The Monarchs: Henry VIII (1509-1547) – The Tyrant Who Married 6 Women and Broke With Rome

Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived. This grim little rhyme was once used by English History teachers to help their students memorize of the sad fates of the six wives of Henry VIII. One of the most infamous monarchs in British history, Henry VIII believed deeply in the idea of the divine right of the sovereign to rule precisely as he pleased. During his reign, Henry brought about the dissolution of the monasteries, separated the Catholic Church and became the head of his self-styled Church of England. Henry VIII’s obsession with creating a male heir to his throne led to him being married six times and he dealt with anyone who stood in his way by beheading them. An arrogant and ruthless man who brought about the phrase ‘heads will roll’, Henry eventually produced a male heir called Edward. Edward VI ruled as a child for a mere six years before his sister, the powerful and long-reigning Queen Elizabeth took over.

Key Facts about Henry VIII

• Henry VIII was born on June 28^th 1491 at Greenwich.
• Henry became King of England and Lord of Ireland on 5^th April 1509 aged 17.
• He was first married on 11^th June 1509 to Catherine of Aragon. This marriage was annulled in 1533 leaving Henry free to marry five more times in his lifetime.
• Henry VIII died on January 28^th 1547 of kidney disease, gout and a circulatory disorder.

The Life of Henry VIII

Henry VIII was the second son of his father, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York and as such was not expected to ascend to the English throne. Instead, Henry was raised to take on the role of Archbishop of Canterbury and educated by the best tutors in the land with a focus on Latin, French and Theology. Just one year after Arthur, Henry’s older brother married Catherine of Aragon, Arthur died and the widowed Catherine was betrothed to 12 year old Henry. Henry was reluctant to marry Catherine, perhaps for religious reasons, and it was thought that the marriage was only encouraged by Henry VII to keep Catherine’s substantial dowry in the family.

On Henry VIII’s ascension to the throne he suddenly agreed to marry Catherine, stating that the match had been his dying father’s last wish. Henry VIII became King of England and Lord of Ireland on 22^nd April 1509. Just two days after Henry and Queen Catherine’s coronation, which was a grand and festive affair, Henry arrested his father’s two most disliked ministers, charged them with high treason and had them executed. This first act of violence marked the beginning of his merciless approach ruling his kingdom and execution became Henry’s primary tactic for dealing with any kind of opposition to his will.

During Henry’s early years as King he was mainly concerned with the uniting of Europe, acting as mediator between the most powerful political personalities of the time; Ferdinand of Aragon; Emperor Maximillian; Pope Julius II and King Louis XII of France. A short war in France was the result of Henry’s negotiations.

In the following years Henry’s interest in European politics waned and he passed over most of his foreign policy affairs to his chancellor, Thomas Wolsey. Wolsey encouraged Henry to write a religious book against the church-reforming doctrines of Luther that were circulating illegally at the time. This work led to Henry being awarded the title Defender of the Faith.

Queen Catherine had given birth four times in the eight years between 1510 and 1518 and of the four pregnancies only one child survived, a girl named Mary. Henry did not recognise Mary as his heir and is known to have had mistresses throughout this time. One of his mistresses, Elizabeth Blount gave birth to his son in 1519 and named him Henry FitzRoy. Although illegitimate the boy was made Duke of Richmond. In time, Henry FitzRoy may have been legitimized and as a result of the Second Succession Act may have eventually became King had he not died suddenly aged just 17, married but childless.

Henry’s displeasure at Catherine’s inability to provide him with a male heir was in part superstitious, he believed God’s displeasure at his union with his brother’s widow had left them unable to create a male heir, but Henry also had a new mistress named Lady Anne Boleyn whom he intended to marry. Henry colluded with Cardinal Wolsey in pressuring Pope Clement VII to annul the previous Pope’s dispensation that Henry and Catherine could marry, deeming the marriage null and void. But Pope Clement had only recently been reinstated as Pope following a period of imprisonment by Emperor Charles V, who was Catherine of Aragon’s nephew. The annulment was never secured, Wolsey was ruined and Henry took matters into his own hands.

Thomas Cromwell now entered the picture as Henry VIII’s chief minister. Cromwell pushed through a series of acts that challenged on papal power in England and led to the Protestant Reformation of England. Catherine’s daughter was declared illegitimate in the Act of Succession on 1533; the Acts of Supremacy of 1534 recognised Henry VIII’s status as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and the Act in Restraint of Appeals abolished the right of citizens to appeal to Rome. This final act led to Henry VIII’s excommunication from the Catholic Church.

