The second son of Henry VII, prince Henry was born in 1491.
Henry VII succeeded his father to the throne in 1509, aged 17 and a perfect Renaissance prince - an athlete, scholar and musician. He is probably best recalled by the popular imagination as the king of England who had six wives, split from the Roman Catholic Church and dissolved the monasteries and was a fat, bloated tyrant; Charles Dickens called the king "a spot of blood and grease on the history of England".
Prince Henry was born on June 28th, 1491 at Placentia, the royal palace in Greenwich whose site is now occupied by the Royal Naval College. He was baptised in the parish church at Greenwich.
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The prince Henry was baptised in the parish church at Greenwich by Fox, Bishop of Exeter and Lord Privy Seal. His godfathers were the earl of Oxford and Courtney, bishop of Winchester.
The young Prince Henry succumbed to a disease decribed as "la petite verolle", many writers in Tudor times thought that smallpox and measles were different manifestations of the same disease.
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During the lifetime of his elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486-1502), Henry was never expected to succeed his father to the throne of England and was brought up at Eltham Palace with his sisters. He escorted Catherine of Aragon during her marriage to Arthur at St Pauls Cathedral on the November 14th, 1501. It was only after Arthur's untimely death in 1502 that henry was recalled to the royal court from Eltham to be groomed for the royal succession.
Henry VIII succeeded his father, Henry VII (1485-1509), to the throne in 1509 at the age of 17.
Henry VIII succeeded his father, Henry VII, to the throne in 1509 at the age of 17 as the second monarch of the House of Tudor. A perfect Renaissance prince, Henry was an athlete, scholar and musician; at first he preferred hunting and other passtimes to the ruling of the kingdom but soon became a strong king.
King Henry is perhaps best known popularly for his six wives, two of whom were executed by beheading (as were several of his ministers).
By the time of his death, the frugal Henry VII in 1509, had ammassed some £1-million in the royal treasury which Henry VIII inherited. This in itself was a vast sum at the time but Henry VIII was fabulously wealthy among the princess of Europe when he dissolved the monasteries after his rift with the Roman Catholic Church and disposed of their property. Most of the wealth was squandered.
Henry was ruthless and crushed rebellion savagely, despite this, he was an admired and respected monarch in what was a turbulant age.
The international pressures on Henry VIII were not much different from those on the government today.
Henry VIII instigated Britain's first standing Navy.
Eighteen Turkish baths, known as `stews', were built in Southwark during the Tudor period. Unfortunately, these soon came to be used as brothels leading to their suppression during the reign of King Henry VIII; it was proclaimed that "If there be any house wherein is kept and holden any hot-house or sweating-house, for ease and health of men, to which be resorting or conversant any strumpets or women of evil name or fame . . .", the house must be closed (see also Bathing).
`DEFENDER OF THE FAITH'
The young Henry VIII wrote a book in 1521 which attacked the Protestant reformers for which the Pope gave him the title `Defender of the Faith'. This is reflected in the coinage of Henry's reign by the initials FID., DEF., or F.D.
THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES
The Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII after his schism with the Roman Catholic Church (the monks owing their allegiance to the pope, not the crown) made him the richest king in Christiandom but, although the scale of the dissolution was drastic, attacks on monastic property were not unprecedented.
