King Henry the 8th

By Megan Rees

June 28, 1491 – January 28, 1547

King Henry the 8th

Public Image Finances

MarriagesGovernment

Posterity

Public Image

• Henry cultivated the image of a Renaissance man, and his court was a center of scholarly and artistic innovation and glamorous excess, epitomized by the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

• Henry was an intellectual. The first English king with a modern humanist education, he read and wrote English, French, Latin and was thoroughly at home in his well-stocked library.

• A big, strong man and he excelled at jousting and hunting. More than pastimes, they were political devices that served multiple goals, from enhancing his athletic royal image to impressing foreign emissaries and rulers, to conveying Henry's ability to suppress any rebellion.

Finances

• Financially, the reign of Henry was a near-disaster. Although he inherited a prosperous economy, Henry's heavy spending and long periods of mismanagement damaged the economy

• Henry inherited a vast fortune from his father Henry VII who had, in contrast to his son, been frugal and careful with money. Much of this wealth was spent by Henry on maintaining his court and household, including many of the building works he undertook on royal palaces. Tudor monarchs had to fund all the expenses of government out of their own income.

Government

• The power of Tudor monarchs, including Henry, was 'whole' and 'entire', ruling, as they claimed, by the grace of God alone.

• Nevertheless, as evident during Henry's break with Rome, the monarch worked within established limits, whether legal or financial, that forced him to work closely with both the nobility and parliament

• In practice, Tudor monarchs used patronage to maintain a royal court that included formal institutions such as the Privy Council as well more informal advisers and confidants.

PosterityKnown Children of Henry the 8th of England

Name Mother Birth Notes

Unnamed daughter Catherine of Aragon 31 Jan 1510 Miscarriage

Henry Catherine of Aragon 1 Jan 1511 Died 2 months

Unnamed son Catherine of Aragon Nov 1513 Died shortly after birth

Henry Catherine of Aragon Dec 1514 Died 1 month

Queen Mary 1 Catherine of Aragon 18 Feb 1516 Married Philip of Spain; no issue

Unnamed daughter Catherine of Aragon Nov 1518 Stillbirth

Queen Elizabeth 1 Anne Boleyn 7 Sep 1533 Never married; no issue

Unnamed son Anne Boleyn 29 Jan 1536

Kind Edward 6 Jane Seymour 12 Oct 1537 Unmarried; no issue

Marriages

Catherine of Aragon Anne Boleyn Jane Seymour Anne of Cleves

Katherine Howard Catherine Parr

Catherine of Aragon

• Formerly married to Henry’s older brother, who died before they had children.

• Had many pregnancies but only produced one heir, Mary.

• Henry divorced her to marry Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn

• Was his mistress for many years before marrying

• Henry split from the Catholic church in order to marry her

• Produced only one heir, Elizabeth, who became the most famous monarch in England.

• She was beheaded by Henry.

Jane Seymour

• Became engaged to Henry the day after Anne was executed

• Bore him his only son, Edward, who died before he could rule

• Died herself soon after giving birth

Anne of Cleves

• Married the King, sight unseen

• He never liked her, but he annulled the wedding and no harm came to her.

Catherine Howard

• Was much younger than her husband. Had affairs on him.

• She eventually was beheaded because of these actions

Catherine Parr

• Was a wealthy widow and a religious reformer

• Helped reconcile Henry with his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth

• They were put back into the line of succession, after his still living son, Edward.