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On June 28 1491, Henry VIII, King of England (1509-47) who separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, was born in London (d. 1547). From the article:
"Henry VIII
1509-1547
Early Life
The larger than life King Henry VIII, England's bluebeard, was born on 28th June, 1491 at Greenwich Palace and was christened at the church of the Observant Friars. As only the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York he had originally been intended for a career in the church.
He was provided with an excellent education, becoming fluent in French, Latin, and Spanish. The earliest glimpse we have of Henry comes from the pen of Erasmus, the great humanist scholar, who visited the nine year old Prince at the Palace of Eltham with Thomas More ;-
' When we came into the hall, the attendants....were all assembled. In the midst stood Prince Henry, now nine years old and having already something of royalty in his demeanour, in which there was a certain dignity combined with singular courtesy.'
On 14th November 1501, at ten years old, the young Henry played a major role at the wedding of his elder brother, Arthur Tudor, when he escorted the bride, Catherine of Aragon, down the aisle at St. Paul's Cathedral. Arthur's sudden death during an epidemic of the sweating sickness a few months later resulted in his unexpectedly becoming heir to the throne. Henry was betrothed, in turn, to his brother's widow.
The death of his mother shortly after was said to have greatly affected the young Henry. His father grew more avaricious and suspicious in his later years and Henry's wedding was increasingly delayed as the two fathers haggled over money. Catherine herself was reduced to penury and at the instigation of his father, Henry was made to repudiate the marriage agreement.
Concerns were raised at his father's treatment of his only remaining son. "This great boy" as Henry VII referred to him, was kept in seclusion in his apartments, which could be reached only through the king's. He was allowed only the company of his tutors and guards.
King Henry VIII came to the throne on the death of his father in April, 1509, inheriting a kingdom that was stable and a full treasury, All objections to his marriage with Catherine of Aragon were slung aside. Claiming that he was fulfilling his father's dying wish. Henry's wedding to Catherine was held at the friar's church in Greenwich on 11 June 1509. On 23 June 1509, Henry led the now 23-year-old Catherine from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey for their coronation, which took place the following day.
Two days after his coronation, Henry arranged for the arrest of his father's two most unpopular ministers, Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley. They were charged with high treason and were executed in 1510." A spot of blood and grease on the pages of English history" as Dickens aptly described him, historian Ian Crofton has argued that such executions would become Henry's primary tactic for dealing with those who stood in his way; the two executions were certainly not be the last of this most bloodstained of reigns. To cement his popularity, Henry also returned to the public some of the money supposedly extorted by the two ministers
Henry's appearance
Referred to by Winston Churchill as "a spot of blood and grease on the pages of English history", Henry VIII was tall at 6' 3" and well-built like his Yorkist grandfather, Edward IV. Like Edward, in later years muscle was to turn to fat. He possessed his Plantagenet mother's reddish auburn hair, with fair skin and was considered very good-looking by the standards of his day. Described by Giustinian, the Venetian Ambassador to the English Court as- 'the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on; above the usual height, with an extremely fine calf to his leg, his complexion very fair and bright with auburn hair combed straight and short in the French fashion, and a round face so very beautiful that it would become a pretty woman, his throat being rather long and thick'
Henry was intelligent, extrovert and confident, like most of the Tudors, he was well seen in theology. In common with the ruthless Yorkist strain, he could also be cruel and extremely self-willed. He did not take after his Lancastrian ancestors, his Tudor father or his Beaufort grandmother, who had a tendency to be austere, introvert and chaste. Henry was recognisably like his paternal grandfather, Edward IV, a gourmandiser, with an appetite also for women, capricious and cruel, yet always able to command popularity.
In his youth, Henry excelled at sports, and particularly enjoyed jousting, hunting and real tennis. He was also quite an accomplished musician, his best known piece of music is Pastime with Good Company, otherwise known as The Kynges Ballade.
Reign
Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey, the son of an Ipswich butcher, rose rapidly in Henry's service. Able, ambitious and hard working, Wolsey managed the day-to-day running of the kingdom. In 1520 Henry met the French king, Francis I and displayed his wealth and magnificence at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The sentiments of "brotherly love" discussed at this costly spectacle evaporated with unseemly haste two years later when Henry invaded France in quest of glory.
In the early years, the marriage of Henry and Catherine was a happy and stable one. Queen Catherine gave birth to a son, named Henry, on 1st January 1511. In tournaments celebrating the event the extrovert king competed as 'Sir Loyal Heart', tragically, the child died just a few weeks later.
An alliance was formed with his father-in-law Ferdinand of Aragon to launch a joint attack on France, but Ferdinand, true to character, deserted his ally as soon as his own ends had been reached. Humiliated but undeterred, Henry invaded France again in 1513, he besieged Therouanne and Tournai, both of which fell to him. At a skirmish with the French known as the Battle of the Spurs, so named for the speed of the French retreat and fought at Guinegate on 16 August, 1513, Henry finally won the glory that he had spent so much money to attain.
In the King's absence, his brother-in-law, James IV, King of Scots, allied to the French, invaded England, where Catherine of Aragon remained as regent but was defeated and killed at the Battle of Flodden by a force lead by the Earl of Surrey. Henry's elder sister Margaret, the widowed Scots Queen, became regent for her young son, now King James V. In poor taste, Catherine sent James bloodied coat to her husband in France as a victory token.
Anne Boleyn
In 1521, Henry defended the Catholic religion from Martin Luther's protests in a book entitled 'The Defence of the Seven Sacraments', a grateful pope awarded him with the title Defender of the Faith, which has been borne by subsequent English monarchs since then .
Catherine was to experience many still-births and miscarriages before producing the only surviving child of the marriage, a daughter, Mary, born in 1516. Henry doted on the child and loved to show her off to courtiers but desperately wanted a male heir, without which, he felt, England would fall back into the anarchy of the Wars of the Roses. Although Henry's marriage to Catherine was, in its early years, a happy one, Henry still took mistresses. He conducting an affair with one of the sisters of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, either Elizabeth or Anne Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. The most significant mistress was Elizabeth 'Bessie' Blount, the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Kinlet, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Elizabeth became his mistress during 1514 or 1515, a relationship which continued for about eight years, she gave birth in June 1519 to Henry's illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy. The boy was made Duke of Richmond in June 1525, Henry's father Henry VII had been Earl of Richmond before taking the throne. Soon after the birth of his son, the King began an affair with Mary Boleyn. There has been speculation that Mary's two children, Henry and Catherine Carey, were fathered by Henry, but this has never been proved, and the King never acknowledged them as he did Henry FitzRoy. In 1522, a marriage was arranged for Bessie Blount with Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme.
The King's Great Matter
Cardinal Wolsey
In 1527 Henry became hopelessly infatuated with Anne Boleyn, a young woman of the court. Anne had large, lustrous brown eyes and raven hair, combined with a stylish way of dressing and enchanting French ways acquired during her stay at the court of Francis I. He had now grown tired of her sister, Mary Boleyn, and cast her off. The ambitious Anne refused to go the way of her sister and become his mistress and instead held out for marriage. Henry's conscience, always a very pliable instrument, conveniently came into play. He claimed to be troubled by a verse in Leviticus stating it was sinful for a man to take his brother's wife and as punishment, any such transgressor would be childless. He persuaded himself that this was why God had denied him a male heir by his marriage to Catherine.
Led on by the resolute Anne, now determined to become Queen, Henry resolved that he would divorce Catherine. Catherine, however, refused to comply and acquired the considerable support of her powerful nephew, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The Pope, caught in Charles' power, could not gratify Henry's desire for an annulment.
Despite the strenuous efforts of Wolsey, the Kings Great Matter, as it came to be referred to, dragged on for many years. Henry, characteristically furious and frustrated at not obtaining his own way, defied the Pope, setting himself up as head of the Church of England, a church that was Catholic in doctrine but divorced from the 'Bishop of Rome'. Wolsey, the great Cardinal, having failed to satisfy the King's requirements, was cast down from power despite many years of faithful service.
The king's matrimonial matters had now to proceed swiftly, as Anne had announced herself pregnant and Henry was determined that the child, whom he ardently convinced himself would be the longed for son, should be born in lawful matrimony. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, a man of decidedly Protestant leanings, performed the marriage service.
Henry's marriage to Catherine was declared null and void. The Act of Succession 1533, declared Catherine's daughter, Mary, illegitimate, while Henry's marriage to Anne was declared legitimate; and Anne's issue was decided to be next in the line of succession.Catherine's daughter, the Lady Mary, suffered deprivations and the humiliation of being publicly declared a bastard, she was denied access to her mother, although they continued to correspond in secret.
Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More were among many who suffered execution because they could not, in good conscience, subscribe to the Act of Supremacy. More commented that Anne Boleyn might "spurn off our heads like footballs" but it would not be long before her head "would dance the like dance," and so it proved to be. Anne's baby, born in September 1533, to Henry's fury, was not the promised son and heir, but a daughter, named Elizabeth, after the king's mother. The king ungallantly made no efforts to conceal his displeasure. When Anne later miscarried of a son in 1536 her fate was sealed.
1509-1547
The Act of Supremecy
The Act of Supremecy, passed in 1534, established King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the English Church.The Reformation Parliament of 1529-1536 approved the king's break with the see of Rome, as well as Henry's divorce and remarriage. In 1539 it was ordered that an English translation of the Bible be placed in every parish church in England.
The aged Bishop Fisher refused to subscribe to the Act of Supremecy, and hailed as a Catholic martytr, he received the support of the Pope, who promised to make him a Cardinal in reward for his heroic stand for the rights of the Church against the formidable monarch's wishes. Enraged and ruthless when opposed, Henry vowed that if a hat arrived to make him a cardinal, the Pope would find Fisher had no head on which to wear it. The Bishop stood bravely by his principles. On 17th June, 1535, he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.
