Henry VIII
Henry VIII was 17 years old when he became king of England.
By: David Wallace
Who was Henry VIII?
Henry VIII Early Life
Henry VIII was spoilt by his doting grandmother and mother together with the attendants in his retinue. His grandmother, Margaret Beaufort, supervised his early education. Henry VIII was considered a handsome and precocious toddler who was noted for his energy and his temper.
His Education
Henry VIII received an education befitting a prince of the royal blood. Henry VIII was taught a range of different lessons including languages, grammar, theology, history, rhetoric, logic, philosophy, arithmetic, logic, literature, geometry, and music. In addition to all of these subjects the education of the young Henry VIII also included astronomy, navigation and cartographer and non-academic subjects such as riding, jousting, tennis, archery, hunting and dancing.
Military Accomplishments for Henry VIII
· Henry VIII mounted the biggest invasions of France since the reign of King Henry V
· The Mary Rose was built in 1509 / 1511 as the first English gunship
· Henry VIII established Deptford and Woolwich as the Royal Dockyards 1511 / 1512
· King Henry VIII was known as the “Father of the English Navy”
· Beginning wars with France and Scotland in 1514
· The English navy increased under Henry VIII from just 5 ships at the beginning of his reign to about 60 ships
· Henry VIII created a great chain of coastal fortresses in the 1540s to defend England against the threat of invasion
The Religious Accomplishments of Henry VIII
Katherine of Aragon
Divorced
The first of Henry VIII's six wives, Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536) was a Spanish princess who was married to Henry for 18 years before he began divorce proceedings in his desperation to re-marry and produce a male heir. Katherine had been pregnant six times but only one daughter, Princess Mary, later Mary I, had survived. Later she died in 1536.
Anne Boleyn
Beheaded
The second of Henry VIII's six wives, Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) was married to the King for only three years from 1533-1536. Instead of the sought after male heir, Anne was pregnant with another princess, Elizabeth I. Anne was supported by religious reformers but was also hated by many at court. After a miscarriage, her fate was sealed and she was arrested. Later she was executed at the Tower of London for adultery.
Jane Seymour
Died
Jane Seymour (1509-1537) was the third of Henry VIII's six wives and the only wife to provide the King with the much longed for son and male heir. Having married Henry in May 1536, she gave birth to Prince Edward (later Edward VI) at Hampton Court Palace in 1537 but died soon afterwards.
Anne of Cleves
Divorced
Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) was the fourth of Henry VIII's six wives and at 24 was half Henry's age when they married in January 1540. Henry first saw Anne of Cleves in a painting by Hans Holbein but in the flesh, Henry found Anne unattractive and began pursuing one of her maids of honour, Catherine Howard. After six months the marriage was annulled yet Anne remained in England and on good terms with Henry VIII.
Catherine Howard
Beheaded
Henry VIII's fifth wife was an alluring teenager named Catherine Howard (1522-1542). Married three weeks after his second divorce, rumours of Catherine's past and present love affairs reached a furious Henry. She was arrested at Hampton Court Palace and later taken to the Tower of London where she was beheaded in February 1542, aged about 21.
Kateryn Parr
Survived
Kateryn Parr (1512-1548) was the last of Henry VIII's six wives. Intelligent and devout, Kateryn loved Thomas Seymour but Henry's proposal could not be refused. She and Henry VIII married at Hampton Court Palace in July 1543. He was 52, she was 31. After the King's death in 1547, Kateryn was free to marry Seymour but she died 15 months later, aged 36, having given birth to their daughter.