Essay on King Henry VIII

The nation was revitalized, the finances were rectified, and the religious tensions had been quelled. England grew from being a relatively poor country to one that would dominate the world stage. The path to this point was filled with an abundance of intrigue, backstabbing, mischief, adultery, civil strife, corruption, religious reformations, in no small order due to the decisions of this incredible family, but without it England may have never been able to come into its stride. Henry VIII, though famous for his supposed ineptitude and foul demeanor, paved the way for his children to make great and incredible changes. The formation of Anglicanism would forever change European politics and was an incredibly important stepping stone in the success of the protestant reformation. Though Mary was a devout Catholic even she furthered the protestant cause by creating martyrs and further alienating the English people from the Catholic faith. Then came Elizabeth, who became what all others hope to be, and chose to end her family’s legacy with her. The Tudors have always been in control of their own destinies, even to their bitter end. At least it was ended on a high note. Their choices and actions created a nation of supreme proportions and left the world shaken, and left us with some incredible stories to

Henry the VIII was known for strongly supporting the way the pope felt about Martin Luther, and was even awarded the title “Defender of the Faith”. He stood behind the security of the Tudor dynasty, however never had the son he needed and not believing in divorce tried to annul his marriage to Catherine, which the pope did not support. His intent to have a son was still strong enough that he left the pope and moved in to the head of the Church of England and the bishops there annulled his marriage to Catherine and he married Anne who also did not provide him with a son but another daughter. Again not believing in divorce and deciding not to get an annulment had Anne beheaded on the charge that she committed adultery. There were many marriages

This may be one of the reasons why the reformation was as smooth as it

On September 20, 1486, King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth the Good were blessed with their firstborn son, Arthur. Giving birth to

King Henry VIII was a king of England until his death in April 21, 1509. Many

The following overview derives from the New Catholic Encyclopedia. Henry VIII, the second's son of King Henry VII, was groomed for ruling the Church during his youth, with a broad education in theology, music, languages, and poetry. His elder brother was being prepared for the throne, but passed away from a sudden illness. Henry VIII took over as King, and became engaged to his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. Based on the Old Testaments ban on marrying the widow of your brother, King Henry VIII became concerned his marriage was cursed by God. He petitioned Pope Clement VII for a papal annulment, but the Pope immediately rejected the annulment. In 1531, he compelled the English clergy to accept him as head of the church of England, leading the Parliament to pass a series of laws depriving the Roman Catholic Church of any authority in England. King Henry VIII received the same legal authority over the English Church that the Pope operated over the Roman Catholic Church. Following this, Kind Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, and split his church from the Roman Catholic Church, forming the original Anglican Church.

became Elizabeth I. Henry soon tired of Anne and had her put to death. A

In this essay, I will be unfolding how during King Henry VIII 37 year reign, reformed his country, his country church, and historical outcomes, as we know it.

Henry Tudor was born in 1457 to Margaret Beaufort, a legitimate claimant to the English throne through the Lancastrian side of Edward III of England, and the deceased Edmund Tudor, a Welsh nobleman ("Henry VII," 1995). Because of his mother’s ties to the English throne, Henry was constantly perceived as a threat to the English crown; continuously moved between France and England. Throughout childhood he was merely a

Henry was clever and educated well, taught by private tutors for his entire years of youth. He loved music and wrote some as well. A lover of gambling and jousting, he hosted countless tournaments and banquets. In the Gentleman in the Wilderness lecture notes, Professor Sampson writes, “Henry VII was a brat, self indulgent, and treated the slightest disagreement with rage” (Sampson, Gentleman in the Wilderness). Therefore, this shows that Henry had truly two sides to himself.

The Renaissance was a time period in history that effectively moved the world from the dark ages into a modern era. A few very powerful families ruled England throughout this time. The most renowned family in England during the Renaissance was the Tudors. Henry VIII was one of the most well known of the Tudor line because of his many marriages, divorces, and controversial influence in the Catholic church. He liked to push the boundaries on many subjects that often ended with him in a difficult situation. Somehow though, Henry always found a way around the rules or a way to weld them for his own personal gains. Henry Tudor’s infamous personal life directly affected his contentious life of faith.

“Henry was thirteen when he left home. I pleaded with him not to leave, but he was persistent, adamant the Anti-King Movement will finally end the brutality of the kings. I told him if he walked out that door, I never wanted to see him again.” He hung his head low, his eyes tearing, feeling ashamed of the words he spoke to his adopted son. “Eighteen years passed before I ever saw him again. I was browsing through the market when I spotted him with a glorious smile on his face, displaying the top roll of his teeth as his mother did when we were children. I wanted to speak to

Though Henry VIII was alive over 500 years ago, the portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein is still deceivingly intimidating and has been described as “the best bit of propaganda ever” (Wilson, 2009). It is evident through the use of the elements in the portrait that Henry VIII planned this portrait to make the viewer feel abashed and powerless in its presence. Whether the portrait is similar to the real Henry VIII, we may never know, however, we can see through the elements of this portrait how Henry wanted to be perceived. The elements of the expensive clothing and jewellery, as well as the luxurious furnishings in the background, show Henry’s royalty and superiority. Whilst the deep red colours are associated with strength and vitality,

On June 28, 1491, at Greenwich Palace, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York had their second son named Henry VIII. It was important for a king to have as many heirs as possible because of the mortality rate during this time in England. Henry became the heir to the throne after the death of his older brother, Arthur in

Henry Tudor was born on June 28, 1491 in the Greenwich Palace. He is the son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth York. After his father’s death, Henry became known as king of England. He married six different women (Catherine Parr, Catherine Howard, Anne of Cleves, Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn, and Catherine of Aragon) in the time of his reign. His marriages are most familiar in the mnemonic device, “divorced, beheaded, died/divorced, beheaded, survived”, talking about his wives. Henry had six siblings, yet only three survived: Arthur, Margaret, and Mary. Arthur was expected to take the throne considering he is older than Henry, but he died at the age of 15, four months after his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry was offered to the family alliance of Spain by his father to Arthur’s widow. At the age of 17, he had married Catherine.