That Henry VIII’s will was stamped with a facsimile of his signature rather than authentically signed has long been taken as proof that it was ‘forged’ sometime around his death in 1547. This article explores the longer history of the stamp as an authorizing mechanism, locating its creation at the beginning of the reign for the purposes of justice-giving. An investigation of these earlier documents reveals that an initial ‘wet’ stamp served to expedite suits presented at the royal household and project the king’s authority outwards. The article therefore offers a revisionary account of the priorities and workings of Tudor governance.

中文翻译：

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签名、盖章和盖章：在 16 世纪早期的英格兰伸张​​王室正义

长期以来，亨利八世的遗嘱上盖有他签名的传真件而不是真实签名，这一点长期以来一直被认为是在 1547 年他去世前后的某个时候“伪造”的证据。本文探讨了邮票作为一种授权机制的较长历史，定位它是在统治初期为伸张正义而创建的。对这些早期文件的调查显示，最初的“湿”印章有助于加快向王室提出诉讼并将国王的权威向外投射。因此，本文对都铎王朝治理的优先事项和运作方式进行了修正说明。