Sir Thomas More, Henry's Lord Chancellor and the author of Utopia, also refused to acknowledge the Act of Supremecy. Despite the pleadings of his family, he could not bring himself, in good conscience to subscribe to the Act. After a harsh term of imprisonment in the Tower, he was informed on the morning of 1st July, 1535, that he was to die later that day. More conducted himself with great courage and walked calmly to his execution wearing a coarse garment and holding a red cross. Thomas asked the Lord Lieutenant for help to mount the steps of the scaffold and joked "but as for my coming down again, let me shift for myself." Before laying his head on the block More loudly declared "I die the king's good servant, but God's first." His head joined that of Fisher on a pike on London Bridge, but was removed under cover of darkness by sympathizers.
The Fall of Anne Boleyn
Henry's affections, always volatile and unsteadfast, had strayed to one of Anne's ladies in waiting, Jane Seymour at Wulfhall, Wiltshire. Mistress Seymour, the daughter of a Wiltshire knight, prim, quiet and subservient, was the very antithesis of Henry's argumentative, loud and strong-willed wife, and in this probably lay her attraction to the king. Anne had promised him a son, but annoyingly had failed to deliver what he wanted and he was weary of heated arguments with her.
The queen was pregnant again, and Henry fervently hoped that this time it would be a son to succeed him. On January 24th, 1536, the 44 year old King was unhorsed in a tournament at Greenwich Palace, the armour covered horse fell on top of him and he was badly injured and took quite a blow to the head. Knocked unconcious for around two hours, it seemed for a while that his life was in danger. When news of this accident reached the queen, she miscarried a male child that was about 15 weeks old, on the day of Catherine's funeral, 29 January 1536. Henry did not hide his displeasure with her failure, for most observers, this personal loss was the beginning of the end of the royal marriage. The recent death of Catherine of Aragon had rendered it possible for Henry to be rid of Anne without anticipating the prospect of again being married to Catherine. Ironically, while Catherine had lived, Anne remained safe in her position, Anne herself had long recognised the fact, declaring "she is my death and I am hers".
Anne was arrested and tried on a trumped-up charge of treason, for adultery with five men including her own brother. It is unlikely that the charges against her had any basis in fact. She defended herself at her trial with dignity and courage. A court controlled by Henry and presided over by Anne's uncle, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, pronounced her guilty. Anne was sentenced to be burned or beheaded at the king's pleasure. Disliked for her arrogant manner, there was no one to defend Anne. She stoutly maintained her innocence of the charges throughout. Deserted by everyone, she went to the block with courage. Rather than the execution be carried out by a clumsy axe, Henry had considerately brought over an expert swordsman from France to execute his wife. She was beheaded in the Tower on 19th May, 1536, to enable the King to marry his new love, Jane Seymour. Her headless body, bundled into an arrow chest, was buried unceremoniously at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, within the Tower. Only days later, with unseemly haste, Henry married Jane.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Pilgrimage of Grace
Shap Abbey
Through the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII appropriated the immense lands and riches of the church in England. The poor, who had benefited from the charity of the monasteries, suffered as a result, corrupt though the monasteries may have been they offered an education for the sons of the poor and a virtuous vocation for their daughters as well as performing many charitable acts. The confiscated monastic buildings and lands were sold to the rising gentry class, who were beginning to come to prominence under the Tudors.
Henry's minister, Thomas Cromwell was instrumental in carrying out the revolutionary changes. The north rose in protest under the leadership of Robert Aske, the Pilgrimage of Grace, as the rising was known, was put down with savage ferocity and it's leaders went to the block. As a reward for his role in the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry created Thomas Cromwell Earl of Essex.
The Birth of an Heir
Jane Seymour was highly praised for her gentle, peaceful nature, being referred to as "gentle a lady as ever I knew" by John Russell and being named as "the Pacific" by the Imperial Ambassador Eustace Chapuys for her peacemaking efforts at court. According to Chapuys, Jane was of middling stature and very pale; he also commented that she was not of much beauty. Jane made efforts to restore Henry's first child, Princess Mary, to court and to the royal succession, behind any children that Jane might have with Henry.
In October 1537, Queen Jane was delivered of a son, as he had been born on the Feast of St. Edward, the child was christened Edward, in honour of the Confessor. The birth had been a protracted and difficult one, lasting two nights and three days. Prince Edward was christened on 15 October, with his half-sisters, the 21 yearold Lady Mary as godmother and the 4 year old Lady Elizabeth carrying the chrisom. Jane Seymour died of puerperal fever a few days later, she was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, with much pomp. Henry was said to have genuinely mourned her passing and wore black for the next three months.
Anne of Cleves
Cromwell arranged a fourth marriage for the King, countering the threat of the Catholic powers, it allied him to the German Protestant princes. Henry had received glowing reports of the lady in question, Anne of Cleves and had received a flattering miniature painted by Holbein. When Anne arrived in England, Henry could not contain his haste to meet her and rushed excitedly down to Rochester to present her with New Years gifts "to nourish love". Alarmed at what he saw, he returned most reluctant to go through with the marriage and enraged at the unfortunate Cromwell.
Cromwell persuaded his obstinate, willful and deeply shocked sovereign that there was now "no remedy" but to go through with it. "If it were not to satisfy my realm and my people" complained the miserable Henry on his marriage morning "I would not do that which I must do this day for no earthly thing." His complaint that he had "not been well served" by Cromwell had an ominous and threatening ring.
In a bid for power, the Duke of Norfolk, head of the Catholic faction at court, flaunted his nubile and attractive niece, Catherine Howard, before the King. Henry was smitten by the exquisite Catherine and had his marriage to "that great Flanders Mare" Anne annulled on the grounds that she had a pre-contract with the Duke of Lorraine. Anne complied with all her formidable spouse's requests, she wisely agreed to be Henry's "good sister". Despite his past service, Cromwell was brought to the block through the machinations of his enemies.
The Fall of Catherine Howard
The King married Catherine Howard and well pleased with his new wife, the doting Henry regained some of his lost youth with his lively and vivacious fifth spouse and thanked God for his new found happiness "after sundry troubles of mind which had happened to us by marriages".
His "rose without a thorn", unknown to Henry, had already acquired a reputation, promiscuous from adolescence and manipulated into a marriage with an obese and decidedly middle aged man to satisfy her uncle's lust for power and influence, she foolishly and dangerously continued to stray after her marriage. The Protestant element at court seized their chance and pounced. The king was informed and Catherine, arrested for her affairs, became hysterical. The cuckolded Henry immersed himself in self pity at his treatment by the woman he had so loved. He announced that of all the wives he had,"not one of them had put herself out to be a comfort" to him and woefully cursed his ill fortune at "meeting with such ill conditioned wives".
An Act of Attainder, making it treason for any woman of unchaste reputation to marry the king was passed against Queen Catherine and her Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Rochford, who had been party to her infidelities. "Few of any ladies now at court would henceforth aspire to such an honour", wrote Chapuys, the Spanish ambassador, in his report of the sorry affair to Spain. The teenage Catherine was tried for high treason and followed her cousin Anne Boleyn to the Tower and the block. She regained her composure prior to her execution and asked for a block to be brought to her, where she indulged in the macabre exercise of practicing laying her neck on it.
Her execution took place on 13 February, 1542, she was reported to have "died well". Catherine was buried beside Anne at the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula within the Tower. In Victorian times, a memorial pavement was laid out to commemorate both these Queens of England and others that were executed on Tower Green and laid to rest in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula.
The Last Years
Henry's last marriage to Catherine Parr was a more sensible one. Catherine, an attractive and intelligent woman, was the widow of Lord Latimer. Despite two previous marriages, she had no children of her own, nor was it thought likely that she would produce any. Catherine took a lively interest in Henry's children and their education, she brought them to court and tried to create a family life for them, which had been conspicuously absent prior to her arrival. The King was now ageing fast and in failing health. He suffered from a suppurating ulcer on his leg, which was extremely painful and had become vastly overweight.
Henry's nephew, King James V of Scotland, had died leaving his baby daughter Mary as his sole heir. Mirrroring the behaviour of his predecessor Edward I, Henry embarked on a policy of forcing the reluctant Scots and Mary of Guise, the Scottish regent to accept a marriage between his son and heir Edward and their infant sovereign, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he insisted should be brought up at the English court. This "rough wooing" as the Scots referred to his actions, only succeeded in pushing them into renewing the "Auld Alliance" with France.
The Children of Henry VIII
As the king visibly declined, the Catholic and Protestant factions at court struggled to obtain power during the long minority reign which would inevitably follow. Attempts were made to bring about the demise of the Queen, who had strongly Protestant sympathies and was not reluctant to eagerly expound her religious beliefs to her husband. Catherine's enemies pounced and a Bill of Articles, outlining her supposed heresies, was drawn up. Catherine was forewarned of the danger and understandably terrified by the fate of her predecessors, threw herself on her husband's mercy. Henry accepted a highly flattering explanation from her. When her enemies came the next day to arrest her, Chancellor Wriothesley was set upon by the King.
The theory that the King suffered from the venereal disease syphilis, was first put forward about a century after his death. It was later suggested that his three children, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I also inherited the disease from him. However contemporary accounts contain no mention of the use of mercury, the usual remedy for syphilis at the time, being used to cure Henry's complaint. The King sustained a serious thigh wound during a jousting exercise in 1536. His acutely painful injured leg prevented him from exercising, which in turn led to increasing obesity. Measurements of his armour reveal that, between his 20s and his 50s, the 6ft 1in king's waist grew from 32in to 52in, his chest expanded from 39in to 53in. Henry also suffered from frequent headaches. As he aged, he showed signs of mental decline, severe depression, a short temper, and possibly personality change. It has been argued that the king may have also had McLeod syndrome, a genetic disorder that occurs in individuals with a Kell-positive antigen blood disorder. This would account for the multiple miscarriages on secondary pregnancies suffered by his wives, and would account for the mental instability he demonstrated later in his life. The disease also weakens the musculoskeletal system.
Henry VIII
Henry became determined in his last years to safeguard the peaceful succession of his son Edward and set about ruthlessly removing anything that he might perceive to be an obstacle to that aim. Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, the last of the Plantagenets and the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, was arrested along with other members of her family and imprisoned in the Tower.