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| | | Introduction of Parish Registers in 1538 It was Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's Vicar General, who made Parish Registers compulsory in 1538:
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Item that you and every parson vicare or curate shall for every churche kepe one boke or register wherein ye shal write the day and yere of every weddyng christenyng and buryeng made within yore parishe and so every man succeeding you lykewise.GD-KENT-TCOSCOR-AR-1990-20
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See also: History of the Church
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The Act of Supremancy (entitled "An Act concerning the King's Highness to be supreme head of the Church of England and to have authority to reform and redress all errors heresies and abuses in the same") was passed by the Parliament on November 3rd, 1534 (26 Henry VIII c.1), and conferred on the King the title of supreme head of the Church of England, nullifying the authority of the Pope in England and giving the King the right to reform the church and to judge heresies;-
Be it enacted by authority of this present Parliament that the King our sovereign lord, his heirs and successors kings of this realm, shall be taken, accepted and reputed the only supreme head in earth of the Church of England called Anglicana Ecclesia, and shall have and enjoy annexed and united to the imperial crown of this realm as well the title and style thereof, as all honours, dignities, preeminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, profits and commodities, to the said dignity of supreme head of the same Church belonging and appertaining. . . |
. . . Henry VIII formally adopted the new style as head of the Anglican Church in the presence of the leading officers of state on January 15th, 1535. |
An similar Act of Supremacy was passed by the Irish Parliament between October 13th and December 20th, 1536 making the monarch supreme head of the Church of Ireland.
Henry VIII instigated Britain's first standing Navy.
To defend the country against the danger of invasion from continental Europe and particularly from France, Henry VIII built some twenty castles along the South Coast. Examples are;-
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| Dorset |
| Poole Harbour |
| | Brownsea Castle |
| | | On the southern extremity of Brownsea Island, to command shipping entering and leaving the narrow mouth of the harbour between Sandbanks and the Studland Peninsula. The castle burnt down in 1896 and was subsequently rebuilt. |
| Portland |
| | Portland Castle |
| | | Portland Castle (1539) to the north of the headland, protecting the great natural harbour which is part of Weymouth Bay, cost less than £5,000 to build and is still in use. Designed for ordnance in times when archers were still important in warfare, it comprises a two-storey tower, a casement for the main battery and wings for garrison quarters. |
| Weymouth |
| | Sandsfoot Castle |
| | | Built in 1539 to protect the great natural harbour which is part of Weymouth Bay from the north, is now a ruin. |
| | | |
| Hampshire |
| | Hurst Castle |
| | | Protecting the Solent. |
| Kent |
| Deal |
| | Deal Castle |
| | | nr. Deal. |
| | Sandown Castle |
| | | nr. Deal, now washed away by the sea. |
| | Walmer Castle |
| | | nr. Deal, the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. |
| HENRY'S SIX WIVES |
| CATHERINE OF ARAGON (1485-1536) |
| | A Spanish princess, Catherine was the widow of Arthur, Henry VIII�s older brother, who died at Ludlow Castle in April 1502. Henry had special dispensation from the Pope to marry Catherine, which he did in June 1509, soon after becoming king. Catherine was a devoted wife but of the many children that they had, only a daughter, Mary, survived. Henry tried to divorce her but the new Pope would not agree so Henry made himself the head of the Church in England. Catherine died at Kimbolton in Huntingdon on January 7th, 1536. |
| ANNE BOLEYN (c.1501-1536) |
