Henry+VIII

“You have sent me a Flander’s mare!” (Alchin). Henry VIII was the reigning monarch of Tudor England. He is known for his six marriages and for separating the church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. He divorced and beheaded wife after wife for failing to give him a son and heir. He was considered handsome and accomplished in his youth. After a jousting accident, he aged into an obese and harsh king. After his death, his only surviving legitimate son, Edward, succeeds him as king (Hutton).


 * Personal Background **

Henry VIII was the King of England and Wales. Henry was born at Greenwich palace, London on June 28, 1491 (Barrows). He was the second son of Henry VII and was overshadowed by his older brother as a child (Hutton). His accession was on April 21, 1509 and his coronation followed on June 21, 1509 (Eakins). When he came to power, he married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. Their marriage resulted in many unsuccessful pregnancies. He eventually divorces Catherine because she couldn’t give him an heir and by 1527, he “had become infatuated with Anne Boleyn”(Trueman). He separates England from the Catholic Church in order to divorce Catherine so he can marry Anne Boleyn (Oliver).

At the age of forty-four, he experiences an accident during a tournament when his horse rolled on him. After the incident, he becomes crippled and obese (Hutton). The brush with death made him realize he’s in a desperate need for a son to succeed him. He later beheaded Anne Boleyn on counts of incest and adultery. Henry then marries Jane Seymour, the only queen who accomplished in giving him a son (Jokinen). She died shortly after from puerperal fever (Barrow). After Jane Seymour, he remarried three more times with a total of six wives (Oliver). Because of the leg injury he acquired from the horse accident, his health slowly deteriorated. Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547 at age 55. He was buried at Windsor Castle. His only surviving son succeeded him as Edward VI. His two daughters both became queen after the death of his son at age 15 (Barrow).


 * Personality Traits**

As a young man, Henry was “genuinely charming” and “boisterously affectionate.” Because he was overshadowed by his older brother as a child, he had an “early sense of inadequacy.” He had a eagerness to please and an interest in others. A man who desired admiration, he felt the need to constantly prove himself. In his youth, he was athletic and charismatic. Henry had an interest in business and was gifted in music (Hutton).

Although accomplished, he was stubborn (Oliver). He was strong willed and unwilling in changing his mind (Eakins; Trueman). Henry had a huge appetite that was balanced by his vigorous exercise. Unfortunately, after his jousting incident, he was unable to exercise. His appetite remained the same and he soon ballooned to an unhealthy size (Hutton). He was said to “possess an amazing memory.” He was able to remember all the names of the servants who worked for him and grants he had ever signed. Despite having great memory, he deliberately delayed making major decisions for policy. He also “hated to read or write long documents. ” Even with his issues or gluttony and gambling, he had “notable virtues” and was seen as a cultured king (Hutton).


 * Obstacles**

One of Henry’s biggest obstacles in his lifetime was that he didn’t have a male heir to succeed him (Oliver). He became king at the age of 17. The took it upon himself that marry his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. After years of unsuccessful pregnancies and only one surviving daughter, it was clear that Catherine was beyond childbearing age in 1524 and he was desperate for a son. He had his eyes on another woman Anne Boleyn. He tries to divorce Catherine claiming that “If a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an impurity; he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless” (Trueman). The Pope forbade it so Henry decided to separate from the Roman Catholic Church and becomes the head of the Church of England (Oliver).

Henry marries Anne Boleyn after divorcing his first wife. She gives birth to a daughter, future Elizabeth I (Barrow). She was unable to give him a son as well. She suffered from many miscarriages and stillbirths after the birth of her first child. She fell out of favor and was beheaded on counts of adultery and and treason. He then marries his third wife, Jane Seymour. She was the only one out of his six wives who was able to give him his desperately needed male successor. After three wives and many unsuccessful pregnancies, he finally got his son and heir, the future Edward VI (Oliver).


 * Historical Significance**

Henry VIII was considered the father of the English Reformation (Hutton). In his pursuit for a son, he seeked for a way to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon (Trueman). In order to divorce his wife, he separated England from the Roman Catholic Church. After the separation, he became the head of the Church of England. For separating England from the Roman Catholic Church, he is known for turning England into a Protestant country (Hutton). Besides establishing the Church of England, Henry was responsible for increasing the power of the crown. He also increased power of representative democracy in England (Hutton). He assimilated and united Wales with England (Barrow). The King managed to maintained peace with Ireland. His other accomplishments include building fortresses to guard the English coast. He was also responsible for the destruction of Christian buildings. As well as the destruction of buildings, he destroyed art and libraries during the reformation. Henry is most famously known for the executions of his wives and close advisors (Hutton).

Another significance of Henry was that he had children to succeed him after his death. Having heirs prevented England from going into a succession war (Eakins). His son Edward succeeded him as king and he continued the protestant rule of England (Oliver). Unfortunately, his son died young. His sisters both became queens after each other following Edward’s death. Henry’s greatest accomplishment was fathering Elizabeth I. His daughter, Elizabeth, was “one of the country's most successful and popular monarch s ”. Her reign was known as the Golden age. People were living extravagantly and luxuriously. Popular culture boomed and was “ expressed through writers such as Shakespeare.” She also unified England with Scotland through naming James of Scotland as her heir. Indirectly through his daughter, Henry provided people with stability and he unified Scotland and England (Briscoe). 


 * References **

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Alchin, Linda. "King Henry VIII Quotes." King Henry VIII Quotes. 1 June 2014. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. . ======

Barrow, Mandy. "Henry Vlll - Tudor King." Henry Vlll - Tudor King. 2013. Web. 21

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Nov.2014.< [|__http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/tudors/kings/henry8.htm__] >. ======

Eakins, Lara. "Tudor History - TudorHistory.org." Henry VIII. 19 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. .

Hutton, Ronald. "Henry VIII: Majesty with Menace." BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. Sept. 2014. < [|__http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/majesty_menace_01.shtml__] >.

Jokinen, Anniina. "The Life of King Henry VIII." The Life of King Henry VIII (1491-1547). Biography of Henry Tudor, King of England. N.p., 11 Aug. 2006. Web. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"> 29 Oct. 2014. <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tudorbio.htm>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Oliver, Lynn. "Henry VIII and the “Great Matter”." On the Tudor Trail. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. < [] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Trueman, Chris. "Henry's Divorce from Catherine." Henry's Divorce from Catherine. 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. < [|__http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/henry_catherine_divorce.htm__] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">>.