The Countess, an indomitable old lady of great courage, determined that nothing was going to be extracted from her. An Act of Attainder was passed against her and she was held in the Tower for two years. The Countess, approaching seventy, was sentenced to death. She walked resolutely to the block on Tower Green, proudly refusing to lay her head on the block, her neck and shoulders were hideously hacked at by a novice executioner before she was decapitated.
Norfolk's son, the Earl of Surrey, was at this time foolish enough to quarter his arms with those of Edward the Confessor, thus boasting of his Plantagenet descent. Henry, of a suspicious turn of mind even at the best of times, struck out savagely. Both Surrey and Norfolk were arrested and sent to the Tower. Surrey was beheaded and Norfolk, under sentence of death, was spared only by the king's own death the night before his intended execution.
Henry VIII's Henry's obesity hastened his death at the age of 55, he spent his last days bedridden, although death appeared imminent, as it was treason to predict the King's death, not even Henry's doctors could summon the courage to inform the King. Sir Anthony Denny undertook the perilous task of warning Henry VIII that 'in man's judgement, he was not like to live' and should remember his sins, 'as becometh every good Christian man to do'. Henry responded by saying that he believed that Christ in all His mercy would 'pardon me all my sins, yea, though they were greater than can be.
Henry, at Whitehall was sinking fast, he asked for Cranmer, but by the time the Archbishop arrived he was speechless. Cranmer asked for a sign that he put his faith in Christ, at which Henry, struggling for breath, wrung his hand with all the strength he could muster. He died shortly after, in the early hours of 28th January 1547. Those responsible for the smooth handing over of power to Edward VI did not announce his death for three days.
A week later King Henry VIII was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, at his own request, with his best loved queen, Jane Seymour."
"Henry VIII
1509-1547
Early Life
The larger than life King Henry VIII, England's bluebeard, was born on 28th June, 1491 at Greenwich Palace and was christened at the church of the Observant Friars. As only the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York he had originally been intended for a career in the church.
He was provided with an excellent education, becoming fluent in French, Latin, and Spanish. The earliest glimpse we have of Henry comes from the pen of Erasmus, the great humanist scholar, who visited the nine year old Prince at the Palace of Eltham with Thomas More ;-
' When we came into the hall, the attendants....were all assembled. In the midst stood Prince Henry, now nine years old and having already something of royalty in his demeanour, in which there was a certain dignity combined with singular courtesy.'
On 14th November 1501, at ten years old, the young Henry played a major role at the wedding of his elder brother, Arthur Tudor, when he escorted the bride, Catherine of Aragon, down the aisle at St. Paul's Cathedral. Arthur's sudden death during an epidemic of the sweating sickness a few months later resulted in his unexpectedly becoming heir to the throne. Henry was betrothed, in turn, to his brother's widow.
The death of his mother shortly after was said to have greatly affected the young Henry. His father grew more avaricious and suspicious in his later years and Henry's wedding was increasingly delayed as the two fathers haggled over money. Catherine herself was reduced to penury and at the instigation of his father, Henry was made to repudiate the marriage agreement.
Concerns were raised at his father's treatment of his only remaining son. "This great boy" as Henry VII referred to him, was kept in seclusion in his apartments, which could be reached only through the king's. He was allowed only the company of his tutors and guards.
King Henry VIII came to the throne on the death of his father in April, 1509, inheriting a kingdom that was stable and a full treasury, All objections to his marriage with Catherine of Aragon were slung aside. Claiming that he was fulfilling his father's dying wish. Henry's wedding to Catherine was held at the friar's church in Greenwich on 11 June 1509. On 23 June 1509, Henry led the now 23-year-old Catherine from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey for their coronation, which took place the following day.
Two days after his coronation, Henry arranged for the arrest of his father's two most unpopular ministers, Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley. They were charged with high treason and were executed in 1510." A spot of blood and grease on the pages of English history" as Dickens aptly described him, historian Ian Crofton has argued that such executions would become Henry's primary tactic for dealing with those who stood in his way; the two executions were certainly not be the last of this most bloodstained of reigns. To cement his popularity, Henry also returned to the public some of the money supposedly extorted by the two ministers
Henry's appearance
Referred to by Winston Churchill as "a spot of blood and grease on the pages of English history", Henry VIII was tall at 6' 3" and well-built like his Yorkist grandfather, Edward IV. Like Edward, in later years muscle was to turn to fat. He possessed his Plantagenet mother's reddish auburn hair, with fair skin and was considered very good-looking by the standards of his day. Described by Giustinian, the Venetian Ambassador to the English Court as- 'the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on; above the usual height, with an extremely fine calf to his leg, his complexion very fair and bright with auburn hair combed straight and short in the French fashion, and a round face so very beautiful that it would become a pretty woman, his throat being rather long and thick'
Henry was intelligent, extrovert and confident, like most of the Tudors, he was well seen in theology. In common with the ruthless Yorkist strain, he could also be cruel and extremely self-willed. He did not take after his Lancastrian ancestors, his Tudor father or his Beaufort grandmother, who had a tendency to be austere, introvert and chaste. Henry was recognisably like his paternal grandfather, Edward IV, a gourmandiser, with an appetite also for women, capricious and cruel, yet always able to command popularity.
In his youth, Henry excelled at sports, and particularly enjoyed jousting, hunting and real tennis. He was also quite an accomplished musician, his best known piece of music is Pastime with Good Company, otherwise known as The Kynges Ballade.
Reign
Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey, the son of an Ipswich butcher, rose rapidly in Henry's service. Able, ambitious and hard working, Wolsey managed the day-to-day running of the kingdom. In 1520 Henry met the French king, Francis I and displayed his wealth and magnificence at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The sentiments of "brotherly love" discussed at this costly spectacle evaporated with unseemly haste two years later when Henry invaded France in quest of glory.
In the early years, the marriage of Henry and Catherine was a happy and stable one. Queen Catherine gave birth to a son, named Henry, on 1st January 1511. In tournaments celebrating the event the extrovert king competed as 'Sir Loyal Heart', tragically, the child died just a few weeks later.
An alliance was formed with his father-in-law Ferdinand of Aragon to launch a joint attack on France, but Ferdinand, true to character, deserted his ally as soon as his own ends had been reached. Humiliated but undeterred, Henry invaded France again in 1513, he besieged Therouanne and Tournai, both of which fell to him. At a skirmish with the French known as the Battle of the Spurs, so named for the speed of the French retreat and fought at Guinegate on 16 August, 1513, Henry finally won the glory that he had spent so much money to attain.
In the King's absence, his brother-in-law, James IV, King of Scots, allied to the French, invaded England, where Catherine of Aragon remained as regent but was defeated and killed at the Battle of Flodden by a force lead by the Earl of Surrey. Henry's elder sister Margaret, the widowed Scots Queen, became regent for her young son, now King James V. In poor taste, Catherine sent James bloodied coat to her husband in France as a victory token.
Anne Boleyn
In 1521, Henry defended the Catholic religion from Martin Luther's protests in a book entitled 'The Defence of the Seven Sacraments', a grateful pope awarded him with the title Defender of the Faith, which has been borne by subsequent English monarchs since then .
Catherine was to experience many still-births and miscarriages before producing the only surviving child of the marriage, a daughter, Mary, born in 1516. Henry doted on the child and loved to show her off to courtiers but desperately wanted a male heir, without which, he felt, England would fall back into the anarchy of the Wars of the Roses. Although Henry's marriage to Catherine was, in its early years, a happy one, Henry still took mistresses. He conducting an affair with one of the sisters of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, either Elizabeth or Anne Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. The most significant mistress was Elizabeth 'Bessie' Blount, the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Kinlet, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Elizabeth became his mistress during 1514 or 1515, a relationship which continued for about eight years, she gave birth in June 1519 to Henry's illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy. The boy was made Duke of Richmond in June 1525, Henry's father Henry VII had been Earl of Richmond before taking the throne. Soon after the birth of his son, the King began an affair with Mary Boleyn. There has been speculation that Mary's two children, Henry and Catherine Carey, were fathered by Henry, but this has never been proved, and the King never acknowledged them as he did Henry FitzRoy. In 1522, a marriage was arranged for Bessie Blount with Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme.
The King's Great Matter
Cardinal Wolsey
In 1527 Henry became hopelessly infatuated with Anne Boleyn, a young woman of the court. Anne had large, lustrous brown eyes and raven hair, combined with a stylish way of dressing and enchanting French ways acquired during her stay at the court of Francis I. He had now grown tired of her sister, Mary Boleyn, and cast her off. The ambitious Anne refused to go the way of her sister and become his mistress and instead held out for marriage. Henry's conscience, always a very pliable instrument, conveniently came into play. He claimed to be troubled by a verse in Leviticus stating it was sinful for a man to take his brother's wife and as punishment, any such transgressor would be childless. He persuaded himself that this was why God had denied him a male heir by his marriage to Catherine.
Led on by the resolute Anne, now determined to become Queen, Henry resolved that he would divorce Catherine. Catherine, however, refused to comply and acquired the considerable support of her powerful nephew, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The Pope, caught in Charles' power, could not gratify Henry's desire for an annulment.
Despite the strenuous efforts of Wolsey, the Kings Great Matter, as it came to be referred to, dragged on for many years. Henry, characteristically furious and frustrated at not obtaining his own way, defied the Pope, setting himself up as head of the Church of England, a church that was Catholic in doctrine but divorced from the 'Bishop of Rome'. Wolsey, the great Cardinal, having failed to satisfy the King's requirements, was cast down from power despite many years of faithful service.
The king's matrimonial matters had now to proceed swiftly, as Anne had announced herself pregnant and Henry was determined that the child, whom he ardently convinced himself would be the longed for son, should be born in lawful matrimony. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, a man of decidedly Protestant leanings, performed the marriage service.