| | Anne was the daughter of England�s ambassador to France and had been maid of honour at Catherine of Aragon�s wedding. Henry VIII separated from Catherine in 1531 , and, as soon as he was divorced in 1533, married Anne Boleyn. They had a daughter, Elizabeth in 1533. Anne had many enemies at the royal court and was accused of adultery. She was beheaded at the Tower of London in May 1536. |
| JANE SEYMOUR (c.1507-1537) |
| | Jane had been lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Henry noticed her on a visit to her father, Sir John Syemour, at Wolf Hall in September 1535 and wanted to marry her, which he did in May 1536. Jane gave birth to Edward, the son and heir that Henry wanted so badly, on October 12th, 1537, but died 12 days later. Henry treated the Seymour family with favour after her death; when Edward became king at 9 years of age his uncle, Edward Seymour, became Lord Protector, his other uncle, Thomas Seymour, was Lord High Admiral. |
| ANNE OF CLEVES (1515-1557) |
| | Henry VIII was betrothed to Anne of Cleves for political reasons; alone in a Catholic Europe, Henry wanted an alliance with Anne�s father, John of Cleves. Henry VIII and Anne were married in January, 1540, but politics soon changed and the marriage became an embarrassment to the monarch within a few months. Henry had the marriage annulled in July 1540 and Anne received a large allowance on condition that she did not leave England. She died at Chelsea on July 16th, 1557. |
| CATHERINE HOWARD (1521-1542) |
| | Henry married Catherine Howard in July 1540. Catherine was accused of having affairs with various friends before her marriage to the king and was condemned to death. Henry seems to have been genuinely upset at the turn of events. Catherine was beheaded at the Tower of London on February 13th, 1542. |
| CATHERINE PARR (1512-1548) |
| | The last of Henry VIII�s wives, Catherine was married to him in July 1543. She was well educated and taught all three of Henry�s children. She also persuaded him to revere his earlier decision to exclude Mary and Elizabeth from the succession to the throne. Henry died on January 28th, 1547 and Catherine married Thomas Seymour shortly after Henry�s death. They lived for a while at Chelsea Manor before moving to Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire where Catherine died on September 7th, 1548, a few days after giving birth to Seymour�s daughter. |
| Family |
| Arthur, Prince of Wales |
| | It was the untimely death in 1502 of Henry's elder brother, Arthur, who was being prepared to succeed to the crown which caused his recall to court as the royal heir. |
| THE SEYMOURS |
| Jane Seymour (c.1507-1537) |
| | Henry's third wife who he married in May 1536. Jane gave birth to Edward, the son and heir that Henry wanted so badly, on October 12th, 1537, but died 12 days later. |
| Henry treated the Seymour family with favour after her death; when Edward became king at 9 years of age his uncle, Edward Seymour, became Lord Protector, while his uncle, Thomas Seymour, was Lord High Admiral. |
| EDWARD SEYMOUR (1506-1552) |
| | His sister, Jane, married King Henry VIII in 1536. As the Earl of Hertford became a member of the council of regency which was formed on the accession of King Edward VI and was elected Lord Protector. |
HIGH OFFICES
CHANCELLORS
ELIZABETH BARTON, 'The Holy Maid of Kent ', executed for her ill prophecies on the consequences of Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Thomas Linacre, Royal physician
founder of the Royal College of Physicians
John Leland, the King's chaplain and later antiquary.
THE SEYMOURS
Sir JOHN SEYMOUR
the hereditary warden of Savernake Forest in Wiltshire.
| 1397 | | By a charter, Richard II legitimises the children of John of Gaunt by his long-standing mistress and 3rd wife (1394-), Katharine Swynford
Founding the house of Beaufort from whom Henry VII who founded the House of Tudor was descended | | BAAAGDJC BAAAGBXD | | 1403.Jul.21 | | The forces of Henry IV, led by his 16-year-old son Henry, defeated and killed Sir Henry Percy (Harry Hotspur) at Shrewsbury thus ending his rebellion
The prince is nearly killed by an arrow lodged in his face.
