Famous English Monarchs
Early Years
Born on June 28, 1491, in the Palace of Placentia at Greenwich, Henry VIII was the third of six children of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Only three of his siblings survived infancy, and in I494, though still a child, Henry VIII was made the Duke of York and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
The Monarch and The King's "Great Matter"
Henry the Eighth was the second monarch of the Tudor Dynasty, succeeding his father, Henry VII upon his death in 1509. Henry VIII wed Catherine of Aragon some nine weeks later. Henry VIII would prove to have a very nasty streak as he always opted for war rather than peace and beheading rather than arbitration. For two nobles of his father's reign who imposed heavy taxes on the nobility, their fate was imprisonment in the Tower of London followed by a loss of their heads. Henry VIII's attempts to end his marriage when his royal and very lustful eye strayed to Ann Boleyn, resulted in a break from Rome and the subsequent establishment of the independent Church of England with Henry VIII as its supreme head.("The Great Matter"). Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More accepted Ann Boleyn as Queen, but held that the Pope remained the head of the Church. For his brave and implacable stance, he was charged with high treason and executed in 1535.
Notable Events During His Reign
Henry VIII instituted the Dissolution of The Monasteries and established the union of England and Wales with the passage of the Laws In Wales Acts of 1535-1542. Other significant legislation included the Buggery Act of 1533, the first anti-sodomy law in England, and the Witchcraft Act of 1542, which punished "invoking an evil spirit" with death. An avid sportsman, musician, poet and gambler, Henry VIII's reign was also known for the construction and improvement of several significant buildings, including Westminster Abbey and King's College Chapel.
Later years and Death
Henry VIII would marry six women in his lifetime. Later in life, he became grossly overweight and possibly suffered from both gout and syphilis. In 1536, Henry VIII suffered a thigh wound from jousting, which became ulcerated, and may have led indirectly to his death on January 28, 1547. Upon his death, his three children would each have a turn on the English throne: Edward VI, Mary I ("Bloody Mary") and Elizabeth I.