Henry's marriage to Catherine was declared null and void. The Act of Succession 1533, declared Catherine's daughter, Mary, illegitimate, while Henry's marriage to Anne was declared legitimate; and Anne's issue was decided to be next in the line of succession.Catherine's daughter, the Lady Mary, suffered deprivations and the humiliation of being publicly declared a bastard, she was denied access to her mother, although they continued to correspond in secret.
Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More were among many who suffered execution because they could not, in good conscience, subscribe to the Act of Supremacy. More commented that Anne Boleyn might "spurn off our heads like footballs" but it would not be long before her head "would dance the like dance," and so it proved to be. Anne's baby, born in September 1533, to Henry's fury, was not the promised son and heir, but a daughter, named Elizabeth, after the king's mother. The king ungallantly made no efforts to conceal his displeasure. When Anne later miscarried of a son in 1536 her fate was sealed.
1509-1547
The Act of Supremecy
The Act of Supremecy, passed in 1534, established King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the English Church.The Reformation Parliament of 1529-1536 approved the king's break with the see of Rome, as well as Henry's divorce and remarriage. In 1539 it was ordered that an English translation of the Bible be placed in every parish church in England.
The aged Bishop Fisher refused to subscribe to the Act of Supremecy, and hailed as a Catholic martytr, he received the support of the Pope, who promised to make him a Cardinal in reward for his heroic stand for the rights of the Church against the formidable monarch's wishes. Enraged and ruthless when opposed, Henry vowed that if a hat arrived to make him a cardinal, the Pope would find Fisher had no head on which to wear it. The Bishop stood bravely by his principles. On 17th June, 1535, he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.
Sir Thomas More, Henry's Lord Chancellor and the author of Utopia, also refused to acknowledge the Act of Supremecy. Despite the pleadings of his family, he could not bring himself, in good conscience to subscribe to the Act. After a harsh term of imprisonment in the Tower, he was informed on the morning of 1st July, 1535, that he was to die later that day. More conducted himself with great courage and walked calmly to his execution wearing a coarse garment and holding a red cross. Thomas asked the Lord Lieutenant for help to mount the steps of the scaffold and joked "but as for my coming down again, let me shift for myself." Before laying his head on the block More loudly declared "I die the king's good servant, but God's first." His head joined that of Fisher on a pike on London Bridge, but was removed under cover of darkness by sympathizers.
The Fall of Anne Boleyn
Henry's affections, always volatile and unsteadfast, had strayed to one of Anne's ladies in waiting, Jane Seymour at Wulfhall, Wiltshire. Mistress Seymour, the daughter of a Wiltshire knight, prim, quiet and subservient, was the very antithesis of Henry's argumentative, loud and strong-willed wife, and in this probably lay her attraction to the king. Anne had promised him a son, but annoyingly had failed to deliver what he wanted and he was weary of heated arguments with her.
The queen was pregnant again, and Henry fervently hoped that this time it would be a son to succeed him. On January 24th, 1536, the 44 year old King was unhorsed in a tournament at Greenwich Palace, the armour covered horse fell on top of him and he was badly injured and took quite a blow to the head. Knocked unconcious for around two hours, it seemed for a while that his life was in danger. When news of this accident reached the queen, she miscarried a male child that was about 15 weeks old, on the day of Catherine's funeral, 29 January 1536. Henry did not hide his displeasure with her failure, for most observers, this personal loss was the beginning of the end of the royal marriage. The recent death of Catherine of Aragon had rendered it possible for Henry to be rid of Anne without anticipating the prospect of again being married to Catherine. Ironically, while Catherine had lived, Anne remained safe in her position, Anne herself had long recognised the fact, declaring "she is my death and I am hers".
Anne was arrested and tried on a trumped-up charge of treason, for adultery with five men including her own brother. It is unlikely that the charges against her had any basis in fact. She defended herself at her trial with dignity and courage. A court controlled by Henry and presided over by Anne's uncle, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, pronounced her guilty. Anne was sentenced to be burned or beheaded at the king's pleasure. Disliked for her arrogant manner, there was no one to defend Anne. She stoutly maintained her innocence of the charges throughout. Deserted by everyone, she went to the block with courage. Rather than the execution be carried out by a clumsy axe, Henry had considerately brought over an expert swordsman from France to execute his wife. She was beheaded in the Tower on 19th May, 1536, to enable the King to marry his new love, Jane Seymour. Her headless body, bundled into an arrow chest, was buried unceremoniously at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, within the Tower. Only days later, with unseemly haste, Henry married Jane.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Pilgrimage of Grace
Shap Abbey
Through the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII appropriated the immense lands and riches of the church in England. The poor, who had benefited from the charity of the monasteries, suffered as a result, corrupt though the monasteries may have been they offered an education for the sons of the poor and a virtuous vocation for their daughters as well as performing many charitable acts. The confiscated monastic buildings and lands were sold to the rising gentry class, who were beginning to come to prominence under the Tudors.
Henry's minister, Thomas Cromwell was instrumental in carrying out the revolutionary changes. The north rose in protest under the leadership of Robert Aske, the Pilgrimage of Grace, as the rising was known, was put down with savage ferocity and it's leaders went to the block. As a reward for his role in the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry created Thomas Cromwell Earl of Essex.
The Birth of an Heir
Jane Seymour was highly praised for her gentle, peaceful nature, being referred to as "gentle a lady as ever I knew" by John Russell and being named as "the Pacific" by the Imperial Ambassador Eustace Chapuys for her peacemaking efforts at court. According to Chapuys, Jane was of middling stature and very pale; he also commented that she was not of much beauty. Jane made efforts to restore Henry's first child, Princess Mary, to court and to the royal succession, behind any children that Jane might have with Henry.
In October 1537, Queen Jane was delivered of a son, as he had been born on the Feast of St. Edward, the child was christened Edward, in honour of the Confessor. The birth had been a protracted and difficult one, lasting two nights and three days. Prince Edward was christened on 15 October, with his half-sisters, the 21 yearold Lady Mary as godmother and the 4 year old Lady Elizabeth carrying the chrisom. Jane Seymour died of puerperal fever a few days later, she was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, with much pomp. Henry was said to have genuinely mourned her passing and wore black for the next three months.
Anne of Cleves
Cromwell arranged a fourth marriage for the King, countering the threat of the Catholic powers, it allied him to the German Protestant princes. Henry had received glowing reports of the lady in question, Anne of Cleves and had received a flattering miniature painted by Holbein. When Anne arrived in England, Henry could not contain his haste to meet her and rushed excitedly down to Rochester to present her with New Years gifts "to nourish love". Alarmed at what he saw, he returned most reluctant to go through with the marriage and enraged at the unfortunate Cromwell.
Cromwell persuaded his obstinate, willful and deeply shocked sovereign that there was now "no remedy" but to go through with it. "If it were not to satisfy my realm and my people" complained the miserable Henry on his marriage morning "I would not do that which I must do this day for no earthly thing." His complaint that he had "not been well served" by Cromwell had an ominous and threatening ring.
In a bid for power, the Duke of Norfolk, head of the Catholic faction at court, flaunted his nubile and attractive niece, Catherine Howard, before the King. Henry was smitten by the exquisite Catherine and had his marriage to "that great Flanders Mare" Anne annulled on the grounds that she had a pre-contract with the Duke of Lorraine. Anne complied with all her formidable spouse's requests, she wisely agreed to be Henry's "good sister". Despite his past service, Cromwell was brought to the block through the machinations of his enemies.
The Fall of Catherine Howard
The King married Catherine Howard and well pleased with his new wife, the doting Henry regained some of his lost youth with his lively and vivacious fifth spouse and thanked God for his new found happiness "after sundry troubles of mind which had happened to us by marriages".
His "rose without a thorn", unknown to Henry, had already acquired a reputation, promiscuous from adolescence and manipulated into a marriage with an obese and decidedly middle aged man to satisfy her uncle's lust for power and influence, she foolishly and dangerously continued to stray after her marriage. The Protestant element at court seized their chance and pounced. The king was informed and Catherine, arrested for her affairs, became hysterical. The cuckolded Henry immersed himself in self pity at his treatment by the woman he had so loved. He announced that of all the wives he had,"not one of them had put herself out to be a comfort" to him and woefully cursed his ill fortune at "meeting with such ill conditioned wives".
An Act of Attainder, making it treason for any woman of unchaste reputation to marry the king was passed against Queen Catherine and her Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Rochford, who had been party to her infidelities. "Few of any ladies now at court would henceforth aspire to such an honour", wrote Chapuys, the Spanish ambassador, in his report of the sorry affair to Spain. The teenage Catherine was tried for high treason and followed her cousin Anne Boleyn to the Tower and the block. She regained her composure prior to her execution and asked for a block to be brought to her, where she indulged in the macabre exercise of practicing laying her neck on it.
Her execution took place on 13 February, 1542, she was reported to have "died well". Catherine was buried beside Anne at the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula within the Tower. In Victorian times, a memorial pavement was laid out to commemorate both these Queens of England and others that were executed on Tower Green and laid to rest in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula.
The Last Years
Henry's last marriage to Catherine Parr was a more sensible one. Catherine, an attractive and intelligent woman, was the widow of Lord Latimer. Despite two previous marriages, she had no children of her own, nor was it thought likely that she would produce any. Catherine took a lively interest in Henry's children and their education, she brought them to court and tried to create a family life for them, which had been conspicuously absent prior to her arrival. The King was now ageing fast and in failing health. He suffered from a suppurating ulcer on his leg, which was extremely painful and had become vastly overweight.
Henry's nephew, King James V of Scotland, had died leaving his baby daughter Mary as his sole heir. Mirrroring the behaviour of his predecessor Edward I, Henry embarked on a policy of forcing the reluctant Scots and Mary of Guise, the Scottish regent to accept a marriage between his son and heir Edward and their infant sovereign, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he insisted should be brought up at the English court. This "rough wooing" as the Scots referred to his actions, only succeeded in pushing them into renewing the "Auld Alliance" with France.
