David Starkey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Starkey CBE
Starkey when a lecturer at LSE in the early 1980s
Born	David Robert Starkey (1945-01-03) 3 January 1945 (age 80) Kendal, Westmorland, England
Occupation	Historian television personality
Education	Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (BA, PhD)
Partner	James Brown (from 1994; died 2015)

David Robert Starkey CBE (born 3 January 1945) is an English historian and television presenter. He is known for his strong opinions, which he describes as conservative. He grew up in Kendal, England, and later studied history at Cambridge University on a scholarship. There, he became an expert in Tudor history, especially about King Henry VIII. After Cambridge, he taught history at the London School of Economics until 1998. He has written many books about the Tudors and presented several historical TV shows.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Kendal

David Starkey was born on January 3, 1945, in Kendal, Westmorland. He was the only child of Robert Starkey and Elsie Lyon. His parents were Quakers and had moved to Kendal in the 1930s during the Great Depression. His father worked in a washing-machine factory, and his mother was a cotton weaver and cleaner.

David grew up in a simple home, and his parents were often without work. This taught him to value money. He described his mother as both "wonderful" and "monstrous." She pushed him to achieve his goals. His father was more quiet and thoughtful.

Health and School Years

David was born with two club feet, one of which needed several operations. He also had polio. At age 13, he had a difficult time at secondary school. He recovered at a boarding house for several months. He later said this was due to the pressure of a "highly competitive environment."

Despite this, he did very well at Kendal Grammar School. He won awards for debating and acted in school plays.

University Studies

Even though he was interested in science, David chose to study history. He received a scholarship to attend Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. There, he earned a top degree and a PhD.

He was very interested in King Henry VIII. His PhD research focused on the daily life and people in the Tudor monarch's household. His teacher was Professor Sir Geoffrey Elton, who was also an expert on the Tudor period.

Career as a Historian and Presenter

Teaching and Early TV Work

David Starkey was a fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from 1970 to 1972. In 1972, he became a history lecturer at the London School of Economics. He taught there for 30 years, leaving in 1998 because he found academic life boring.

He first appeared on television in 1977. He wrote and presented the 1984 Channel 4 documentary series This Land of England. Later, he began making history documentaries for BBC television. His first major series was Henry VIII in 1998, which won an award.

Radio and Television Personality

Starkey became well-known as a guest on the BBC Radio 4 debate show The Moral Maze starting in 1992. He debated important topics with other guests. He gained a reputation for being direct and sometimes harsh. The Daily Mail newspaper even called him "the rudest man in Britain." He said this image helped his career. He left the show after nine years, saying he was tired of being "Dr. Rude."

From 1995, he also hosted radio shows like Starkey on Saturday and Starkey on Sunday on Talk Radio UK.

Starkey is well known for his historical analyses of Henry VIII and his Court

His TV documentaries on The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were very popular. Viewers often noticed his unique way of speaking.

In 2002, he signed a big contract with Channel 4 to create 25 hours of TV shows. This included Monarchy, a series about the history of English kings and queens. In 2009, he presented Henry: Mind of a Tyrant. A reviewer called it "highly fascinating." In 2011, he taught history lessons on Channel 4's Jamie's Dream School. After this, he criticized the education system.

The main part of history is telling stories and learning about people's lives. But the way history has been taught in schools for the last 25 years is very different. Knowing facts has become less important. Instead, the idea is that it's all about skills. They say you should teach children how historians analyze things. This seems like a terrible way to teach any subject. It's also dangerous and makes people think, 'oh, we have the internet, we don't need to know facts anymore because it's easy to look things up.' But it's not. To think properly, you need information in your mind.

—David Starkey

Academic Recognition and Exhibitions

In 1984, Starkey became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 1994, he became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He was also made an Honorary Fellow by his college, Fitzwilliam College, in 2006. He held various visiting professor roles at universities until 2020.

He has also worked as a curator for several exhibitions. In 2003, he curated an exhibit on Elizabeth I. After this, he had lunch with Elizabeth II, the current Queen.

Political Views

Changing Political Stance

Benjamin Disraeli by Cornelius Jabez Hughes, 1878.

David Starkey's political views have changed over time. He once supported the Labour Party but became a conservative in the late 1970s. He blamed the economic problems of the time on the government.

He supports a type of conservatism called "one-nation conservatism." He believes that Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was a great example of this. Starkey has written that Disraeli was "exotic" and good with words. He thinks working-class people need more "nationalism" like Disraeli showed.

Involvement in Politics

In the 1980s, Starkey was an active member of the Conservative Party. He ran as a Conservative candidate for the Islington Borough Council in 1986 and 1990.

