Biography of Henry VIII

Henry's Parents

Henry was the second King of England's Tudor monarchy. His father was Henry VII, and his mother was Elizabeth of York. In his ancestry were the bitter memories of the Wars of the Roses which tore the country apart, economically, politically and religiously, in the 1400s.

Henry: Renaissance Man

Henry VIII was very much a renaissance man: scholarly and musical, he was both an author and a poet. Henry received a fine education, and was fluent in French, Latin and Spanish. He also excelled at sports, especially jousting, hunting, and real tennis. He was also known for his strong dedication to Christianity.

Henry's Wives

Henry is perhaps best known his six marriages. His first wife, Katherine, suffered a heartbreakingly painful series of miscarriages and stillbirths. Henry desperately wanted a male heir to succeed him, partly to avoid rival claims to the crown like those that had caused the Wars of the Roses before Henry's father became king.

Read more about Henry's wives

Henry and the English Reformation

Henry had a troubled relationship with the Pope. Despite being a strong Catholic, he was also angered by Clement VII's refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. By this time, Anne Boleyn was pregnant, and unless Henry was free to marry her, the unborn child would be declared illegitimate. The breaking of the power of Rome in England proceeded little by little. 

When Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne, Pope Clement at last excommunicated the King, declaring the marriage with Anne null and void, and all diplomatic relations with Rome were broken off. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 declared Henry was "the only Supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England" and the Treasons Act made it punishable by death to refuse to acknowledge this.

Henry's Death

When Henry died in 1547 aged 55, at the Palace of Whitehall, few people mourned him. He'd become cruel and tyrannical in the years after his health began to fail. He was suffering from gout, suppurating boils, and an ulcerated leg wound stopped him from exercising, leading to his obesity. His highly unpredictable egotistical nature made him dangerous to be around. According to Holinshed, Henry ordered around 72,000 executions during his reign; other historians offer higher figures.

Henry VIII was buried in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, next to his wife Jane Seymour.

The Many Faces of King Henry VIII

Click on the images below and right to see the many different ways in which King Henry VIII was represented during his reign.