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| Portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger (1537) |
- Princess Katherine of Aragon (m. 1509 - 1533)
- Anne Boleyn (m. 1533 - 1536)
- Lady Jane Seymour (m. 1536 - 1537)
- Lady Anne of Cleves (m. 1540 - 1540)
- Lady Katherine Howard (m. 1540 - 1542)
- Lady Katherine Parr (m. 1543 - 1547)
- With Princess Katherine of Aragon
- *Unnamed Princess* (1510 - 1510)
- Prince Henry, Duke of Cornwall (1511 - 1511)
- *Unnamed Prince* (1513 - 1513)
- *Unnamed Prince* (1514 - 1514)
- Queen Mary I of England, Ireland and Spain (1516 - 1558)
- *Unnamed Princess* (1518 - 1518)
- With Lady Elizabeth Blount
- Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519 - 1536)
- With Anne Boleyn
- Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (1536 - 1603)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1534 - 1534) *disputed*
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1535 - 1535)
- *Unnamed Prince* (1536 - 1536)
- With Lady Jane Seymour
- King Edward VI of England and Ireland (1537 - 1553)
Appearance:
During his youth, Henry was described as being very handsome, with fair, likely strawberry-blond or red hair. He was very tall for the time period, being over 182cm (6'0'') in height. He was also fit and had an athletic build, with notoriously toned calf muscles that people admired.
His skin was also very fair, and was described as an 'Adonis'.
However, later in life, in particular after a few jousting accidents, Henry was unable to exercise as much as he did, and began to gain large amounts of weight, often eating five thousand calories per day. By his 40s, he had lost most of his hair, and was so large that he had to be hoisted up stairs by pulley systems.
His legs were destroyed by ulcers and sores, which were often infected and smelled of rotting flesh. It was reported that he could be smelled from a few rooms away.
By the time of his death, he likely weighed around 177kg (392lbs).
Biography:
Henry was born in Greenwich, England in 1491, and was the third child and second son of King Henry VII of England, and his wife, Princess Elizabeth of York. His birth occurred just after the end of the Wars of the Wars, in which the warring houses of York and Lancaster had just been officially united by his parents' marriage, so there was a lot of pressure put upon him and his siblings to maintain the stability of this new dynasty.
As the second son, it originally appeared unlikely that Henry would ever inherit the throne of England, and so his education and upbringing did not prepare him for the role. Instead, Henry would mainly be brought up by his mother alongside his sisters. Though he was not educated to rule, he still received an excellent academic education as befitting a renaissance prince of the time period.
In 1501, tragedy would strike as Henry's older brother, Prince Arthur, died suddenly, meaning that Henry was now next in line for the throne. However, Henry continued to receive no education to prepare him for the role, and his father kept him away from the public.
With Arthur dead, negotiations began for Henry to marry his brother's widow, Katherine of Aragon, who had only been married to his brother briefly before his passing; this was to maintain an alliance between England and Spain. However, permission from the Pope would be needed, since in the eyes of Catholicism, Katherine's previous marriage to Arthur now meant that Henry and Katherine were now closely related by affinity. The matter rested on the possibility that the marriage was never consummated, which Katherine always claimed it was not. Both Henry and Katherine continued to be left in limbo by his father, and it started looking like the marriage would never take place.
Both Henry and his family were then devastated by the death of his mother, Elizabeth, and baby sister in 1502. His father fell into a deep depression and further secluded himself, and Henry was also deeply affected by the death of his mother as they had always been close. It's possible that these heavy losses at a young age are what may have helped create Henry's terrible fear of sickness.
Henry VII would then die in 1509, and Henry became King Henry VIII of England at the age of 17. Though there were attempts to marry Henry to Princess Eleanor of Austria, Henry instead declared that he would marry Princess Katherine of Aragon instead, and it's likely that the two of them had fallen in love with each other by this point. They quickly married, and their marriage and rule was met with huge celebrations, especially after the increasingly tyrannical and miserly rule of Henry VII.
Though their marriage was quite happy and they enjoyed a close relationship, Henry was not loyal and would take numerous mistresses. Henry and Katherine would go on to have six children together, though only one daughter, Mary, would survive infancy. During this time, one of Henry's mistresses, Elizabeth Blount, gave birth to his illegitimate son, also named Henry. Since it looked like both Henry and Katherine would not have any legitimate sons together, serious consideration was made into making Henry FitzRoy the next monarch of England, despite his illegitimate status.
