Early life
Henry was born in Greenwich, England, on June 28, 1491, the second son of Henry VII, the first English ruler of the House of Tudor. While his older brother Arthur prepared for the throne, Henry was geared towards a religious career, with extensive training in theology, music, languages, poetry and sports.
Did you know? An accomplished musician, Henry VIII of England wrote a song called “Pastime With Good Company” that was popular throughout Renaissance Europe.
As a young man, Henry demonstrated an admirable degree of intellectual curiosity, religious devotion, and athletic success. One observer described a young person who “speaks French, Latin and Spanish well; is very religious; heard three masses a day when he hunted… He loves hunting extremely, and never indulges in this entertainment without tiring eight or ten horses… He also loves tennis.
Catherine of Aragon
Henry’s brother and heir apparent, Arthur, was engaged since the age of 2 to Catherine of Aragon, daughter of the Spanish sovereigns Ferdinand and Isabella. In November 1501, the teenage couple married.
However, a few months later, Arthur died of a sudden illness. Henry became next in line to the throne, and in 1503 was betrothed to his brother’s widow.
Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509 at the age of 17 and married Catherine of Aragon six weeks later. Over the next 15 years, while Henry fought three wars against France, Catherine bore him three sons and three daughters, all but one of whom died in infancy. The only survivor was Mary (later Mary I), born in 1516.
Henry as monarch
Henry was an active king ruling a prosperous kingdom at this time and a leader of the English dynasty. Renaissance. He ruled over a festive court while hunting, jousting, writing, and playing music.
Henry launched a book-length attack on Martin LutherChurch reforms that earned him the title “Defender of the Faith” from Pope Leo X (a somewhat ironic distinction, given his eventual break with Roman Catholicism).
He made a significant investment in Royal Navyincreasing his size from just 5 ships to 53. But the lack of a male heir, especially after he had fathered a healthy illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, in 1519, ate away at the young king.
The trial of Catherine of Aragon.
Anne Boleyn
By the 1520s, Henry had become enamored of Anne Boleyn, a young woman in her wife’s entourage. He also feared that his marriage to Catherine had been cursed by God because of the Old Testament’s prohibition against marrying his brother’s widow. The king decided to seek a papal annulment that would allow him to remarry.
With the help of his powerful advisor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry petitioned Pope Clement VII but was rebuffed due to pressure from Catherine’s nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor. Charles Quint. Wolsey was driven from power for his failure and died in 1530 while awaiting trial for treason.
With the support of British Parliament– led largely by Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s chief advisor – and the English clergy, Henry ultimately decided that he did not need the pope’s permission to rule on matters affecting the Church of England. In 1533, Henry and Anne Boleyn married and their daughter Elizabeth was born.
These actions linked Henry to growth Reformation movement then sweeping Northern Europe – they also earned him the enmity of Pope Clement VII. In response, the Vatican had Henry excommunicated in 1533.
Nevertheless, Henry’s other daughter, Mary, was declared illegitimate and Elizabeth was named his rightful heir. Then, during the dissolution of the monasteries, the English monasteries were closed and in most cases sold to increase Henry’s wealth.
Jane Seymour
In January 1536, Henry was knocked off his horse and injured during a jousting tournament. When news of her accident reached the pregnant Anne, she suffered a miscarriage, giving birth to a stillborn son. Henry then rejected her, turning his affections to another woman in his court, Jane Seymour.
Within six months, Henry had Anne executed for treason and incest. He then married Jane, who quickly bore him a son (the future Edward VI), although she died 12 days after giving birth.
Anne of Cleves
Henry’s fourth marriage bore similarities to his first. Anne of Cleves was a political wife, chosen to cement an alliance with her brother, ruler of a Protestant duchy in Germany. The marriage only lasted a few days before Henry had it annulled. He then married Catherine Howard, but two years later she was also beheaded for treason and adultery.
During the last years of his reign, Henry became sullen, distrustful, and notoriously obese, hampered by personal intrigues and the lingering leg injury caused by his injury during a joust. His final marriage, to the widow Catherine Parr in 1543, saw his reconciliation with Mary and Elizabeth, who were restored to the line of succession.
LEARN MORE: Who were the six wives of Henry VIII?
Death and legacy
Henry VIII died at age 55 on January 28, 1547. His son Edward VI, aged 9, succeeded him as king but died six years later. Mary I spent her five-year reign bringing England back into the Catholic fold, but Elizabeth Ithe longest reign of the Tudor monarchs, restored his father’s Protestant religious reforms.
Sources
Henry VIII (r.1509-1547). The Royal family.
Facts about Henry VIII. Royal Museums Greenwich.
Henry VIII: Renaissance prince or terrible Tudor? Who was the real Henry VIII? Historic royal palaces.
Henry VIII, King of England (1491-1547). Royal Collection Trust.