The Battle forms the climax of Shakespeare\'s play, Henry IV part 1 | | BAAAGEEV BAAAGEEW BAAAGEEX BAAAGEEY BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ | | 1406.Mar.01 | | Henry IV calls parliament to assemble | | BAAAGBXJ BAAAGEEV | | 1406.Dec.22 | | Henry IV dismissed parliament - the longest parliament to have sat in Mediaeval England | | BAAAGBXJ BAAAGEEV | | 1413 | | Henry Wardlaw,
Bishop of St Andrews, founded St Andrews University | | | | 1413.Mar.20 | | Death of
Henry IV, king of England, from an illness which had plagued him since 1405. He was succeeded by his 25-year-old son as King Henry V | | BAAAGEEV BAAAGCCV BAAAGEEY BAAAGDFZ | | circa 1416 | | Prince Henrique (Henry), the Navigator, of Portugal establishes a naval base and a school of navigation at Sagres
Setting the foundations for Portugal's rise as a major sea power; master of the Order of Christ, he sponsors numerous expeditions to round Africa to the East Indies | | | | 1427 | | Henry the Navigator sent an
unsuccessful expedition to conquer Gran Canaria for Portugal | | | | 1440 | | Henry the Navigator sent out
an expedition commanded by Ant�o Gon�alves and Nuno Trist�o which brought back
12 captives | | | | 1444 | | Henry the Navigator sent out an expedition of exploration commanded by Gon�alo de Sintra | | | | 1455 | | Alvise da Cadamosto entered the
service of Prince Henry the Navigator | | | | 1457.Jan.28 | | Birth of Henry Tudor (the future King Henry VII), earl of
Richmond, to Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort. | | BAAAGBRG BAAAGDKP BAAAGEIB | | 1460 | | Death of Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator | | BAAAGCRH | | 1471.May | | Lancastrians badly defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury; Jasper Tudor and the young Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) sought refuge in the duchy of Brittany
Margaret of Anjou imprisoned and her son slain | | BAAAGBRG BAAAGBKP BAAAGCRG BAAAGCRH BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ | | 1483 | | Henry, duke of Buckingham, rebelled against Richard III | | BAAAGCQF BAAAGBKP | | 1485 | | Henry VII becomes monarch by
battle establishing the House of Tudor and ending the Wars of the Roses | | BAAAGDKP BAAAGBTJ BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ BAAAGEIB | | 1485.Aug.08 | | Henry, Earl of Richmond, (later Henry VII)
landed at Mill Bay in Milford Haven, Pembrokshire, Wales, and started his advance to London
| | BAAAGBRG BAAAGBKA BAAAGDKP BAAAGDKN | | 1485.Aug.22 | | Battle of Bosworth Field: Lancastrian Henry, Earl of Richmond, (later Henry VII) defeats and kills Richard III (last of the Plamtagenet Kings) and the Yorkists
John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, flees the battlefield but is captured later | | BAAAGCQF BAAAGBRG BAAAGDKP BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ BAAAGEIB | | 1485.Oct.30 | | Henry VII crowned king of England | | BAAAGDKP BAAAGBRG BAAAGBRH BAAAGEIB | | 1485.Nov | | Henry VIIs title recognised
by parliament | | BAAAGBXJ BAAAGDKP | | 1485.Dec.16 | | Birth of Katherine of Aragon, youngest daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile (Spain), the wife of King Henry VIII | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL BAAAGEFM BAAAGEIB | | 1486.Sep.19 | | Birth of Arthur, Duke of Cornwall, eldest son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York | | BAAAGEIB BAAAGCCK | | 1487 | | Henry VII revives the Court of the Star Chamber to try unlawful barons | | | | 1489 | | Treaty of Medina del Campo;
Katherine of Aragon betrothed
to Prince Arthur of England | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGBRG BAAAGEFL BAAAGEIB | | 1491.Jun.28 | | Birth of Prince Henry (later Henry VIII) to Henry VII at Greenwich | | BAAAGEIB | | 1501.Nov.14 | | Arthur, Prince of Wales married to Catherine of Aragon | | BAAAGBKA BAAAGCCK BAAAGCDB BAAAGBRG BAAAGEFL BAAAGEHI BAAAGEIB | | 1502.Apr.02 | | Death of Arthur, Prince of Wales, at Ludlow Castle. His brother Henry becomes heir to the throne
