Henry VIII (The Man)

Who is Henry VIII?
Henry VIII was the 3rd child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Prince Arthur, Henry’s older brother, was expected to be crowned King when Henry VII died. However, Prince Arthur died in 1502 at the age of 15. Henry became the King of England from 21 April 1509 (Aged 17 at the time of his coronation) till he died on 28 January 1547.

Significance of Henry VIII
• He brutally suppressed the influence of Protestant Reformation in England
• Separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church
• Established himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, changing religious ceremonies and rituals and suppressing the monasteries, while remaining a fervent believer in core Catholic theology, despite being excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church (1538)
• Dissolved the monasteries
• He executed all who stood in his way, executing more than 72,000 people throughout his reign.
• Henry VIII united England and Wales into one unified nation.

SIX WIVES?!

I. Catherine of Aragon – Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon when he was only 17 (in 1509). Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII’s late brother, Prince Arthur’s widow. Henry VIII only married Catherine of Aragon to seal a marital alliance between England and Spain. All of Catherine’s children died in infancy except for a girl, Mary. Henry wanted a male heir to the throne, and grew more and more impatient. In 1525, Henry became enamoured by a young lady in the Queen’s entourage, Anne Boleyn. However, she declined to be his mistress and was only willing to be with him if she was acknowledged as Queen. Thus, Henry VIII annulled his marriage with Catherine of Aragon.

II. Anne Boleyn – After her wedding to Henry VIII was declared valid in 1533, she bore a child, Elizabeth the same year. Unfortunately, Anne Boleyn was too independent and refused to take on the submissive role in the kingdom that she was supposed to have. Like Catherine, Anne failed to bear King Henry VIII a son. In 1536, Anne Boleyn miscarried a 15 week-old male fetus. Henry VIII then declared that his marriage with Anne Boleyn was a product of witchcraft. On 2nd May 1536, Anne was arrested and taken to the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest and high treason. Although evidence was insubstantial, Anne and five other men, including her own brother, were executed and condemned.

III. Jane Seymour – One day after Anne’s execution, Henry VIII became engaged to Jane Seymour, who used to be one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting. They were married 10 days later. In 1537, Jane Seymour gave birth to a son, Prince Edward, the future Edward VI. The birth was difficult and the Queen died at Hampton Court Palace on 24th October 1537. Henry VIII went into mourning for a long time as he considered Jane Seymour his only true Queen, the one who had given him an heir to the throne.

IV. Anne of Cleves – At this time, Henry VIII desired to marry once again to ensure the succession. Thomas Cromwell, created Earl of Essex, suggested Anne, sister of Duke of Cleves. Henry agreed to wed Anne. However, upon her arrival in England, Henry is said to have found her utterly unattractive, privately calling her a “Flanders Mare”. It is said that while Henry wished to annul the marriage in order to marry another, another reason the marriage had ended was because Anne could not consummate the marriage due to the King’s large size and illness. The marriage was subsequently dissolved and Anne received the title of “The King’s Sister”. They remained lifelong friends.

V. Catherine Howard (also Katherine) – Catherine Howard was Anne Boleyn’s first cousin and a lady-in-waiting of Anne’s. He was delighted with his new queen. Soon after her marriage, however, Queen Catherine had an affair with the courtier Thomas Culpeper. She had employed Francis Dereham, who was previously informally engaged to her and had an affair with her prior to her marriage, as her secretary. Thomas Cranmer, who opposed the powerful Roman Catholic Howard family, brought evidence of Queen Catherine’s activities. Henry VIII refused to believe the allegations but allowed Cranmer to conduct an investigation. When questioned, the Queen claimed that Dereham had forced her to enter an adulterous relationship. Dereham then exposed Queen Catherine’s relationship with Thomas Culpeper. Catherine was executed on 13th February 1542.

VI. Catherine Parr – Henry’s sixth and final wife. Henry married wealthy widow Catherine Parr in 1542. She was a reformer and argued with Henry over religion. She helped reconcile Henry with his first two daughters, Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth and put them back in the line of succession after Edward, Prince of Wales, though they were still deemed illegitimate.