Research Paper On King Henry Viii

Henry VIII Performance King Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings in British history. Henry was a man of great power and used his efficacy to influence England and enhance it’s potential as a country. King Henry’s rule was turbulent and effective. His rule focused on proficiency which allowed England to transform into the country that it is today. To help achieve this, King Henry adopted the idea of vigorous decision making. King Henry’s advanced accomplishments with the Church and England made him notorious in history as a turmultuous and celebrated leader.

King Henry VIII Background King Henry VIII was born at Greenwich on June 28th 1491, he was the second son of Henry VII, from the House of Tudor, and Elizabeth of York. Henry became

Upon his fathers death, Henry inherited a strong united England. The monarch’s finances were in surplus and the nobility was willing to work for him effectively (Jokinen, Anniina). Henry, in the beginning of his reign, had little interest in the day-to-day business of government and appointed Thomas Wolsey, a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, as his “right hand man.” King Henry named Wolsey Lord Chancellor in 1515 (Carley, James). King Henry VIII was brought up a strong and devout Catholic. His interests in foreign policy matured as he did. Henry focused his efforts on Western Europe, which was in a state of shifting alliances. This power shift centered around the Kings of Spain, France, and the Holy Roman Emperor (Holbein, Hans). Henry married Spanish Catherine of Aragon in 1509, she was his late brothers’ widow. The union of Henry and Catherine helped solidify the Tudor dynasty alliance with Spain. King Henry sent 10,000 troops to fight with Spain against France in 1512. The mission was a disaster and many English lives were lost with nothing accomplished. England invaded and defeated France in 1513, at the Battle of Spurs, and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Flodden the same year. There were negligible benefits from both battles, and Henry determined making peace with France would be more beneficial. As part of the peace provision, Henry’s sister, Mary, age 18,

Henry was a strong and ruthless ruler, forcing changes to the Church-State relationship which excluded the Catholic papacy and strengthened England’s political position while acquiring wealth (Carley, James). The Church of England granted King Henry the annulment he requested from Catherine, which allowed him to marry Anne Boleyn, his second wife. Anne and Henry produced a daughter Elizabeth, however, Anne was unable to produce a male heir. To get out of his marriage to Anne, Henry contrived an elaborate story of adultery and incest which ended in an annulment of their marriage. King Henry ultimately had Anne arrested and beheaded (Kybett M.). Within a day of Anne’s execution King Henry VIII married his third wife Jane Seymour. Jane was able to give Henry a son, Edward (1537), however she died in childbirth, Henry was devastated (Green, Robert). King Henry called his advisor Cromwell to find him a new wife. King Henry’s fourth marriage was to Anne of Cleves, and it was a disaster. Anne was chosen for Henry to solidify the alliance between England and Germany. They quickly divorced after a few months and Henry blamed Cromwell for the mismatched relationship (Jokinen, Anniina). Within weeks Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, 30 years his junior. This marriage was very short lived, Catherine had multiple relationships with courtiers and King Henry had her