The Children of Henry VIII
As the king visibly declined, the Catholic and Protestant factions at court struggled to obtain power during the long minority reign which would inevitably follow. Attempts were made to bring about the demise of the Queen, who had strongly Protestant sympathies and was not reluctant to eagerly expound her religious beliefs to her husband. Catherine's enemies pounced and a Bill of Articles, outlining her supposed heresies, was drawn up. Catherine was forewarned of the danger and understandably terrified by the fate of her predecessors, threw herself on her husband's mercy. Henry accepted a highly flattering explanation from her. When her enemies came the next day to arrest her, Chancellor Wriothesley was set upon by the King.
The theory that the King suffered from the venereal disease syphilis, was first put forward about a century after his death. It was later suggested that his three children, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I also inherited the disease from him. However contemporary accounts contain no mention of the use of mercury, the usual remedy for syphilis at the time, being used to cure Henry's complaint. The King sustained a serious thigh wound during a jousting exercise in 1536. His acutely painful injured leg prevented him from exercising, which in turn led to increasing obesity. Measurements of his armour reveal that, between his 20s and his 50s, the 6ft 1in king's waist grew from 32in to 52in, his chest expanded from 39in to 53in. Henry also suffered from frequent headaches. As he aged, he showed signs of mental decline, severe depression, a short temper, and possibly personality change. It has been argued that the king may have also had McLeod syndrome, a genetic disorder that occurs in individuals with a Kell-positive antigen blood disorder. This would account for the multiple miscarriages on secondary pregnancies suffered by his wives, and would account for the mental instability he demonstrated later in his life. The disease also weakens the musculoskeletal system.
Henry VIII
Henry became determined in his last years to safeguard the peaceful succession of his son Edward and set about ruthlessly removing anything that he might perceive to be an obstacle to that aim. Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, the last of the Plantagenets and the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, was arrested along with other members of her family and imprisoned in the Tower.
The Countess, an indomitable old lady of great courage, determined that nothing was going to be extracted from her. An Act of Attainder was passed against her and she was held in the Tower for two years. The Countess, approaching seventy, was sentenced to death. She walked resolutely to the block on Tower Green, proudly refusing to lay her head on the block, her neck and shoulders were hideously hacked at by a novice executioner before she was decapitated.
Norfolk's son, the Earl of Surrey, was at this time foolish enough to quarter his arms with those of Edward the Confessor, thus boasting of his Plantagenet descent. Henry, of a suspicious turn of mind even at the best of times, struck out savagely. Both Surrey and Norfolk were arrested and sent to the Tower. Surrey was beheaded and Norfolk, under sentence of death, was spared only by the king's own death the night before his intended execution.
Henry VIII's Henry's obesity hastened his death at the age of 55, he spent his last days bedridden, although death appeared imminent, as it was treason to predict the King's death, not even Henry's doctors could summon the courage to inform the King. Sir Anthony Denny undertook the perilous task of warning Henry VIII that 'in man's judgement, he was not like to live' and should remember his sins, 'as becometh every good Christian man to do'. Henry responded by saying that he believed that Christ in all His mercy would 'pardon me all my sins, yea, though they were greater than can be.
Henry, at Whitehall was sinking fast, he asked for Cranmer, but by the time the Archbishop arrived he was speechless. Cranmer asked for a sign that he put his faith in Christ, at which Henry, struggling for breath, wrung his hand with all the strength he could muster. He died shortly after, in the early hours of 28th January 1547. Those responsible for the smooth handing over of power to Edward VI did not announce his death for three days.
A week later King Henry VIII was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, at his own request, with his best loved queen, Jane Seymour."
Henry VIII.
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Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. Henry was the second Tudor monarch, succeeding his father...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on June 28 1491, Henry VIII, King of England (1509-47) who separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, was born in London (d. 1547).
King Henry VIII 1491–1547
Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. Henry was the second Tudor monarch, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Henry is best known for his six marriages and, in particular, his efforts to have his first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, annulled. His disagreement with the Pope on the question of such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority and appointing himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Despite his resulting excommunication, Henry remained a believer in core Catholic theological teachings. His contemporaries considered Henry in his prime to be an attractive, educated and accomplished king. He has been described as "one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne". He was an author and composer. As he aged, Henry became severely obese and his health suffered, contributing to his death in 1547. He is frequently characterised in his later life as a lustful, egotistical, harsh, and insecure king.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8cIefHJJVE
Images:
1. February 18, 1503, Henry Tudor (later Henry VIII) was created Prince of Wales.
2. Henry Tudor [Henry VIII
3. The Six Wives of Henry VIII and the 4 children of Henry VVIII
4. January 26, 1547 Henry VIII on his deathbed by Beth von Statts
Background from {[https://www.ancient.eu/Henry_VIII_of_England/]}
Henry VIII of England
by Mark Cartwright published on 09 April 2020
Henry VIII of England ruled as king from 1509 to 1547 CE. The second Tudor king after his father Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509 CE), Henry had inherited a kingdom which enjoyed both unity and sound finances. Famous for his six wives as he searched for a male heir, the king was charismatic and domineering. In order to escape his first marriage, Henry set himself against the Pope and so began the Reformation of the Church in England whereby it broke away from Rome and the English monarch became its supreme head. A larger-than-life figure, Henry centralised government, further absorbed Wales into his kingdom, saw to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, formed the Royal Navy and built magnificent palaces such as St. James’ in London. When Henry died, though, in 1547 CE, he was succeeded by his juvenile son Edward VI of England (r. 1547-1553 CE) and he left him an impoverished kingdom split over religious issues.
Henry Tudor
Henry Tudor had defeated and killed Richard III of England (r. 1483-1485 CE) at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485 CE in the last major action of England’s dynastic dispute known as the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487 CE). The House of Lancaster had finally defeated the House of York but Henry, crowned Henry VII of England in October 1485 CE, was intent on creating a brand new ruling house: the Tudors. Henry married Elizabeth of York (b. 1466 CE), daughter of Edward IV of England (r. 1461-70 & 1471-83 CE), on 18 January 1486 CE and he even combined the livery badges of York and Lancaster to create a new royal symbol: the Tudor Rose. England was about to enter the post-medieval era with a new look and a new type of monarchy.
Early Life
Henry VII had seen off a few final challenges to his rule and set about filling the state coffers as much as he could, strengthening the crown and weakening the nobility in the process. The king’s eldest son was Arthur (b. 1486 CE) and he had married the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand II, in 1501 CE. Unfortunately, Arthur died the next year aged just 15. The king’s next eldest son, Henry, born on 28 June 1491 CE at Greenwich Palace, became the heir to the throne and in 1503 CE he was made the Prince of Wales. Henry VII was keen to maintain friendly relations with Spain and so Prince Henry, after special permission was gained from the Pope, was betrothed to Catherine of Aragon. When Henry VII died of illness on 21 April 1509 CE, Prince Henry became king. As arranged, he married Catherine on 11 June and was crowned Henry VIII in Westminster Abbey on 24 June 1509 CE.
HENRY’S PROBLEM WAS HOW TO RELIEVE HIMSELF OF CATHERINE OF ARAGON, AN ISSUE KNOWN AS THE KING’S ‘GREAT MATTER’.
Contrary to the later and more famous portraits of Henry VIII, in his youth the king cut an athletic figure and, 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in) tall with red hair and beard, an imposing one. Not for nothing was he a champion of the medieval tournaments his father had loved to organise. The prince was also a fine archer, horseman and tennis player, and when he was at rest he composed poetry and music and brushed up on his impressive knowledge of theology. In short, Henry was an intelligent and charismatic character who charmed all he met. The historian John Miller gives the following summary of Henry’s powerful but changing character:
[Henry was] strong-willed, shrewd, capable of being moved to fits of generosity and enthusiasm, but also to savage anger. As a young man he was determined to enjoy being King and to outshine his contemporaries. As he passed his prime he became suspicious, capricious, devious and sometimes cruel. (96)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Henry, perpetually in search of a male heir, went through an incredible six wives. These, and the children they bore, were:
• Catherine of Aragon (m. June 1509 CE) - Mary (b. Feb. 1516 CE)
• Anne Boleyn (m. Jan. 1533 CE) - Elizabeth (b. Sep. 1533 CE)
• Jane Seymour (m. May 1536 CE) - Edward (b. Oct. 1537 CE)
• Anne of Cleves (m. Jan. 1540 CE)
• Catherine Howard (m. July 1540 CE)
• Catherine Parr (m. July 1543 CE)
The king’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon produced six children but all except one died in infancy. The sole survivor was Mary, born on 18 February 1516 CE. Henry had an illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond (b. 1519 CE), with a mistress, one Elizabeth Blount but that was not much use to a king who craved a recognised heir. The king began looking for a new wife and he found his ideal candidate in Anne Boleyn, younger sister of one of the king’s former conquests. Anne insisted on marrying the king before any thoughts could be entertained of raising a family. Henry’s problem, then, was how to relieve himself of Catherine, an issue known as the king’s ‘great matter’.
THE LONG-AWAITED ARRIVAL OF A MALE HEIR SPARKED OFF GUN SALUTES, BELL-RINGING & BANQUETS.
The solution seemed to be a letter to the Pope suggesting that the lack of a male heir was God’s punishment for Henry marrying the wife of his late brother, a point supported by the Old Testament (the ‘Prohibition of Leviticus’, Leviticus ch. 20 v. 21). Consequently, the king wished for the Pope to annul the marriage. Unfortunately for Henry, Pope Clement VII (r. 1523-1534 CE) was keen to keep good favour with the most powerful ruler in Europe at the time, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V of Spain (r. 1519-1556 CE), who was, significantly, the nephew of Catherine. Further, it was unlikely that Catherine and Arthur, being so young at the time, had ever slept together and so the ‘Prohibition of Leviticus’ did not in this case apply. The Pope at least sent Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio to England to investigate the matter and preside over a special court in June 1529 CE. Here both Catherine, determined to stay queen, and Henry, determined to get himself a new queen, presented their respective cases.
