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Learn about the life and reign of Henry VIII, the second Tudor king of England who initiated the English Reformation and had six wives. Find out about his achievements, controversies, marriages, children, and legacy.
- Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of...
- Henry VII of England
Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, in...
- Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (/ ˈ b ʊ l ɪ n, b ʊ ˈ l ɪ n /; [7] [8] [9] c....
- Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr (she signed her letters as Kateryn; 1512 – 5...
- Wives of Henry VIII
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is a historical miniseries...
- Jane Seymour
Jane, the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery...
- Henry FitzRoy
Henry FitzRoy was born in June 1519. His mother was...
- Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical...
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- Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard [b] (c. 1523 – 13 February 1542) was Queen...
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- Overview
- Accession to the throne
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Henry was the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV. When his elder brother, Arthur, died in 1502, Henry became the heir to the throne. He was an excellent student and athlete who enjoyed hunting and dancing. When he became king at age 18, great things were expected of him.
When did Henry VIII get married?
Henry VIII married six times between 1509 and 1543 in pursuit of heirs and political alliances. His wives were Catherine of Aragon (the mother of Mary I), Anne Boleyn (the mother of Elizabeth I), Jane Seymour (the mother of Henry’s successor, Edward VI), Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr.
Who were Henry VIII’s children?
Henry VIII was survived by three children, each of whom sat on the throne of England: Edward VI (ruled 1547–53), Mary I (ruled 1553–58), and Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603). Several of his children died soon after birth; his affair with a mistress also produced a son, Henry Fitzroy, who died at age 17.
How was Henry VIII influential?
Henry was the second son of Henry VII, first of the Tudor line, and Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, first king of the short-lived line of York. When his elder brother, Arthur, died in 1502, Henry became the heir to the throne; of all the Tudor monarchs, he alone spent his childhood in calm expectation of the crown, which helped give an assurance of majesty and righteousness to his willful, ebullient character. He excelled in book learning as well as in the physical exercises of an aristocratic society, and, when in 1509 he ascended the throne, great things were expected of him. Six feet tall, powerfully built, and a tireless athlete, huntsman, and dancer, he promised England the joys of spring after the long winter of Henry VII’s reign.
Henry and his ministers exploited the dislike inspired by his father’s energetic pursuit of royal rights by sacrificing, without a thought, some of the unpopular institutions and some of the men that had served his predecessor. Yet the unpopular means for governing the realm soon reappeared because they were necessary. Soon after his accession, Henry married Catherine of Aragon, Arthur’s widow, and the attendant lavish entertainments ate into the modest royal reserves.
More serious was Henry’s determination to engage in military adventure. Europe was being kept on the boil by rivalries between the French and Spanish kingdoms, mostly over Italian claims; and, against the advice of his older councillors, Henry in 1512 joined his father-in-law, Ferdinand II of Aragon, against France and ostensibly in support of a threatened pope, to whom the devout king for a long time paid almost slavish respect.
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Henry himself displayed no military talent, but a real victory was won by the earl of Surrey at Flodden (1513) against a Scottish invasion. Despite the obvious pointlessness of the fighting, the appearance of success was popular. Moreover, in Thomas Wolsey, who organized his first campaign in France, Henry discovered his first outstanding minister. By 1515 Wolsey was archbishop of York, lord chancellor of England, and a cardinal of the church; more important, he was the king’s good friend, to whom was gladly left the active conduct of affairs. Henry never altogether abandoned the positive tasks of kingship and often interfered in business; though the world might think that England was ruled by the cardinal, the king himself knew that he possessed perfect control any time he cared to assert it, and Wolsey only rarely mistook the world’s opinion for the right one.
Learn about Henry VIII, the king of England who broke with the Roman Catholic Church and founded the Church of England. Explore his life, wives, wars, and legacy in this comprehensive article from Britannica.
Learn about the six queens consort of King Henry VIII of England, their marriages, fates, and children. Find out the mnemonic device, the rhyme, and the historical footnotes to remember their stories.
Armiger(date As Queen)NotesCatherine of Aragon1509–1533The Royal Arms, impaled with that of her ...Anne Boleyn1533–1536The Royal Arms, impaled with that of her ...Jane Seymour1536–1537The Royal Arms, impaled with that of her ...Anne of ClevesJanuary–July 1540The Royal Arms, impaled with that of her ...Nov 9, 2009 · Learn about Henry VIII, the English monarch who broke with the Roman Catholic Church and married six wives in his quest for a male heir. Explore his life, reign, achievements, challenges and legacy on HISTORY.
Learn about the life and reign of Henry VIII, the King of England from 1509 to 1547. Find out about his marriages, wars, executions, religion and legacy.
Aug 21, 2024 · Henry VIII, king of England, was famously married six times and played a critical role in the English Reformation, turning his country into a Protestant nation.
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Learn about the life and reign of Henry VIII, the second Tudor monarch who broke with the Roman Catholic Church and founded the Church of England. Find out about his marriages, wars, arts, and legacy.
