA policy.

Every effort has been made to trace all image copyright holders and permissions in these resources, although occasionally it has not been possible to identify them. Please contact Maheema Chanrai at maheema.chanrai@history.org.uk with any queries.

Image: The Field of the Cloth of Gold c.1545, Oil on canvas, British School, 16th century.
Credit: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III. Approved for educational use.