King Henry VIII

The Man With Six Wives

Menu The life of Henry VIII

The Beginning The End Personal Reflection

The wives of Henry VIII List of Henry VII’s Wives Facts of Henry VII’s Wives Personal Reflection

Religious Reforms of Henry VIII Formation of King Henry’s Church Formation of the Church Continued Personal Reflection

Quote Works Cited

Life of Henry VIII

Took the throne at age 18 after the death of his older brother Arthur.

Married Katherine of Argon, his brother’s widow.

A charismatic and physically attractive man he ruled well for many years.

His health and physical prowess began to deteriorate as well as his mind.

The king broke with the Catholic Church because the Pope would not grant his divorce.

Life of Henry VIII

After breaking with the church, Henry created the church of England.

He divorced Katherine and began a downward spiral of wives, executions, and bad ruling.

The king died after an unsuccessful reign.

Reflection on Life of Henry VIII

Henry VIII began his reign wonderfully. He was

well liked by his subjects and his prospects were

endless. After several unsuccessful attempts at

Producing an heir, Henry began his downfall.

Although not the greatest king in England’s

history, he made some long lasting changes in

the English way of life.

Wives of Henry VIII

King Henry VII’s Wives: Katherine of Argon Anne Boleyn Jane Seymour Anne of Cleves Katherine Howard Katherine Parr

Wives of Henry VIII

Katherine of Argon Married 1509 His Brother’s Widow Daughter: Mary

Anne Boleyn Married 1533 Executed 1536 Daughter: Elizabeth I

Jane Seymour Married 1536 Died in Childbirth

1537 Son: Edward

Anne of Cleves Married 1540 Marriage was Annulled

after 6 Months Katherine Howard

Called the “Rose without a Thorn”

Executed 1541 due to Earlier Counts of Adultery

Katherine Parr Married 1542 The Only Wife Charged

with a Crime and Found Innocent

Reflection on Wives of Henry VIII

Henry VIII is notorious for his numerous wives.

Many myths surround Henry and his wives. He

is painted as an amorous womanizer but in fact

the main reason for his many wives was his

frantic effort to produce a son and heir to the

throne. He finally succeeded in having a son,

Edward, with Jane Seymour but his son barely

outlived his father by six years.

Religious Reforms of Henry VIII

The Many Steps Leading to King Henry’s Church of England: 1521: Henry writes “A Defense of the Seven

Sacraments” against Martin Luther and receives the title of ‘Defender of the Faith’

1527: The Pope denies Henry’s request for a divorce from Katherine of Argon

1529: Henry removes Wolsey after his failure to solve the king’s great matter, his divorce of Katherine

1534: Act of Supremacy confirms Henry as head of the Church of England, separate from Rome but still Catholic in doctrine

Religious Reforms of Henry VIII

▪ 1535: English bishops reject all Papal authority and the Coverdale’s English Bible is printed

▪ 1536: Investigation and dissolution of monasteries begins and the ‘Pilgrimage of Grace’, a revolt against Henry’s religious reforms is set in motion

▪ 1538: Widespread destruction of shrines and relics begins and the Great Bible comes into circulation for use in the English Churches

▪ Henry issues the Six Articles to prevent a drift to Protestantism

Reflection of Religious Reforms of Henry VIII

Unbeknownst to most people, King Henry was

was a very religious man. He broke with the

Catholic Church because they refused his

divorce to his first wife, Katherine. Although

that seems to be self indulgent reason for him

to break with the church, he based his decision

on religion.

“Henry had become a misanthropic, suspicious and cruel king, and his subjects began (discreetly, for such words were illegal) to call him a tyrant. In his early years, Henry’s charisma and egoism had been directed into a little showing-off while jousting (on one occasion he presented himself before the queen and the ladies with 'a thousand jumps in the air'), but the ends to which these qualities were now deployed had changed ( Lipscomb, 2009).”

Works Cited

Life of King Henry VIII Lipscomb, S. (2009, April). WHO WAS HENRY?. History Today, 59(4),

14-20. Retrieved June 22, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Wives of King Henry VIII Weir, A. (2002, June). HENRY'S QUEENS. (Cover story). British

Heritage, 23(4), 16. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Religious Reforms of Henry VIII Wooding, L. (2008, December). HENRY VIII AND RELIGION. History

Review, Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Other Sources Key events in Henry VIII's life. (Cover story). (1991, June). History

Today, Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database