After around twenty years of marriage, Katherine began to go through the menopause. Henry began an affair with Mary Boleyn, though he soon tired of her also. His attention then began to fall on Mary Boleyn's sister, Anne Boleyn, who was a lady-in-waiting to his wife. Henry would be further spurred on in his infatuation with her by Anne's attitude of playing hard to get. She refused his seductions, returned his gifts, and claimed she would not sleep with him unless she was his wife. Henry was becoming increasingly desperate for a male heir, and he began to believe that Anne would provide him with this.
Thus, in 1527, the King's Great Matter began, in which he began seeking an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, on the grounds that she had been previously married to his older brother. Their lack of male heirs was viewed by Henry as a sign from God that their marriage was not lawful, and that Katherine and Arthur's marriage must have been consummated. The argument would be taken all the way to the Pope, who, after being captured by Katherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor, during the Sack of Rome, refused to grant an annulment.
Meanwhile, Katherine was banished from court, and Henry practically disowned his daughter, Mary.
As a result of his lack of progress, Henry broke from Rome 1532, and established the Church of England, with himself as the head. This was the first step in the Protestant Reformation within England, though Henry would remain a devout Catholic for the rest of his life.
Henry then married Anne in secret, while technically still being married to Katherine, and Anne conceived straight away, much to their delight. Henry's marriage to Katherine was then declared null and void by the new Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Katherine was stripped of her titles, and Anne was crowned as the new queen consort of England.
Anne gave birth in 1533, and despite predictions that it would be a boy, the baby was in fact a girl, Elizabeth. Though a slight disappointment, this fact at least established to Henry that both he and Anne were capable of producing healthy children together.
Henry's marriage to Anne would be tumultuous, and while they had periods of happiness, they would also argue explosively and clash over many matters. Anne was very opinionated, outspoken, and had a temper that could rival Henry's own, and Henry soon began to grow tired of those qualities in a wife. Anne continued to have miscarriages, as well as a possible phantom pregnancy, and once again, Henry began to take mistresses.
Meanwhile, the people of England were forced to swear an oath to the king that recognised him as the head of the Church of England, a move that was not popular with the majority of the population who remained Catholic. Henry's closest friend and advisor, Thomas Moore, would refuse to swear this oath, resulting in his execution.
Katherine died in 1536, and on the day of her funeral, Henry suffered a jousting accident where he fell from his horse and was crushed. It's possible that he may have been rendered unconscious by the event, and when news reached Anne, she went into shock and miscarried their son. This accident would have a dramatic effect and change the course of Henry's life. It ruptured ulcers and varicose veins in his legs, which would render him disabled and suffer from frequent infections. The once athletic and hyperactive Henry was unable to exercise as much as he used to, and this is when he began to gain a lot of weight.
His tiredness towards Anne was exploited by Anne's enemies, and Henry began an affair with Lady Jane Seymour around this time, one of Anne's ladies-in-waiting. Like Anne, Jane also refused to become Henry's mistress, and would only sleep with him if they were married. This tactic would once again work its magic on Henry.
In 1536, Anne was arrested for treason, adultery, and incest, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Her trial was rigged, and she was found guilty. Henry's marriage to her was declared null and void, though Henry showed a small amount of mercy by declaring that Anne would be quickly executed by sword rather than suffer the slow death by axe or burning. Elizabeth was declared illegitimate, and like his eldest daughter, she too was also practically disowned by Henry.
Within just ten days, Henry married Jane, and she was able to reconcile him with his eldest daughter, Mary. Jane would later give birth to their only child, and the son and heir that Henry desperately wanted, Edward. However, the birth had been a very difficult one, and Jane died days later from a postnatal infection. Though Henry was overjoyed at the birth of a son, the loss of Jane was also devastating for him. He became more paranoid and secluded, as well as more aware of just how isolated England was as a kingdom now.
Due to England's isolation, Henry's trusted advisor, Thomas Cromwell, suggested a possible match between Henry and Lady Anne of Cleves, in order to form a Protestant alliance with a German Duchy. In 1540, Henry agreed to marry Anne; by now he was 49 years old, while Anne of Cleves was just 25. He was smitten with the portrait that had been painted of her, and ever the enjoyer of games of courtly love, Henry disguised himself for their first meeting. He hoped that true love would allow for Anne to instantly recognise who he was, but she didn't, which resulted in Anne's confusion and her snubbing of him. Henry was humiliated, and declared her to be a 'Flanders mare'.
