The Child King Henry VII got married in 1509, 1533, 1536, 1540 (twice), and 1543 - why?
Henry VIII is one of the few English monarchs recognizable even in America, for his antics are legendary on both sides of the Atlantic. He is as notorious for killing important people as he is for getting married six times and his break with Rome. Indeed, Henry's reign would make a good comic book, for he was always off on some new half-baked project, be it invading France or plotting a crusade. His whole life was marked by impulsiveness and his "OK, that was fun, what's next?" attitude. He never outgrew many childlike character traits, at times stubborn and the next moment almost a gullible pushover. This childish disposition is the key to why he got married so many times, even after his heir was born. Henry VIII was impetuous and impatient, and his abandonment of repeated marriages reflects a pattern of immaturity throughout his reign.
It will be helpful to get a sense of Henry's character and personality before applying this directly to his penchant for wedding. His immaturity can be traced back to his sheltered upbringing and lack of responsibility, remarkable even for a king. As a child Henry "was apparently never given any responsibility, however circumscribed, for state affairs during his father's lifetime, or any taste of independence" (Scarisbrick 6). Henry VII was very overprotective of his son, and the boy lived a nearly cloistered life. The historian Weir writes,
He was not permitted to leave the palace unless it was it was by a private door into the park, and then only in the company of specially appointed persons. No one dared approach him or speak to him. He spent most of his time in a room that led off the king's be...
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...onal view of marriage which conflicted with the strategic role of marriage in his time. He was, in short, a childish, irresponsible egomaniac, and it was probably a good thing that he let his advisors do most of the ruling for him.
Works Cited
Bagley, J.J. Henry VIII. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd., 1962
Bowle, John. Henry VIII. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1964
Douglass, David C. ed. English Historical Documents Volume V: 1485-1558. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1967
Mackie, J.D. The Earlier Tudors: 1485-1558. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1952
St. Clare Byrne, M. ed. The Letters of King Henry VIII. London: Cassell and Company Ltd., 1936
Scarisbrick, J.J. Henry VIII. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1969
Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII. London: Chatto & Windus, 2003
Weir, Alison. Henry VIII. London: Pimlico, 2001