Reluctant to return the widowed Katherine of Aragon\'s dowery, Henry VII started negotiations with Aragon and Castile for her marriage to Henry | | BAAAGBKA BAAAGCDB BAAAGCCK BAAAGEFL BAAAGEFM BAAAGBRG BAAAGEHI BAAAGEIB | | 1503.Jun | | Betrothal of Katherine of Aragon to Prince Henry (VIII) | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL BAAAGEIB | | circa 1508 | | The king begins to employ Thomas Wolsey in diplomatic service
It is probably about this time Wolsey made the well-known journey to Flanders as special envoy to the Emperor Maximilian | | BAAAGBRG BAAAGEKW BAAAGEIB | | 1509.Apr.22 | | Death of Henry
VII, his son succeeds to the Crown as Henry VIII, aged 17 | | BAAAGBRG BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL BAAAGBRH BAAAGCLM BAAAGEKW | | 1509.Jun.11 | | Marriage of King Henry VIII to Katherine of Aragon | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL | | 1509.Jun.24 | | Catherine of Aragon crowned Queen | | BAAAGEIB BAAAGCDB | | 1509.Jun.29 | | Death of Margaret, Countess of Ricmond & Derby (1443-), mother of King Henry VII who claimed his right to the throne of England through her | | BAAAGBRG BAAAGBRH | | 1511 | | Thomas Wolsey appointed to the Privy Council | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGDDK | | 1511.Nov | | Treaty of Westminster: Henry and Ferdinand II pledge mutual help against their common enemy, France | | | | 1511.Nov.13 | | England joins the Holy League
initially composed of Spain, Venice and the Papacy | | BAAAGEKW | | 1512 | | Navarre south of the Pyranees is annexed to Castile by Ferdinand
The remainder (Lower Navarre) remains independent until its ruler Henry III became Henry IV of France and it is absorbed into France | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGEFL BAAAGEFM | | 1512 | | Henry VIII sends an army to France under Lord Dorset on an unsuccessful campaign | | BAAAGEKW | | 1513 | | Ferdinand objects to the marriage of his grandson, Charles of Flanders, to Mary, sister of Henry VIII, abandons Henry and makes peace with France | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGBKY BAAAGEIB | | 1513 | | Death of Pope Julius II
His death results in the break-up of the Holy League
| | | | 1513.Jun | | Expedition to France: English capture Terouenne and Tournay, the French defeated at Guinegate (the battle of Spurs)
Organised by Thomas Wolsey who accompanied the King. Wolsey was followed by a train of two hundred gentlemen
| | BAAAGEKW BAAAGBKY BAAAGEIB | | 1513.Aug.16 | | Battle of the Spurs: English army wins over the French at Th�rouanne | | | | 1513.Sep.09 | | English forces under the Earl of Surrey defeat James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden Fields
The battle results in over ten thousand dead, James IV of Scotland among them | | BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ BAAAGEKC BAAAGEKW BAAAGEIB | | 1514 | | Trinity House founded by King Henry VIII
Initially it was responsible for supplying coastal pilots, later for building and maintenance of lighthouses
| | BAAAGEIB | | 1514.Feb.06 | | Papal bull appoints Thomas Wolsey Bishop of Lincoln
Wolsey named him Bishop of Tournay by the Pope at Henry\\\'s request for his services in the French campaign of 1513 but never took possession surrendering his claim for an annual pension - the bishopric was recompense | | BAAAGEKW | | 1514.Aug | | Peace signed between England and France
Louis XII agrees to increase the pension the French are paying in reparations | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGEIB | | 1514.Sep | | Thomas cromwell succeeds Cardinal Bainbridge as Archbishop of York | | BAAAGEKW | | 1514.Oct | | Marriage of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, and Louis XII of France
