Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII.

Henry VIII (1491–1547) was the King of England from 1509 to 1547.

His break with the Pope and Roman Catholicism led to the founding of the Church of England.

Early reign

He was one of the sons of King Henry VII Tudor and his wife Elizabeth of York. When his older brother Arthur Tudor died in 1502, he became heir to the English crown and succeeded his father in 1509. That same year, he married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile and widow of his brother Arthur.

Beginning in 1515, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey became his minister. Henry VIII sought an alliance with France and, in 1520, met King François I during the meeting at the Halle of the Cloth (so named because the English and French displayed their luxury there). But the alliance between France and England failed, and Henry VIII drew closer to Emperor Charles V.

Break with the Papacy

In 1529, Henry VIII attempted to secure the pope's approval: he wanted to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled and remarry Anne Boleyn in order to produce a male heir. The pope refused, and Cardinal Wolsey (whose negotiations with the pope had failed) was then disgraced. In 1533, the Archbishop of Canterbury granted the divorce, and Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn; he broke with the Pope and proclaimed himself head of the Church of England. Henry VIII's reign became authoritarian: numerous executions took place, including those of two of his wives, Bishop John Fisher (1535), the ministers Thomas More (1535) and Thomas Cromwell (1540), and many others.

In 1544, during a military campaign against France, England conquered the city of Boulogne, and a peace treaty with France was signed in 1546. Henry VIII died in January 1547.

Marriages and Children

Henry VIII of England was married six times:

• 1 - 1509: Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536), divorced in 1533: one daughter, Mary Tudor;
• 2 - 1533: Anne Boleyn (c. 1507–1536), executed by beheading in 1536: one daughter, Elizabeth I of England;
• 3 - 1536: Jane Seymour (c. 1509–1537), died in 1537: one son, Edward VI;
• 4 - 1540: Anne of Cleves (1515–1557), divorced in 1540;
• 5 - 1540: Catherine Howard (c. 1522–1542), executed by beheading in 1542;
• 6 - 1543: Catherine Parr (1512–1548).

Henry divorced his first wife because she did not bear him any male heirs (this was Catherine of Aragon). He then married Anne Boleyn, but had her executed on charges of incest and adultery with her own brother (though this was likely just a pretext, as she had given him only a stillborn son). He then married Jane Seymour. She bore him a son, Edward, but died in childbirth. He then married Anne of Cleves; but the king apparently did not like his new wife's appearance, and the marriage was annulled. His next wife was Catherine Howard. She is said to have committed adultery with another man, and the king consequently had her executed. Catherine Parr was his last wife.

See also

• List of monarchs of England

Rulers and military leaders of the Renaissance England: Henry VIII Elizabeth I Spain: Charles V Philip II France: Louis XII Francis I Henry II Francis II Charles IX Henry III Henry IV Italy: Bartolomeo Colleoni Sigismondo Malatesta Federico III of Montefeltro Lorenzo the Magnificent Ludovico il Moro Cesare Borgia Charles V Popes: Alexander VI Julius II Leo X Paul III Paul IV Sixtus V Netherlands: William the Silent Russia: Ivan the Terrible Holy Roman Empire: Charles V Turkey: Suleiman the Magnificent

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