Henry+VIII



 The Elizabethan era was from 1550-1650. People did different things during these years and people acted different. Throughout those years Shakespeare was important to everyone just like King Henry VIII was, which is my topic. The Tudor family was very popular and known by everybody. Henry VIII was the King of England close to the Elizabethan era. Each male heir that was produced from the Tudor family became a king at one time. Henry VIII was a very famous king. King Henry VIII's life is split into early years, middle years and his final years.



Henry VIII was born on June 28,1491 in the Greenwich Palace(Phillips 100). Greenwich was close to London(Greaves 188). He was born to King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Phillips 100). Elizabeth had a rough life with losing her father when she was only 17 years old(Greaves 188). King Henry VII demanded the taking over the throne and to keep it in his family and that is exactly what happened. Elizabeth died in 1503 while in child birth when she was 37 years old. King Henry VII died in 1509 of lung cancer. He was 52 years old. Henry VIII also had two sisters and a brother. Their names were Mary, Margaret and Arthur(Andrews 158). Henry had red hair and was a bigger guy as king(Davis 20). Henry's nickname was Great Harry as king and everyone called him that since he was so powerful(20). Another nickname he had was Defender of Faith and it was given to him by Pope Leo X(Henry VIII timeline). Pope was a symbol of the Catholic Church and was in charge of the money for the church. Henry the eighth was very well educated(Andrews 158). He had private tutors in music, theology, and archbishop. Also, there was a love for art and humanist in him(Greaves 188). At the age of 17 Henry VIII's father died and since his older brother died early, he became king of England. His reign started in 1509.



Henry the eighth's reign marked the beginning of the Renaissance(Greaves 188). The Renaissance was a period of history that the living of people changed dramatically in Europe. Arts and culture became more popular during this time too. Some characteristics about Henry was the stubbornness that he had. He was also violent(Andrews 158). Just take a look at what he did to his wives. He beheaded them and executed them(Delderfield 61). In 1509, Henry the eighth married his brother's widowed wife Catherine of Aragon(Phillips 7). His father Henry the seventh planned this wedding just like he planned the marriage between Arthur, his other son, and Catherine of Aragon. On August 16, 1513, Henry the eighth defeated the French at the Battle of Spurs and killed the King of France Louis Xll(72). Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a daughter on February 18, 1516 and Henry wasn't very pleased(Andrews 158). He wanted a son so that they could continue to hold the throne. In 1518, the Treaty of London went into effect as a mutual defence pact towards England, Spain, France, and the Holy Roman Empire(Phillips 100). On March 30, 1534, Henry and Catherine's marriage was annulled(Delderfield 61). A year before they got divorced though, Henry married a woman named Anne Boleyn(Phillips 100). It was in January of 1533. On September 7, 1533 Anne gave birth to a daughter and they named her Elizabeth(Andrews 158). She was the future Queen Elizabeth 1. The Church of England was set up in 1534(Phillips 7). It was the first Christian Church and shortly after opening up that church, he closed down all the Catholic monasteries in England so he could make money. That was in August of 1535. For the Church of England he was named Supreme Head of the Church(Greaves 188). Anne Boleyn was caught having affairs during her marriage with Henry so when trial was over he gave permission for her to be beheaded(188). Shortly after her execution, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour on May 30, 1536(Phillips 100). Henry wrote Greensleeves, a song, during Anne Boleyn and his courtship and it was a very loving love song(Daivs 20). It was like a heartbreak song telling her how much she hurt him by cheating. King Henry VIII was the first king to become an author.

Jane Seymour died on October 24, 1537 from complications during child birth(Delderfield 61). So Henry VIII married Anne of Cleaves on January 6, 1540(Phillips 100). Shortly after that on July 6, 1557 they got a divorce because she was an ally of France(Delderfield 61). Catherine Howards and Henry VIII got married in 1540(Phillips 100) but two years later she was charged with adultery and executed on January 28, 1542(Greaves 188). Before that in 1541, Henry declared himself King of Ireland(Phillips 100). After the execution of his fifth wife, he was looking for a new wife. So in 1543, Henry married Catherine Parr(100). Their wedding day was July 12 of 1543. Catherine gave birth to a son on October 12, 1537 and he was nine years old when he took throne after his dad died. His name was Edward VI(Andrews 158). Henry VIII died on January 28,1547 in Whitehall(Delderfield 62). He was only 56 years of age and it is said that he died because he had poor health. He was obese and had constant bleeding which could have caused part of his death(62). Whitehall is a palace in London(61). Henry is remembered for his life-style of pleasure, cruelty, and his wives(Andrews 158). Also, he did build the largest ship seen and called it after his nickname Great Harry(Davis 20). The ship weighed 1000 tons. He influenced so many things like English history(Andrews 158). The only reason why he disposed his wives was because they didn't provided a son to take over the throne(Delderfield 61). Henry VIII was the last king to use the Tower of London as a chief residence(61). Henry VIII gave a speech to Parliament close to the end of his reign(Henry VIII timeline).

In conclusion, Henry VIII was a king of England that expected a lot from his people. He had his wives correctly disposed if they didn't produce a male heir. He even executed some of them or got a divorce. He had family to count on and even had the chance to become king even though he had an older brother. Unfortunately, his brother died and the throne automatically went to Henry. He achieved what he wanted, which was that he introduced the protestant reformation to England. His other achievement was having a son and he was granted that when his wife Catherine Parr had a son and named him Edward VI. He was famous for having six wives and his cruelty.