He has often criticized political leaders from different parties. In 2011, he spoke at a Conservative Party meeting. He said that then-Mayor Boris Johnson was a "jester-despot" and Prime Minister David Cameron had "no strategy." He urged the party to connect more with working-class people.

Views on the UK Constitution

Starkey prefers big changes to the UK's constitution, similar to the federal system in the United States. However, he supports the monarchy, the Queen, and Prince Charles.

He believes the modern UK House of Commons has become weak. He thinks it should return to its original role of challenging state authority.

European Union Views

Starkey is very critical of the European Union (EU). He supported the "Leave" vote in the 2016 EU referendum. He believes the United Kingdom is better off as a self-governing nation. He argues that support for national pride and sovereignty in the UK, not xenophobia, was the main reason for leaving the EU.

As a historian, Starkey connects Brexit to earlier events in British history. He compares Brexit to King Henry VIII's split from Rome and the Reformation. He believes the Reformation started Euroscepticism in England. He claims Henry VIII was the first "Brexiteer" because he made England a "defensible island." Starkey says Henry VIII fought for England to rule itself, which is like the Brexit debates.

Religion

David Starkey is an atheist. He has described the Catholic Church as being "riddled with corruption." However, he has often defended the right for Christians to hold their beliefs. He argues that penalizing them for their views is "intolerant, oppressive and tyrannical."

Magna Carta

Starkey believes the royal charter of rights Magna Carta is very important. He has spoken and written about it, especially in his book Magna Carta: The True Story Behind the Charter (2015). He also presented a TV documentary called David Starkey's Magna Carta. In it, he argued that Magna Carta helps keep constitutions stable. He believes this 800-year-old document has led to the UK's "constitutional edifice."

Starkey often discusses how Magna Carta relates to today's politics. He thinks the modern UK state is breaking apart. He believes the core ideas of the charter could help, perhaps with a new charter of liberties.

Personal Life

David Starkey lived with his partner, James Brown, a publisher, for many years. James Brown passed away in 2015. They had three homes: one in Highbury, one in Kent, and another in Chestertown, Maryland, US.

Honours and Awards

Commonwealth Honours

Commonwealth honours

Country	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
United Kingdom	2007	Commander of the Order of the British Empire	CBE

Scholastic Achievements

University degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree
England		Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge	First-class honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History
England		Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in History

Chancellorships, visitorships, governorships, rectorships and fellowships

Location	Date	School	Position
England	until 2015	University of Kent	Honorary Visiting Professor of History
England	2006 – 3 July 2020	Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge	Honorary Fellow
England	until 3 July 2020	Canterbury Christ Church University	Visiting Professor of History

Honorary degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree	Status
England	21 July 2004	University of Lancaster	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)	Revoked on 24 July 2020
England	11 July 2006	University of Kent	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)	Revoked in 2020
England	March 2019	University of Buckingham	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)	Revoked on 3 July 2020

Memberships and Fellowships

Learned societies

Location	Date	Organisation	Position
United Kingdom	1984 – 13 July 2020	Royal Historical Society	Fellow (FRHistS)
United Kingdom	1994 – 6 July 2020	Society of Antiquaries of London	Fellow (FSA)
United Kingdom	1996 – 2005	The Society for Court Studies	President

Museums and trusts

Location	Date	Organisation	Position
United Kingdom	2008 – 3 July 2020	Mary Rose Museum	Trustee and Hon. Commodore
United Kingdom	2005 – 2020'	National Maritime Museum	Hon. Commodore

Awards

Location	Date	Institution	Award
United Kingdom	2001; withdrawn on 3 July 2020	The Historical Association	The Medlicott Medal

Works

Books

• Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne (published in North America as Elizabeth: The struggle for the throne)
• Monarchy: From the Middle Ages to Modernity
• Henry VIII: The First Brexiteer (A compilation of The Monarchy of England: The Beginnings, Monarchy: From the Middle Ages to Modernity and some new material)
• Magna Carta: The True Story Behind the Charter

Television

• Henry VIII (1998, revised 2001)
• Elizabeth (2000)
• The Six Wives of Henry VIII (2001)
• Edward and Mary: The Unknown Tudors (2002)
• David Starkey: Reinventing the Royals (2002)
• Monarchy by David Starkey (2004–2007)
• Henry VIII: The Mind of a Tyrant (2009)
• Kate and William: Romance and the Royals (2011)
• Jamie's Dream School (2011)
• The Churchills (2012)
• David Starkey's Music and Monarchy (2013)
• Britain's Tudor Treasure: A Night at Hampton Court, co-presented with Lucy Worsley (2015)
• David Starkey's Magna Carta (2015)
• Reformation: Europe's Holy War (2017)

Applications

• Kings and Queens by David Starkey for iPhone and iPad (2011)