Henry VIII

The Tudors• The Tudors were a royal family

who ruled England from 1485 until 1603.

• The first Tudor king was called Henry VII.

• They brought peace to England after many years of war -there had been a war (The War of the Roses) for 30 years in England.

• Their names were:– Henry VII – Henry VIII – Edward VI – Mary I – Elizabeth I

Henry VII

The Tudor Rose

Young Prince Henry• The young Prince Henry, the second

son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, was born on the 28th of June 1491 in Greenwich.

• Henry was a spoilt child. He even had his own ‘whipping boy’ who was punished every time Henry did something wrong!

• He was tall and handsome and wore fine clothes.

• He was also very clever, he was good at latin, maths, astronomy and music.

• He was a great musician, composer and singer.

• He was excellent at many sports. He loved games, horse-riding and hunting

• He spoke four languages, wrote poetry and played music

The king Henry VIII• After his older brother

(Arthur) died, Henry became next in line to be King.

• His father died in 1509 and the young Prince became King just before his 18th birthday.

• He wanted to be a strong king, and he wanted a son to succeed him.

• But he was also a terrible and cruel King. He executed (had killed) anyone who disagreed with him (including two of his wives!)

Look at this picture of Henry. How would you describe him?

How old do you think he

is? Describe the

expression on his face.

How can you tell he is an important

person?

Is he still young and handsome?

Choose words from the box to describe King Henry VIII in this portrait

arrogant - beautiful - large - powerful - happy - surprisedstrong - round - fat - slim - angry - severe

Catherine of Aragon

• Soon after the coronation he married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was his brother’s Arthur widow.

• She was the daughter of King Ferdinand of Spain. This marriage created a strong alliance between the two countries.

• Catherine was beautiful and intelligent, and Henry loved her. For almost twenty years they were the perfect royal couple and were happy together.

Catherine of Aragon

• During those years Catherine gave birth to four sons, but they all died. Only a girl, Princess Mary, who later became Queen of England, survived.

• Henry was desperate. He wanted a son to become king after his death. Finally he lost interest in his wife.

Mary Tudor

Anne Boleyn and the break with Rome

• In 1526 Henry met a young English lady of the court, Anne Boleyn, and fell in love with her immediately.

• Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn and have a son with her. He decided to divorce Catherine, but he needed permission from the Pope of Rome.

• The Pope refused to give him permission, so the King decided to break off with Rome and gave himself the divorce.

• Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn in 1533. Catherine of Aragon was sent away from the court and died three years later.

The end of Anne• Anne gave birth to a girl,

Elizabeth, who later became Queen of England. Henry was desolated. He wanted a son more than anything.

• In 1534 Parliament made a law called the Act of Supremacy, making the King Supreme Head of the Church of England.

• Henry was soon tired of Anne because she did not give him a son.

• He then met another lady called Jane Seymour and fell in love with her.

• Anne was accused of adultery and treason. She was beheaded in 1536

Anne in the Tower of London

Elizabeth I

Jane Seymour• In 1536, eleven days after

Anne’s execution, Henry married Jane Seymour.

• A year later, Jane had a son, Edward, but she died from an infection soon after that.

• Henry of all his wives probably loved her the most.

• Henry now had an heir: Prince Edward was the future King of England. He was first in line to the throne because he was a male.

Henry’s later years• Later Henry closed all the

monasteries in England and took all the money from the Monks and Nuns. He literally threw all of them out onto the streets to beg.

• Some monasteries were destroyed and others were sold to the nobility.

• King Henry became the richest monarch in Europe, but Spain and France wanted to destroy him. He needed a strong ally.

• He decided to marry a German Princess, Anne of Cleves, although he didn’t like her. He married her for political reasons and divorced her seven months later, in July 1540.

Anne of Cleves

Henry’s later years

• Catherine Howard became Henry’s fifth wife in the same month.

• She was unfaithful and Henry became furious.

• Two years later she was accused of treason and beheaded.

Catherine Howard

Henry’s later years

• Then Henry married his last wife, Catherine Parr.

• She liked family life and looked after Henry’s children. Probably Henry was happy with her.

• By the end of his life, Henry was a sad and lonely person. He was terrified of getting ill.

• He had a serious weight problem, he ate big amounts of food, meat, fish, dairy products and lots of wine and beer. He became so fat that he had to be carried everywhere by servants. Catherine Parr

Henry’s later years

• He died on 28th January 1547. The possible causes of death are:– Old age - 56 was a ripe old

age in Tudor times. – A sexually transmitted

disease. – Over eating. – Gangrene in his legs

because of an ancient wound.

– Scurvy - lack of Vitamin C.• He was buried at Windsor

next to his third wife, Jane Seymour, the wife he loved the most. Henry VIII in 1543