Despite Campeggio’s efforts, nothing was resolved. Henry’s next tactic was to permanently separate Catherine from her daughter Mary and shift her about the country to various dilapidated residences. Meanwhile, Henry and Anne Boleyn lived together (but did not sleep together). Sometime in December 1532 CE, Anne, perhaps seeing a baby as the best way to rid herself of her rival Catherine, did sleep with the king and became pregnant. There would be serious repercussions regarding the Church but eventually, Henry had his marriage annulled the next year (see below). Catherine died of cancer in January 1536 CE.
With Anne Boleyn, often known as ‘Anne of a thousand days’ for her brief reign as queen of the king’s heart, Henry had a second daughter, Elizabeth, born on 7 September 1533 CE. However, when the king discovered that Anne had had an affair and his eye had been caught by his next wife, he ordered her execution. The charge, and others ranging from incest to witchcraft, were trumped up because Anne had not produced a healthy male sibling to accompany Elizabeth and the king had tired of their turbulent relationship. Anne was found guilty and executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 CE. A few weeks later Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting at court, and she finally gave the king a son, Edward, born on 12 October 1537 CE. The long-awaited arrival of a male heir sparked off gun salutes, bell-ringing and banquets across England. Tragically, Jane died shortly after and Henry genuinely mourned her passing; of all his wives it is significant that this was the one he wished to be buried alongside.
Anne of Cleves (daughter of the Duke of the German Duchy of that name) was wife number four but she displeased the king - he had been misled by an overly flattering portrait of her before they had met in person. Henry married her anyway but, rudely calling her the ‘Flanders mare’, changed his mind a few months later and they divorced by mutual consent on 9 July 1540 CE. Anne was relieved to escape with her life but Henry gave her a generous allowance, enough to live the high life until her death in 1557 CE.
Wife number five was Catherine Howard, then only a teenager and another lady-in-waiting at court that had caught the king’s eye. Catherine suffered the same fate as Anne Boleyn when she, too, was accused of having an extramarital affair with a member of the court, one Thomas Culpeper, and an incriminating love letter was produced at her hearing before Parliament. Catherine was executed in the Tower of London in February 1542 CE.
The sixth and final wife was Catherine Parr, already a two-time widow. Catherine, then in her thirties, was a more mature lady than her immediate predecessors, and perhaps because of this, the marriage was a success and the family home a happy one. Catherine outlived Henry but died from complications of childbirth in September 1548 CE.
Government
Unlike many of his medieval predecessors who relied on feudal ties of loyalty, Henry created a court where even lower nobles could get on if they gained the king’s favour. The king carefully selected a group of wise men to rule his kingdom for him and chief amongst these was Thomas Wolsey (l. c. 1473-1530 CE). Wolsey was the son of a butcher but he would eventually rise to become Cardinal Archbishop of York. One of his successors as sole minister to the king was an equally ambitious individual, Thomas Cromwell (l. c. 1485-1540 CE), son of a blacksmith. Both Wolsey and Cromwell would eventually displease the king - the former for his lack of success in resolving the ‘great matter’ and the latter for the Anne of Cleves debacle. Both men would be tried for treason. They would be replaced from 1540 CE by the Privy Council, which regained some of its former function and so high government once again involved a cabinet of ministers rather than a single all-powerful one who could monopolise the king. Henry VIII also made good use of Parliament and that institution went from strength to strength as his reign went on.
In 1536 CE Wales was further integrated into the state apparatus of England and divided into 13 counties in 1543 CE. English was made the official language, and Welsh was banned in official circles. Ireland proved a little more difficult, but the king’s ambition to create a centralised kingdom is indicated by his adoption of the title ‘King of Ireland’ in 1541 CE where previous English kings had only called themselves ‘Lord of Ireland’. Finally, the remote north of England was kept in tighter check by the establishment of the Council of the North after 1536 CE.
The Church of England
Henry was a keen scholar of theology and he had no intention of leaving such an important institution as the Church to its own devices. The king wrote a treatise which attacked Lutheranism and was rewarded by the Pope honouring him in 1521 CE with the title 'Defender of the Faith' (fidei defensor - the F.D. still appears on U.K. coins today). Relations turned sour, though, when Henry wanted his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon annulled and the king blamed both the Pope and Wolsey for the lack of progress in the matter. Wolsey was eventually accused of treason but he died on his way to trial in 1530 CE. When Thomas Cromwell took over the case, Henry’s will was pushed to its logical conclusion: England would run its own Church free from the obligations of Rome. Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury formally annulled Henry’s first marriage in May 1533 CE (although Henry and Anne Boleyn had married in secret a few months earlier). This annulment and Parliament’s passing of the Act of Succession (30 April 1534 CE) meant that Catherine’s daughter Mary was declared illegitimate. Anne Boleyn was crowned queen in June and her daughter Elizabeth, born in September 1533 CE, was thus recognised as the king’s official heir. Henry was excommunicated by the Pope for his actions but by now the whole affair had taken on a significance far beyond royal marriages.
In order to replace the Pope as head of the Catholic Church in England, Henry made himself head of the Church of England. This was achieved by the Act of Supremacy of 28 November 1534 CE and meant that Henry, and all subsequent English monarchs, only had one higher authority: God himself. The next scene in this momentous drama came in 1536 CE when Henry presented Parliament with a bill to abolish all monasteries in his kingdom, the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The bill was passed and the estates of the monasteries were redistributed to the Crown and Henry’s supporters. The abbots of Glastonbury, Colchester, Reading, and Woburn were all hanged and the last monastery to close was Waltham Abbey in Essex in March 1540 CE.
A good many subjects were keen to see reform in the Church and so continue the Protestant Reformation movement that was sweeping across Europe. Many regarded the Church as too rich and too full of priests abusing their position. Certainly not everyone, however, was in agreement with Henry’s break from the Pope. Consequently, there were both executions and uprisings. Chief obstacle at court was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535 CE), Henry’s former chancellor who disagreed with the divorce with Catherine and Henry’s presumption to put himself above the Pope. More was executed for his beliefs in July 1535 CE.
The most notable episode of unrest was in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire where Catholics gathered in protest in the so-called Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 CE. The king would brook no opposition, though, and 178 of the protestors, including their leader Robert Aske, were executed in June 1537 CE. Another move towards independence was the king’s approval for a translation of the Bible in English in 1539 CE. It is important to remember though, that Henry was not dead set on reforming the doctrine of the Church; his commitment to traditional Catholic practices such as mass, confession and clerical celibacy, is evidenced in the 1539 CE Act of Six Articles.
Foreign Policy & Spending
Every inch the medieval king, Henry VIII seemed to dismiss the realities of post-medieval Europe and embarked on a series of military campaigns like so many of his predecessors had done. Despite Henry’s sister Margaret (b. 1489 CE) having married King James IV of Scotland (r. 1488-1513 CE) in 1503 CE, Henry sent an army north and won a resounding victory at Flodden in 1513 CE where James IV was killed. Another invading army attacked Edinburgh in 1544 CE but was defeated at the Battle of Ancrum Moore in 1545 CE. Scotland became an unsolved problem that Henry’s successors would have to deal with.
Henry, again like many of his predecessors, could not resist a stab at conquering France. However, of his several invasions across the Channel, none were particularly successful, despite a minor naval victory at the Battle of the Spurs (16 August 1513 CE). Henry changed tack and his sister, Mary (b. 1496 CE) was married off to Louis XII of France (1498-1515 CE) in 1514 CE. In 1518 CE, Henry settled for the status quo in Europe and a mutual defence agreement was signed with France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. To pay for these expensive on-off wars in Scotland and France, Henry was obliged to sell off the lands he had confiscated from the Church to any noble who put in a decent offer. The high costs and the lack of wealth of England compared to far richer France meant Henry had to abandon another series of campaigns in the 1540s CE and he did well to settle for a peace deal in 1546 CE where he at least won control of Boulogne for eight years.
A happier escapade on French soil was the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a spectacular show of pomp and pageantry held just outside Calais in June 1520 CE. The event, which included jousting, hunting and banquets, involved masses of luxury tents (hence its name) and was held as a magnificent if somewhat empty show of friendship between England and France: Henry and Francis I of France (r. 1515-1547 CE).
Another of Henry’s successes, and one with far-reaching consequences for the history of England, was his creation of the Royal Navy. The fleet included the great warships Mary Rose and Henry Grâce à Dieu (aka ‘Great Harry’). The former was Henry’s magnificent flagship ship but it sank in the Solent River in 1545 CE with the loss of 500 lives. The wreck was salvaged in 1982 CE. Eager to make an impression everywhere, the king also built the fine palaces of Whitehall and Saint James’ in London and significantly revamped Hampton Court. The grandest of all was Nonsuch in Surrey, a private pleasure palace for the king that was built to commemorate 30 years of rule. The name derived from the boast that no such finer place existed anywhere and it was indeed an extravagant residence where the king could enjoy his favourite pastimes of hunting and hawking. Nonsuch was not completed until after the king’s death and, after going through various owners, was finally demolished in the 17th century CE.
All of Henry VIII’s 60 houses were lavishly furnished with tapestries, fine art, and gold and silver plate. Thus, by the end of his reign, the king had overspent on war and frivolities, and rampant inflation meant that the pot of gold his father had carefully accumulated had all been squandered. Henry, cruel and vindictive, had few friends left and a kingdom divided over religious matters. Henry VIII, then, whose early reign had promised so much, left little in terms of a lasting legacy except a plethora of portraits, silent testimony to one man’s vanity and delusions of imperial grandeur.
Death & Successor
Henry VIII’s health declined rapidly in his later years. The king suffered a badly ulcerated leg and was so overweight he had to be pushed around on a wheeled contraption. The king died on 28 January 1547 CE at Whitehall Palace in London, he was 55 years old. Henry was buried in Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, next to his late third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry was succeeded by his son Edward VI, crowned in Westminster Abbey on 20 February 1547 CE. Edward was only nine and he would die of tuberculosis in 1553 CE aged 15. He was succeeded by another short-reigning monarch, his half-sister Mary I, who reigned until 1558 CE. Henry VIII’s second daughter then became queen, Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603 CE) and with her in swept the Golden Age of England."
