 This lack of clarity about Henry 's control over events has contributed to the variation in the qualities ascribed to him : religious conservative or dangerous radical ; lover of beauty or brutal destroyer of priceless artefacts ; friend and patron or betrayer of those around him ; chivalry incarnate or ruthless chauvinist . One traditional approach , favoured by Starkey and others , is to divide Henry 's reign into two halves , the first Henry being dominated by positive qualities ( politically inclusive , pious , athletic but also intellectual ) who presided over a period of stability and calm , and the latter a " hulking tyrant " who presided over a period of dramatic , sometimes whimsical , change . Other writers have tried to merge Henry 's disparate personality into a single whole ; Lacey Baldwin Smith , for example , considered him an egotistical borderline neurotic given to great fits of temper and deep and dangerous suspicions , with a mechanical and conventional , but deeply held piety , and having at best a mediocre intellect . 