(the marriage arranged by Wolsey) | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGEIB | | 1515 | | Death of Louis XII; succeeded by Francis I as king of France | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGEFL BAAAGEKW | | 1515 | | Henry VIII establishes the Royal Workshops producing armour at Greenwich | | ehq BAAAGEHQ | | 1515 | | Francis I wins victory at Marignano, Italy, regaining Milan | | | | 1515 | | Parliament, the House of Lords filled with clergy, refused to renew the Criminous Clerks Act (stating that hangers-on to clergy should be tried in the Kings Court instead of church courts) | | BAAAGBXJ BAAAGEKW | | 1515.Sep.10 | | Thomas Cromwell made a cardinal by Pope Leo X | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGEIB | | 1515.Dec.24 | | Thomas Wolsey becomes Lord Chancellor of England
Wolsey has attained the highest dignities, both spiritual and temporal, of any subject | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGEIB | | 1516 | | Death of Ferdinand; Charles recieves Naples and Spain | | | | 1516.Feb.18 | | Birth of the future Mary I to Henry VIII by Catherine of Aragon at Greenwich Palace | | BAAAGCAB BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL | | 1518 | | Treaty of London: Wolsey secures an alliance with France and Spain and the Emperor Maximilian (nominally to check the Turks), ensuring peace in W Europe
Turnay given up in return for cash payment from Francis I | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGBKY | | 1519.Jan | | Death of Maximilian I (1493-); his grandson Charles V (king of Spain from 1516) inherits Hapsburg lands and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor, aged 19
Charles rules Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and parts of Italy | | BAAAGEKW | | 1520.Feb | | Wolsey arranges the meeting of Henry VIII and Francis at the English castle at Guisnes in Calais | | BAAAGCCR BAAAGEKW | | 1520.May | | Charles V makes state visit to Calais to meet Henry VIII | | | | 1520.Jun.07 | | Field of Cloth of Gold: meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France is spectacular, continuing for 3 weeks with each monarch trying to outdo the other in splendor - it yielded no results and Francis failed to secure an alliance with Henry VIII
one of the most expensive charades ever staged in history | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGEKW | | 1520.Jul | | English court hosts a banquet for Charles V in Calais to the fury of Francis of France | | BAAAGCCR | | 1521 | | Henry VIII wrote a
book attacking the Protestant reformers (for which the Pope gave him the title
Defender of the Faith | | BAAAGDLY | | 1521 | | Alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V | | BAAAGEKW | | 1521 | | Abolition of the office of Lord High Constable | | BAAAGBXO BAAAGEHT | | circa 1521 | | Birth of Catherine Howard, future 5th wife of King Henry VIII | | BAAAGEKZ | | 1522 | | Wolsey raises money by benevolences | | BAAAGBTY BAAAGEKW | | 1523 | | Unsuccessful expedition to France in alliance with Charles
Wolsey demanded parliament to grant a property tax of 20% to pay for the campaign | | BAAAGEKW | | 1523 | | Parliament refuses Wolsey\'s demand of a property tax of 20% for the French Campaign
Wolsey came to the house personally, disrupting the debate. Parliament granted 10% | | BAAAGBTY BAAAGEKW | | 1523 | | Thomas Wolsey made Prince-Bishop of Durham | | BAAAGEKW | | 1525 | | Dissolution of the minor religious houses by Thomas Cromwell as agent of Cardinal Wolsey
To provide the endowments for Wolseys foundations at Oxford and Ipswich | | BAAAGCCI BAAAGEKW | | 1525 | | Princess Mary goes to Ludlow Castle (-1528) | | BAAAGCAB | | 1525 | | Tyndal\'s Bible | | BAAAGCBT | | 1526 | | Anne Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII | | BAAAGEKX | | 1527 | | Alliance with France