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King Henry VIII 1491–1547
Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. Henry was the second Tudor monarch, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Henry is best known for his six marriages and, in particular, his efforts to have his first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, annulled. His disagreement with the Pope on the question of such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority and appointing himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Despite his resulting excommunication, Henry remained a believer in core Catholic theological teachings. His contemporaries considered Henry in his prime to be an attractive, educated and accomplished king. He has been described as "one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne". He was an author and composer. As he aged, Henry became severely obese and his health suffered, contributing to his death in 1547. He is frequently characterised in his later life as a lustful, egotistical, harsh, and insecure king.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8cIefHJJVE
Images:
1. February 18, 1503, Henry Tudor (later Henry VIII) was created Prince of Wales.
2. Henry Tudor [Henry VIII
3. The Six Wives of Henry VIII and the 4 children of Henry VVIII
4. January 26, 1547 Henry VIII on his deathbed by Beth von Statts
Background from {[https://www.ancient.eu/Henry_VIII_of_England/]}
Henry VIII of England
by Mark Cartwright published on 09 April 2020
Henry VIII of England ruled as king from 1509 to 1547 CE. The second Tudor king after his father Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509 CE), Henry had inherited a kingdom which enjoyed both unity and sound finances. Famous for his six wives as he searched for a male heir, the king was charismatic and domineering. In order to escape his first marriage, Henry set himself against the Pope and so began the Reformation of the Church in England whereby it broke away from Rome and the English monarch became its supreme head. A larger-than-life figure, Henry centralised government, further absorbed Wales into his kingdom, saw to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, formed the Royal Navy and built magnificent palaces such as St. James’ in London. When Henry died, though, in 1547 CE, he was succeeded by his juvenile son Edward VI of England (r. 1547-1553 CE) and he left him an impoverished kingdom split over religious issues.
Henry Tudor
Henry Tudor had defeated and killed Richard III of England (r. 1483-1485 CE) at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485 CE in the last major action of England’s dynastic dispute known as the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487 CE). The House of Lancaster had finally defeated the House of York but Henry, crowned Henry VII of England in October 1485 CE, was intent on creating a brand new ruling house: the Tudors. Henry married Elizabeth of York (b. 1466 CE), daughter of Edward IV of England (r. 1461-70 & 1471-83 CE), on 18 January 1486 CE and he even combined the livery badges of York and Lancaster to create a new royal symbol: the Tudor Rose. England was about to enter the post-medieval era with a new look and a new type of monarchy.
Early Life
Henry VII had seen off a few final challenges to his rule and set about filling the state coffers as much as he could, strengthening the crown and weakening the nobility in the process. The king’s eldest son was Arthur (b. 1486 CE) and he had married the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand II, in 1501 CE. Unfortunately, Arthur died the next year aged just 15. The king’s next eldest son, Henry, born on 28 June 1491 CE at Greenwich Palace, became the heir to the throne and in 1503 CE he was made the Prince of Wales. Henry VII was keen to maintain friendly relations with Spain and so Prince Henry, after special permission was gained from the Pope, was betrothed to Catherine of Aragon. When Henry VII died of illness on 21 April 1509 CE, Prince Henry became king. As arranged, he married Catherine on 11 June and was crowned Henry VIII in Westminster Abbey on 24 June 1509 CE.
HENRY’S PROBLEM WAS HOW TO RELIEVE HIMSELF OF CATHERINE OF ARAGON, AN ISSUE KNOWN AS THE KING’S ‘GREAT MATTER’.
Contrary to the later and more famous portraits of Henry VIII, in his youth the king cut an athletic figure and, 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in) tall with red hair and beard, an imposing one. Not for nothing was he a champion of the medieval tournaments his father had loved to organise. The prince was also a fine archer, horseman and tennis player, and when he was at rest he composed poetry and music and brushed up on his impressive knowledge of theology. In short, Henry was an intelligent and charismatic character who charmed all he met. The historian John Miller gives the following summary of Henry’s powerful but changing character:
[Henry was] strong-willed, shrewd, capable of being moved to fits of generosity and enthusiasm, but also to savage anger. As a young man he was determined to enjoy being King and to outshine his contemporaries. As he passed his prime he became suspicious, capricious, devious and sometimes cruel. (96)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Henry, perpetually in search of a male heir, went through an incredible six wives. These, and the children they bore, were:
• Catherine of Aragon (m. June 1509 CE) - Mary (b. Feb. 1516 CE)
• Anne Boleyn (m. Jan. 1533 CE) - Elizabeth (b. Sep. 1533 CE)
• Jane Seymour (m. May 1536 CE) - Edward (b. Oct. 1537 CE)
• Anne of Cleves (m. Jan. 1540 CE)
• Catherine Howard (m. July 1540 CE)
• Catherine Parr (m. July 1543 CE)
The king’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon produced six children but all except one died in infancy. The sole survivor was Mary, born on 18 February 1516 CE. Henry had an illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond (b. 1519 CE), with a mistress, one Elizabeth Blount but that was not much use to a king who craved a recognised heir. The king began looking for a new wife and he found his ideal candidate in Anne Boleyn, younger sister of one of the king’s former conquests. Anne insisted on marrying the king before any thoughts could be entertained of raising a family. Henry’s problem, then, was how to relieve himself of Catherine, an issue known as the king’s ‘great matter’.
THE LONG-AWAITED ARRIVAL OF A MALE HEIR SPARKED OFF GUN SALUTES, BELL-RINGING & BANQUETS.
The solution seemed to be a letter to the Pope suggesting that the lack of a male heir was God’s punishment for Henry marrying the wife of his late brother, a point supported by the Old Testament (the ‘Prohibition of Leviticus’, Leviticus ch. 20 v. 21). Consequently, the king wished for the Pope to annul the marriage. Unfortunately for Henry, Pope Clement VII (r. 1523-1534 CE) was keen to keep good favour with the most powerful ruler in Europe at the time, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V of Spain (r. 1519-1556 CE), who was, significantly, the nephew of Catherine. Further, it was unlikely that Catherine and Arthur, being so young at the time, had ever slept together and so the ‘Prohibition of Leviticus’ did not in this case apply. The Pope at least sent Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio to England to investigate the matter and preside over a special court in June 1529 CE. Here both Catherine, determined to stay queen, and Henry, determined to get himself a new queen, presented their respective cases.
Despite Campeggio’s efforts, nothing was resolved. Henry’s next tactic was to permanently separate Catherine from her daughter Mary and shift her about the country to various dilapidated residences. Meanwhile, Henry and Anne Boleyn lived together (but did not sleep together). Sometime in December 1532 CE, Anne, perhaps seeing a baby as the best way to rid herself of her rival Catherine, did sleep with the king and became pregnant. There would be serious repercussions regarding the Church but eventually, Henry had his marriage annulled the next year (see below). Catherine died of cancer in January 1536 CE.
With Anne Boleyn, often known as ‘Anne of a thousand days’ for her brief reign as queen of the king’s heart, Henry had a second daughter, Elizabeth, born on 7 September 1533 CE. However, when the king discovered that Anne had had an affair and his eye had been caught by his next wife, he ordered her execution. The charge, and others ranging from incest to witchcraft, were trumped up because Anne had not produced a healthy male sibling to accompany Elizabeth and the king had tired of their turbulent relationship. Anne was found guilty and executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 CE. A few weeks later Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting at court, and she finally gave the king a son, Edward, born on 12 October 1537 CE. The long-awaited arrival of a male heir sparked off gun salutes, bell-ringing and banquets across England. Tragically, Jane died shortly after and Henry genuinely mourned her passing; of all his wives it is significant that this was the one he wished to be buried alongside.
Anne of Cleves (daughter of the Duke of the German Duchy of that name) was wife number four but she displeased the king - he had been misled by an overly flattering portrait of her before they had met in person. Henry married her anyway but, rudely calling her the ‘Flanders mare’, changed his mind a few months later and they divorced by mutual consent on 9 July 1540 CE. Anne was relieved to escape with her life but Henry gave her a generous allowance, enough to live the high life until her death in 1557 CE.
Wife number five was Catherine Howard, then only a teenager and another lady-in-waiting at court that had caught the king’s eye. Catherine suffered the same fate as Anne Boleyn when she, too, was accused of having an extramarital affair with a member of the court, one Thomas Culpeper, and an incriminating love letter was produced at her hearing before Parliament. Catherine was executed in the Tower of London in February 1542 CE.
The sixth and final wife was Catherine Parr, already a two-time widow. Catherine, then in her thirties, was a more mature lady than her immediate predecessors, and perhaps because of this, the marriage was a success and the family home a happy one. Catherine outlived Henry but died from complications of childbirth in September 1548 CE.
Government
Unlike many of his medieval predecessors who relied on feudal ties of loyalty, Henry created a court where even lower nobles could get on if they gained the king’s favour. The king carefully selected a group of wise men to rule his kingdom for him and chief amongst these was Thomas Wolsey (l. c. 1473-1530 CE). Wolsey was the son of a butcher but he would eventually rise to become Cardinal Archbishop of York. One of his successors as sole minister to the king was an equally ambitious individual, Thomas Cromwell (l. c. 1485-1540 CE), son of a blacksmith. Both Wolsey and Cromwell would eventually displease the king - the former for his lack of success in resolving the ‘great matter’ and the latter for the Anne of Cleves debacle. Both men would be tried for treason. They would be replaced from 1540 CE by the Privy Council, which regained some of its former function and so high government once again involved a cabinet of ministers rather than a single all-powerful one who could monopolise the king. Henry VIII also made good use of Parliament and that institution went from strength to strength as his reign went on.
In 1536 CE Wales was further integrated into the state apparatus of England and divided into 13 counties in 1543 CE. English was made the official language, and Welsh was banned in official circles. Ireland proved a little more difficult, but the king’s ambition to create a centralised kingdom is indicated by his adoption of the title ‘King of Ireland’ in 1541 CE where previous English kings had only called themselves ‘Lord of Ireland’. Finally, the remote north of England was kept in tighter check by the establishment of the Council of the North after 1536 CE.
