Henry VIII Historical Facts

King Henry VIII was one of the most powerful rulers in the fifteenth century, who had a very captivating life many people are not aware of. Most people know Henry VIII as a berserk king with too many wives, but there is more to Henry VIII than that. Many few people know about his life and what he truly contributed to our world. Henry VIII was an almighty leader in England who won’t soon be forgotten.

How far do these sources suggest that young Henry VIII was an impressive figure as a king?

Henry VIII is one of the few English monarchs recognizable even in America, for his antics are legendary on both sides of the Atlantic. He is as notorious for killing important people as he is for getting married six times and his break with Rome. Indeed, Henry's reign would make a good comic book, for he was always off on some new half-baked project, be it invading France or plotting a crusade. His whole life was marked by impulsiveness and his "OK, that was fun, what's next?" attitude. He never outgrew many childlike character traits, at times stubborn and the next moment almost a gullible pushover. This childish disposition is the key to why he

“Historical accuracy” (or the lack thereof) is often the first criticism against Hollywood period pieces. Yet, for the characters in these films, the historical sources themselves must be taken with a grain of salt in terms of their “accuracy,” especially in regards to Henry II. Peter of Blois describes Henry very favorably, saying “no one is more cunning in their counsel, more fiery in speech, more secure in the midst of dangers, cautious in fortune, or constant in adversity,” and then goes on to say that he believes that the king was “in no way guilty” of Becket’s death. However, in the text by Gervais of Canterbury, Henry is described as being an adversary to Becket and violently persecuting those who supported him. The root of this likely comes down to Peter being one of the patrons of Henry and Gervais being a monk who knew Becket,

The extract is also convincing because it argues that Henry greatly restricted the powers of the nobility. With previous monarchs, the nobility had a great amount of power, however, with Henry, it was very different. Being a noble did not guarantee power or closeness to the king, and, in fact, by the end of his reign, Henry had retreated so far from the nobility that, essentially, their only role was to be part of the magnificance of court life. Henry gave a voice to the middle classes- 'new men' , as they were known, became greatly politically active, whereas the nobility had an obligation of loyalty being forced upon them.

This little bit shows why Henry decided to lead his army into France. “Henry II ruled not only England but the entire western seaboard of what is now France” (Children 4). This showed what it finally took for Henry V to invade France and take back what was in his

Throughout the play Henry is described as a “true lover of the holy church” (I.i.23), and “the mirror of all Christian kings” (II.Cho.6). He is played up as the ideal and seamless Christian king. Then during the battle of Agincourt, King Henry tells his army that it is up to “Gods will” (IV.iii.23), which shows that he had great faith in God. This is an incredible demonstration of confidence and trust in God and it stresses his honorable Christian qualities. Another example of him being a Christian king is in scene two when Henry says “God quit you in His mercy” which I took as you got God’s mercy and the person receiving it was lucky to have God’s mercy on their side during the event happening.

Although labeled as a history, the strength of Shakespeare's Henry V lies not in the events that occur in the play, but in the delicate portrayal of the characters involved. Shakespeare's audience would have already known the story of Henry V's campaign on France and thus would have had no reason to watch a play that simply re-enacted past events. Therefore, the appeal of such a play, as well as the themes and the content, would have been dependent largely on the characters themselves.

Henry’s speech was so successful because he crafted it specifically with his audience in mind. He knew that they were religious men well educated on the Bible and therefore that he appeals to their emotions by alluding to one of the most famous incidents in Christianity. Henry’s knowledge of his audience allowed him to create a speech that he knew would have a great impact. Overall his use of biblical allusions appeal to their religious sides, he appeals to their egotistical side by addressing their pride, and appeals to their educated mind with an appeal of specific logic that all combined creates a speech so well developed and impactful that it is still studied today.

As a young man, Henry had a reputation of being immature because he spent time with the common people, but Henry disproves this by showing his selflessness for the good of his country. When he becomes king he shows where his values lie and use his experiences from his earlier years to better understand the common people. This results in him being able to relate to the common man and better understand them, and later motivate them when needed. As soon as he came into power he was recognized as more mature than he was expected to be. The bishops recognized that Henry was a selfless leader: “The courses of his youth promised it not. / The breath no sooner left his father’s body /But that his wildness, mortified in him, / Seemed to die too.” (13). It was recognized that he gave up all of his friendships with the plebeians so that he would follow the proper way to rule as king. His intentions for becoming friends with the common people in the first place was also selfless, he wanted to know more about them too, in turn, be a more effective leader, despite the

Henry was barely eighteen years of age when got to the thrown. He has been prepared ever since the death of his brother Arthur. At this age, he was not the kind of person you would

Among the upper classes, he proved over and over again that he was not a good king. He rarely, if ever, participated in Parliament, and often did not attend sittings of the king's council. When the council sat at Westminster, Henry usually managed to be somewhere else (Storey, 35). These actions give a picture of a king who, though solicited for his opinions, did not want to get involved in the

In 1509, Henry VII died and Henry, heir apparent, became King of England at eighteen years old. After the death of Henry VII and the accession of the throne by his son, Henry became Henry VIII and his first assignment was to execute his father’s ministers. It wasn’t until a few months after the death of his father that Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon (“Henry VIII King of England” 2). In the early years of Henry VIII’s reign, he was tall and handsome. Henry VIII was very talented in many things, including playing various musical instruments, being athletic, being a good linguist, dancing, hunting, and a musical composer among many other attributes (Fry 95). When Henry VIII first came to the throne, he had little to no interest in

Myth 1- The fact that we have better hygiene and revolutionized our ways of sanitation will simply make diseases die off. Ultimately, the idea of vaccination is not necessary.

Henry V is a wise and loyal king, changing from a wild youth to a mature king. He is described to be an intelligent, thoughtful and an efficient statesman. He thinks carefully whether to invade France or not which represents his responsible character. King Henry gives a very strong speech which gave courage and confidence to his army that they could win the battle. This character describes him to be a king of great ability to fight and having good administrative skills. Throughout the play Henry’s nature is religious, merciful and compassionate.