Henry VIII, King of England

Henry VIII (1491-1547) was the King of England from 1510 to 1547. He was a unique king with talent in music and sports. He married six wives during his life, and he influenced England a lot during his reign. This paper will examine his early life, his marriages with his six wives, his success in many battles, becoming the head of the Anglican Church, and his life as the King of England.

Henry VIII was born on June 28, a rainy day in the summer of 1491, at Greenwich Palace in England (Godwin 17). He was the third child and second son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He had an elder brother Arthur, an elder sister Margaret, and a younger sister Mary. He also had three other siblings, but only Arthur, Margaret, Henry and Mary survived early childhood. Henry was born as a member of the royal family, but he was not the heir-apparent to the English thrown because he was the second son. King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth encouraged Prince Henry in his studies which made Henry a clever boy, and he enjoyed writing poems.

Henry’s brother Arthur died of illness in 1502 when Henry was ten years old (Cannon). The loss of his brother Arthur made Henry the heir-apparent to the English throne. On February 18, 1503, he became the Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, and the Duke of York (Pollard 31). He also got engaged to Catherine of Aragon, who had been Henry’s brother Arthur’s wife, on June 25, 1503 (Pollard 32). The engagement was to keep good relations with Spain because Catherine was a Spanish princess. The preparations for Henry to become the King of England started from when he was young.

Henry was a very talented young man. He was an accomplished musician, a patron of the arts, and a fine athlete (Henry VIII king). He could speak four or five languages, and was good at singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments. He also enjoyed hunting and jousting. He was also known as a very tall and handsome prince (Starkey). The people in England loved Prince Henry, and expected him to become a wonderful king (Elton). On his fifteenth birthday in 1533, Henry suddenly broke off his engagements to Catherine of Aragon because he did not want to marry a woman who his father had decided.

Henry VII had been suffering from shock and unknown illness after the death of his son Arthur. On April 21, 1509, King Henry VII died of illness at ...

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