Henry VIII considering divorce from Catherine of Aragon sought to make the papacy independant of her nephew, Charles V | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGEKW | | 1527 | | Henry VIII proposes marriage to Anne Boleyn who agrees after some hesitation | | BAAAGEKX | | 1529 | | The committees of the Star Chamber established by Wolsey to hear cases involving the poor become known as the Court of Requests | | BAAAGEKW | | 1529.Jun.18 | | Court to hear the case of the King\'s divorce from Katharine by Cardinal Campeggio and Wolseysits at Blackfriars | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGCDB | | 1529.Nov.22 | | Wolsey forced to sign a deed confessing that he had incurred a praemunire and surrendering all his vast possessions to the king | | BAAAGEKW | | 1530 | | Thomas Cromwell enters the service of Henry VIII | | BAAAGCCI | | 1530 | | Thomas Cromwell sworn into the King\'s (Privy) Council | | BAAAGCCI | | 1530.Nov.04 | | Commissioners from the king arrest Wolsey at York on a charge of high treason | | BAAAGEKW BAAAGBZE | | 1531 | | Appearance of Halley\\\'s Comet | | BAAAGBKG BAAAGBKN | | 1531 | | League of Schmalkalde founded to resist any attempt by Charles V to put down the Reformation by force | | | | 1531 | | 8,000 women marched through the streets of London in an attempt to lynch Anne Boleyn | | BAAAGDKN BAAAGEKX | | 1531.Jul | | Henry VIII exiles his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, fromcourt - she moves to Kimbolton castle | | BAAAGCDB | | 1532 | | Henry VIII creates Anne Boleyn Marquess of Pembroke
The first time a woman had ever been created a peer in her own right | | BAAAGEKX | | 1532 | | Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII sleep together for the first time Calais | | BAAAGEKX BAAAGCCR | | 1533 | | Marriage of Henry
VIII to Katherine of Aragon declared null | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL | | 1533.Jan.25 | | Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn in secret,
either at York Place or the Palace of Westminster | | BAAAGEKX | | 1533.Jun.01 | | Coronation of Anne Boleyn | | BAAAGEKX | | 1533.Jul.01 | | Excommunication of Henry VIII | | | | 1533.Sep.07 | | Birth of Princess Elizabeth (I) (-1603) to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn at the palace of Placentia in Greenwich | | BAAAGCLM BAAAGEKX | | 1533.Sep.10 | | Christening of the future Elizabeth I. Henry VIII so dissapointed she was not a son that he does not attend | | BAAAGCLM | | 1533.Nov.25 | | Marriage of Henry Fitzroy, illigitimate son of Henry VIII, to Mary Howard
| | BAAAGEKZ | | 1534 | | John Leland set off on his ten-year tour of England | | | | 1534 | | Thomas Cromwell becomes Secretary to Henry VIII and Master of the Rolls | | BAAAGCCI | | 1534 | | Act of Succession: invalidates the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon and excludes Princess Mary from the succession
The first of three Acts of Succession passed during the reign of Henry VIII | | BAAAGCAB | | 1534 | | Treasons Act; made words or refusal to plead treasonable as well as overt ects | | BAAAGCCI BAAAGBZE | | 1534.Mar.15 | | Final severance of England from Rome | | | | 1534.Mar.30 | | King Henry VIII divorces his first wife, Katherine of Aragon | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGEFL | | 1534.May.11 | | Henry VIII makes peace with Scotland | | BAAAGEKC | | 1534.Sep.25 | | Death of Pope Clement VII, succeeded by Pope Paul III | | | | 1534.Nov.03 | | Act of Supremacy; Henry VIII splits from Rome, Parliament establishes the Church of England declares the English monarch its head and protector
Subjets are required to swear an oath of loyalty and reject Papal authority (churchmen who refuse the oath such as Sir Thomas Moore are executed) | | BAAAGBXJ BAAAGCBT BAAAGCCI | | 1535 | | Execution John Fisher | | | | 1535 | | Thomas Cromwell created Vicar-General, effectively a dictator in matters ecclesiastical | | BAAAGCCI BAAAGCBT | | 1535 | | First printed Bible in English is dedicated to Henry VIII but printed abroad | | BAAAGCJA BAAAGCBT | | 1535.Jan.15 | | Henry VIII formally accepts the style as head of the Anglican Church | | BAAAGCBT | | 1535.Jun.06 | | Execution of Thomas More, aged 57 | | | | 1536 | | Act of Union between England and Wales