Henry’s marriage to Catherine was annulled but not before he had already married his current love interest Anne Boleyn, in secret. Anne gave birth to their first child in 1533, a girl named Elizabeth. Anne was pregnant two more times, each ending in miscarriage and in retaliation for the tragic losses she suffered Henry had Anne executed by beheading on charges of incest and adultery along with five men she was accused of having sex with, one of them her own brother.

Henry’s next wife was Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir John Seymour, who he married in May 1536 just days after Anne’s execution. Jane was able to give Henry a son, Edward, but sadly she died in childbirth. Next Henry married Anne of Cleves on the advice of Thomas Cromwell. Anne was a Lutheran Catholic and a good match for the young King but Henry was said to have been displeased by her appearance and the marriage was not consummated. It’s unclear exactly why but Thomas Cromwell, once close advisor to the King and responsible for the accumulation of the King’s huge wealth and dissolution of the monasteries, now became an enemy at court. Cromwell was tried for treason and executed on July 28^th 1540.

The King’s attentions now turned to the teenaged Catherine Howard, daughter of the King’s political enemy the Duke of Norfolk. They were married in secret in 1540 when the King was 49 years old and she was just 17. Henry was said to have been besotted with his new Queen but soon after the marriage it came to light that Catherine was having affairs with two men in her staff. All three were beheaded. In the same year, Henry sanctioned the destruction of shrines to saints and over the next few years all of England’s remaining monasteries were dissolved and property and assets transferred to the crown.

Henry’s last wife, Catherine Parr, was a wealthy widow and a religious reformer who often argued with Henry over theological matters. She is thought to have narrowly escaped execution because of her propensity to provoke Henry into rages with her radical Protestantism. Catherine Parr reconciled Henry with his daughters Mary and Elizabeth and helped to usher in an Act of Parliament in 1543 that put both Mary and Elizabeth back in line to the English throne.

In his later years Henry VIII was in very bad health, he was obese and suffered with gout thought to be linked to inactivity due to a leg injury sustained many years before. Recently it has been suggested that Henry VIII may have suffered from Type II Diabetes. Henry died on 28^th January 1547 in the Palace of Whitehall, his body was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, alongside his third wife, Jane Seymour.

Legacy of Henry VIII

Henry’s radical changes to the English Constitution asserted the supremacy of the sovereign over all others, created the Church of England and initiated the English Protestant Reformation. To some, Henry’s changes to the church-state relationship were positive, strengthening the position of the English monarchy against the papacy in Rome and acquiring the monasteries wealth which could be put to better uses. To many, Henry was a ruthless and foolish man, who made massive changes to the very fabric of English society for his own selfish ends and created a dangerous Protestant-Roman Catholic divide that plagued his kingdoms for years to come. The wealth of the monasteries never helped to ease the lot of the poor and instead improved the wealth of the aristocracy and funded wars overseas.

Henry’s lifelong obsession with creating a Tudor dynasty and a long-line of successors to the throne ended with the short rule of one son, Edward, and the long rule of one daughter, Elizabeth, who died childless.

Films and TV Shows Featuring Henry VIII

• Henry VIII(1911)
• Anna Boleyn(1920)
• Tower of London(1939)
• Anne of the Thousand Days(1969)
• Henry VIII and His Six Wives(1972)
• Crossed Swords(1977)
• The Other Boleyn Girl(2008)
• The Tudors (TV Show)
• Wolf Hall (TV Show)

Further Research

• John Guy (2014) Henry VIII: The Quest for Fame
• Helen Simpson (2013) Henry VIII
• Alison Weir (2011) Henry VIII: King and Court
• Alison Weir (2011) The Six Wives of Henry VIII
• David Starkey (2002) The Reign of Henry VIII: The Personalities and the Politics
• Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (17^th Century)

Locations Related to Henry VIII

• Eltham Palace is where Henry VIII spent the majority of his childhood. The Medieval Hall still survives although much of the building dates to the 1930s.
• Hampton Court Palace was Henry’s home for the majority of his reign. You can visit his private apartments by taking a tour.
• Leeds Castle was visited several times by Henry during his life and during his marriage to Catherine of Aragon the castle was renovated for her use.
• The Tower of London has a special part to play in Henry VIII’s reign. The King had many enemies incarcerated here and also ordered a number of executions. Most notably, his second wife Anne Boleyn was murdered here.
• Windsor Castle is the oldest castle in the world that still has residents. Both Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour are buried here.
• Henry is responsible for the dissolution of the monasteries. Lindisfarne Priory, Penhurst Place, Castle Acre Abbey and Fountains Abbey were all disbanded and fell into ruin during Henry VIII’s reign.

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