Who was Henry VIII Prince Henry was born

Who was Henry VIII?

Prince Henry was born on June 28 1491 at Greenwich Palace. As he was second in line to the throne, his parents did not expect him to become King. For the first ten years of his life he studied theology and religion so that he could have a future in the Church. Greenwich Palace

Henry’s parents Henry VII and Elizabeth of York were Henry VIII’s parents. Henry VII was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.

Henry’s brothers and sisters Henry was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He had two sisters and a brother. Arthur He was 5 years older than Henry. He died when Henry was 10. Margaret She was a year and a half older than Henry. She married James IV, King of Scots. Mary She was 5 years younger than Henry. She became the Queen of France

Henry was very spoilt as a child. He had a fool to amuse him, and a ‘whipping boy’. This boy would get whipped whenever Henry was naughty - nobody would dare whip the prince. Henry studied French, Latin, Greek, mathematics, poetry and music. His cousins William Compton and Charles Brandon - were sent to study with him and to keep him company.

Henry’s brother gets married Arthur and Katherine of Aragon were married in 1501. Henry, who was just 10 at the time, travelled with Katherine to St Paul’s cathedral.

1509: Henry VIII becomes king Arthur died just five months after his marriage. He was only 15 years old. Their father, Henry VII, died seven years later in 1509. That left Henry next in line to the throne. He was now the King of England at the age of 17. Before his father died, he had arranged for Henry to marry his brother’s wife, Katherine of Aragon. At first, Henry refused, but later decided that he did want Katherine as his bride. They married in June 1509, when Henry was 17 and Katherine was 23. Henry VII days after his coronation. Henry VIII, two

The start of his reign In the first two days of his reign, Henry VIII ordered the execution of his father’s most hated tax collectors. They were charged with treason and executed in 1510. Henry gave back some of the money that was taken in tax by them. This was to become the way that Henry dealt with people who stood in his way. He was happy to allow his trusted nobles and advisors to rule England. He spent only an hour a day helping run the country, giving him time to take part in his favourite pastimes. His father had saved a great amount of money, and Henry enjoyed spending it on clothes, castles, and festivities. Henry VII with his tax advisors, Richard Empson and Sir Edmund Dudley

His pleasures Henry was described as being very handsome and athletic. He was 180 centimetres tall and was extremely good at sport. He excelled in jousting, archery and wrestling. He was also very clever - he spoke four languages - and enjoyed learning; particularly about maths, astronomy and theology. He loved music, and always arranged for musicians to be in court. He could play many instruments and even wrote his own songs.

What was Henry VIII like? As a person, Henry was very outgoing, daring and active, but could also be stubborn, selfish and bad tempered. As a ruler he was strong and ruthless. He could throw tantrums if he was opposed by his advisors and was not afraid of sending anyone to be executed. He was a devout Christian, although this never stopped him from getting what he wanted. A very big worry to Henry VIII was that the Tudor family would lose control over England. It was extremely important to him that he had a son to succeed him. This was possibly why he married so many times towards the end of his life.

Henry VIII - his death Later in his life, Henry was a sad, lonely person. An accident he had in his youth gave him a bad leg, full of ulcers that constantly seeped pus. Possibly because of this, he became very overweight, and he had to be moved with mechanical inventions. His body was covered in boils, and he suffered from gout. He died in 1547, aged 55 in the Palace of Whitehall. He was buried in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, next to Jane Seymour.

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