The Church of England
Henry was a keen scholar of theology and he had no intention of leaving such an important institution as the Church to its own devices. The king wrote a treatise which attacked Lutheranism and was rewarded by the Pope honouring him in 1521 CE with the title 'Defender of the Faith' (fidei defensor - the F.D. still appears on U.K. coins today). Relations turned sour, though, when Henry wanted his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon annulled and the king blamed both the Pope and Wolsey for the lack of progress in the matter. Wolsey was eventually accused of treason but he died on his way to trial in 1530 CE. When Thomas Cromwell took over the case, Henry’s will was pushed to its logical conclusion: England would run its own Church free from the obligations of Rome. Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury formally annulled Henry’s first marriage in May 1533 CE (although Henry and Anne Boleyn had married in secret a few months earlier). This annulment and Parliament’s passing of the Act of Succession (30 April 1534 CE) meant that Catherine’s daughter Mary was declared illegitimate. Anne Boleyn was crowned queen in June and her daughter Elizabeth, born in September 1533 CE, was thus recognised as the king’s official heir. Henry was excommunicated by the Pope for his actions but by now the whole affair had taken on a significance far beyond royal marriages.
In order to replace the Pope as head of the Catholic Church in England, Henry made himself head of the Church of England. This was achieved by the Act of Supremacy of 28 November 1534 CE and meant that Henry, and all subsequent English monarchs, only had one higher authority: God himself. The next scene in this momentous drama came in 1536 CE when Henry presented Parliament with a bill to abolish all monasteries in his kingdom, the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The bill was passed and the estates of the monasteries were redistributed to the Crown and Henry’s supporters. The abbots of Glastonbury, Colchester, Reading, and Woburn were all hanged and the last monastery to close was Waltham Abbey in Essex in March 1540 CE.
A good many subjects were keen to see reform in the Church and so continue the Protestant Reformation movement that was sweeping across Europe. Many regarded the Church as too rich and too full of priests abusing their position. Certainly not everyone, however, was in agreement with Henry’s break from the Pope. Consequently, there were both executions and uprisings. Chief obstacle at court was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535 CE), Henry’s former chancellor who disagreed with the divorce with Catherine and Henry’s presumption to put himself above the Pope. More was executed for his beliefs in July 1535 CE.
The most notable episode of unrest was in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire where Catholics gathered in protest in the so-called Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 CE. The king would brook no opposition, though, and 178 of the protestors, including their leader Robert Aske, were executed in June 1537 CE. Another move towards independence was the king’s approval for a translation of the Bible in English in 1539 CE. It is important to remember though, that Henry was not dead set on reforming the doctrine of the Church; his commitment to traditional Catholic practices such as mass, confession and clerical celibacy, is evidenced in the 1539 CE Act of Six Articles.
Foreign Policy & Spending
Every inch the medieval king, Henry VIII seemed to dismiss the realities of post-medieval Europe and embarked on a series of military campaigns like so many of his predecessors had done. Despite Henry’s sister Margaret (b. 1489 CE) having married King James IV of Scotland (r. 1488-1513 CE) in 1503 CE, Henry sent an army north and won a resounding victory at Flodden in 1513 CE where James IV was killed. Another invading army attacked Edinburgh in 1544 CE but was defeated at the Battle of Ancrum Moore in 1545 CE. Scotland became an unsolved problem that Henry’s successors would have to deal with.
Henry, again like many of his predecessors, could not resist a stab at conquering France. However, of his several invasions across the Channel, none were particularly successful, despite a minor naval victory at the Battle of the Spurs (16 August 1513 CE). Henry changed tack and his sister, Mary (b. 1496 CE) was married off to Louis XII of France (1498-1515 CE) in 1514 CE. In 1518 CE, Henry settled for the status quo in Europe and a mutual defence agreement was signed with France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. To pay for these expensive on-off wars in Scotland and France, Henry was obliged to sell off the lands he had confiscated from the Church to any noble who put in a decent offer. The high costs and the lack of wealth of England compared to far richer France meant Henry had to abandon another series of campaigns in the 1540s CE and he did well to settle for a peace deal in 1546 CE where he at least won control of Boulogne for eight years.
A happier escapade on French soil was the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a spectacular show of pomp and pageantry held just outside Calais in June 1520 CE. The event, which included jousting, hunting and banquets, involved masses of luxury tents (hence its name) and was held as a magnificent if somewhat empty show of friendship between England and France: Henry and Francis I of France (r. 1515-1547 CE).
Another of Henry’s successes, and one with far-reaching consequences for the history of England, was his creation of the Royal Navy. The fleet included the great warships Mary Rose and Henry Grâce à Dieu (aka ‘Great Harry’). The former was Henry’s magnificent flagship ship but it sank in the Solent River in 1545 CE with the loss of 500 lives. The wreck was salvaged in 1982 CE. Eager to make an impression everywhere, the king also built the fine palaces of Whitehall and Saint James’ in London and significantly revamped Hampton Court. The grandest of all was Nonsuch in Surrey, a private pleasure palace for the king that was built to commemorate 30 years of rule. The name derived from the boast that no such finer place existed anywhere and it was indeed an extravagant residence where the king could enjoy his favourite pastimes of hunting and hawking. Nonsuch was not completed until after the king’s death and, after going through various owners, was finally demolished in the 17th century CE.
All of Henry VIII’s 60 houses were lavishly furnished with tapestries, fine art, and gold and silver plate. Thus, by the end of his reign, the king had overspent on war and frivolities, and rampant inflation meant that the pot of gold his father had carefully accumulated had all been squandered. Henry, cruel and vindictive, had few friends left and a kingdom divided over religious matters. Henry VIII, then, whose early reign had promised so much, left little in terms of a lasting legacy except a plethora of portraits, silent testimony to one man’s vanity and delusions of imperial grandeur.
Death & Successor
Henry VIII’s health declined rapidly in his later years. The king suffered a badly ulcerated leg and was so overweight he had to be pushed around on a wheeled contraption. The king died on 28 January 1547 CE at Whitehall Palace in London, he was 55 years old. Henry was buried in Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, next to his late third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry was succeeded by his son Edward VI, crowned in Westminster Abbey on 20 February 1547 CE. Edward was only nine and he would die of tuberculosis in 1553 CE aged 15. He was succeeded by another short-reigning monarch, his half-sister Mary I, who reigned until 1558 CE. Henry VIII’s second daughter then became queen, Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603 CE) and with her in swept the Golden Age of England."
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LTC Stephen F.
In this episode of 5 Minute Biographies, we take a look at the life of one of the most famous, or notorious, Kings of England - King Henry VIII Want to know ...
King Henry VIII Biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwzq0FCeWW8
Images:
1. Catherine of Aragon pleading for her marriage to Henry VIII
2. portrait of Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) by Hans Holbein, 1540 CE.
3. oil painting dating to c. 1545 CE illustrating the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold', a magnificent pageant held near Calais in June 1520 CE as a show of friendship between Henry VIII of England
4. Portrait of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour. and Prince Edward, The Great Hall, Hampton Court Palace.
FYI 1sg-dan-capriA1C Ian Williams SSgt Boyd Herrst Col Carl Whicker Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett JrSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-Cwik TSgt David L.PO1 Robert GeorgeSSG Robert Mark Odom LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCord Cynthia Croft SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG William JonesSP5 Jesse Engel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwzq0FCeWW8
Images:
1. Catherine of Aragon pleading for her marriage to Henry VIII
2. portrait of Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) by Hans Holbein, 1540 CE.
3. oil painting dating to c. 1545 CE illustrating the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold', a magnificent pageant held near Calais in June 1520 CE as a show of friendship between Henry VIII of England
4. Portrait of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour. and Prince Edward, The Great Hall, Hampton Court Palace.
FYI 1sg-dan-capriA1C Ian Williams SSgt Boyd Herrst Col Carl Whicker Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett JrSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-Cwik TSgt David L.PO1 Robert GeorgeSSG Robert Mark Odom LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCord Cynthia Croft SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG William JonesSP5 Jesse Engel
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LTC Stephen F.
In this episode of 5 Minute Biographies, we take a look at the life of one of the most famous, or notorious, Kings of England - King Henry VIII Want to know ...
King Henry VIII Biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwzq0FCeWW8
Images:
1. Catherine of Aragon pleading for her marriage to Henry VIII
2. portrait of Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) by Hans Holbein, 1540 CE.
3. oil painting dating to c. 1545 CE illustrating the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold', a magnificent pageant held near Calais in June 1520 CE as a show of friendship between Henry VIII of England
4. Portrait of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour. and Prince Edward, The Great Hall, Hampton Court Palace.
FYI 1sg-dan-capriA1C Ian Williams SSgt Boyd Herrst Col Carl Whicker Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett JrSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-Cwik TSgt David L.PO1 Robert GeorgeSSG Robert Mark Odom LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCord Cynthia Croft SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG William JonesSP5 Jesse Engel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwzq0FCeWW8
Images:
1. Catherine of Aragon pleading for her marriage to Henry VIII
2. portrait of Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) by Hans Holbein, 1540 CE.
3. oil painting dating to c. 1545 CE illustrating the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold', a magnificent pageant held near Calais in June 1520 CE as a show of friendship between Henry VIII of England
4. Portrait of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour. and Prince Edward, The Great Hall, Hampton Court Palace.
FYI 1sg-dan-capriA1C Ian Williams SSgt Boyd Herrst Col Carl Whicker Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett JrSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-Cwik TSgt David L.PO1 Robert GeorgeSSG Robert Mark Odom LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCord Cynthia Croft SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG William JonesSP5 Jesse Engel
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Herman's Hermits "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" on The Ed Sullivan Show
http://goo.gl/firy - Herman's Hermits performing "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" on The Ed Sullivan Show on June 6, 1965.
Great history share, but being Friday afternoon I've got to throw some humor in!
https://youtu.be/GisCRxREDkY
https://youtu.be/GisCRxREDkY
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