Initially unable to get out of the alliance, Henry was forced to go ahead with the marriage, but claimed that he was unable to consummate it, stating that she was ugly and unappealing to him. He began attempting an annulment as soon as possible, on the grounds that Anne had already been betrothed to someone else. Anne did not argue and agreed to the annulment, to which Henry handsomely rewarded her for her co-operation. The two of them would remain close friends for the rest of Henry's life, and she would be referred to as his 'sister.'
Cromwell, however, would fall out of favour with Henry because of the disastrous marriage, which would result in his execution.
Before the annulment, Henry had already begun an affair with one of Anne's ladies-in-waiting, Katherine Howard - who was also Anne Boleyn's first cousin. They married soon after the annulment, when Henry was 49, and Katherine was just 17. Henry was smitten with his new wife, and appeared to have a new lease of life, despite his continued failing health. By this time, Henry was suffering from severe obesity, along with all of the health complications that came with the condition. His leg would also continue to become regularly infected, to a point where it should have been amputated, but such an action would have very likely resulted in his death. His rotten leg could be smelled from multiple rooms away, and his paranoia and mood swings worsened.
Katherine Howard would then have an affair with one of Henry's closest servants, Thomas Culpepper, though how much of this was fully consensual on Katherine's part is unknown; Culpepper did have a history of assault and rape. In any case, Henry was tipped off anonymously, and Katherine was arrested, along with Culpepper and her past lovers. They were all found guilty and executed for treason.
In 1543, Henry married his sixth and final wife, the already twice widowed Katherine Parr. Katherine Parr would become more like a dear friend and nurse to Henry during his final years. She was able to fully reconcile him with his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, and restore them to the line of succession.
Henry grew increasingly sick, to a point where he had to be carried around palaces, and hoisted up stairs by pulley systems. Katherine herself attempted to push through Protestant reforms, which resulted in a plot against her, and her near arrest. However, Katherine was able to intercept the plot, and pleaded her case to Henry, who would ultimately forgive her.
Henry died in 1547, likely as a result of organ failure related to his severe obesity.
Rule:
Throughout most of his reign, Henry was greatly inspired by one of his predecessors, King Henry V of England, desiring to follow in his footsteps and conquer the Kingdom of France. However, most of his attempts would result in failure. His only successes in this regard was his victory during the Battle of the Spurs in 1513, the capture of Boulogne in 1544, and his victory over King Francis I's invasion on the Isle of Wight in 1545. His many attempts at seizing the throne of France would almost bankrupt England.
During the early years of his reign, Henry had very little interest or patience when it came to governing. He would often leave this role to advisors such as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and then to Thomas Cromwell.
Arguably, the most major event during his reign was his 'Great Matter'. The greatest act Henry committed was breaking from Rome and establishing the Church of England. This would forever change the course of English history and lead to the Protestant Reformation. Though Henry remained a practising Catholic, he established himself as the head of the Church of England, and allowed for the seizure of lands and possessions of the many monasteries within England. This caused great resentment, especially in the north of England, where the Pilgrimage of Grace began, a rebellion of nearly 40,000 people. Henry initially promised them a pardon, but after further rebellions occurred, he had the leaders arrested and executed for treason. Thus, these rebellions were unsuccessful and posed no further threat to his reign, though it did little to raise his popularity.
Relations with the Kingdom of Scotland would remain rocky, with Scotland even invading England early in his reign, which resulted in Scotland's defeat and the death of their king at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, thanks to the leadership of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Henry would attempt an alliance and unification with Scotland in 1543 with the betrothal of his son, Edward, and the infant Queen of Scotland, Mary. However, Scotland refused to accept this, and the negative relations continued through the rest of his reign.
Overall, Henry was initially popular during the first years of his reign due to his renaissance image, but his actions later in life would greatly divide the kingdom and dwindle his popularity.
- There is a common misconception that Henry suffered from syphilis, but there is no evidence to support this case, as no record of him receiving treatment for the disease exists.
- Henry is often credited as the founder of the Royal Navy.
- Ironically, Henry's argument that his marriage to Katherine of Aragon being invalid on the grounds of affinity can also be applied to his marriage to Anne Boleyn since he had carnal knowledge of her sister, Mary. Of course, this is far from the only example of Henry being a huge hypocrite throughout his life.
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