Wales incorporatedw with England; Welsh with same rights as English; English land laws applied to Wales | | BAAAGBKA BAAAGDKJ BAAAGEIA | | 1536 | | Dissolution of the minor Monastic houses supervised by Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII\'s Vicar General | | BAAAGCCI | | 1536 | | Thomas Cromwell becomes Lord Privy Seal and created 1st Baron Cromwell of Oakham | | BAAAGCCI | | 1536 | | Parliamentary election; Henry VIII requests the re-election of the previous members | | BAAAGBXJ | | 1536 | | Coverdale\'s Bible | | BAAAGCBT | | 1536 | | Parliament gives Henry VIII the power to regulate the successsion | | BAAAGDLZ | | 1536.Jan.02 | | King Henry VIII falls to the ground while jousting asnd his armoured horse falls on him - he loses conciousness for 2 hours | | | | 1536.Jan.07 | | Death Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII, at Kimbolton in Huntingdon
She was buried in Peterborough Cathedral | | BAAAGCDB BAAAGCAB | | 1536.Jan.29 | | Anne Boleyn gives birth to a still-born son | | BAAAGEKX | | by 1536.Mar | | Edward Seymour, eldest brother of Jane Seymour, knighted and appointed a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber | | BAAAGDGI | | 1536.Apr.14 | | Dissolution of the Reformation Parliament | | BAAAGBXJ | | 1536.May | | Anne Boleyn accused of treason
On charges of having used witchcraft to trap Henry VIII into marriage; enticing 5 men into adulterous affairs with her; of causing the king bodily harm and of conspiring to effect his death | | BAAAGEKX BAAAGBZE BAAAGCQN | | 1536.May.02 | | Anne Boleyn arrested and taken to the Tower of London | | BAAAGEKX | | 1536.May.15 | | Trial and conviction of Anne Boleyn | | BAAAGEKX | | 1536.May.17 | | Marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn annuled | | BAAAGEKX | | 1536.May.19 | | Execution of Anne Boleyn (1507-), the second wife of King Henry VIII | | BAAAGCAB BAAAGEKX | | 1536.May.30 | | Marriage of King Henry VIII to Lady Jane Seymour | | BAAAGDGG BAAAGCAB BAAAGDGI | | 1536.Jun.04 | | Lady Jane Seymour publicly declared as queen
Edward Seymour made Viscount Beauchamp | | BAAAGDGG BAAAGDGI | | 1536.Jul.01 | | Mary and Elizabeth declared illegitimate by Parliament | | BAAAGCAB BAAAGCLM BAAAGBXJ | | 1536.Jul.12 | | Death of the humanist from Rotterdam, Desiderius Erasmus (c1466-), in Freiburg, aged 69 | | | | 1536.Jul.22 | | Death of Henry Fitzroy | | | | 1536.Oct.06 | | William Tyndale condemned for heresy at Vilvorde Castle near Brussels and strangled | | BAAAGCBT | | 1536.Oct.09 | | Start of the Pilgrimage of Grace; a Northern rising caused by religious grievances | | BAAAGCBT | | 1537 | | Mathew\'s Bible | | BAAAGCBT | | 1537 | | Hans Holbein the Younger paints the Whitehall mural
The painting is an effort to create a popular image of Henry VIII following the break with Rome | | | | 1537.Oct.12 | | Birth of Prince Edward to King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour died a few days after the birth | | BAAAGDGR BAAAGDGG BAAAGDGI | | 1537.Oct.24 | | Death of Jane Seymour | | BAAAGDGR BAAAGDGG BAAAGDGI | | 1538 | | Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIIIs Vicar General, made the keeping of Parish
Registers compulsory | | BAAAGCCI paris | | 1538 | | Hnery VIII categorically refused to concede the three reforms demanded by the Lutheran envoys hindering the political and theological union between England and the Lutheran princes of Germany sought by Cromwell | | BAAAGCCI | | 1538 | | Marriage of James V of Scotland to the French Mary of Guise | | BAAAGEKC | | 1538 | | Execution of Henry Pole | | | | 1538 | | Execution of Exeter | | | | 1538 | | Execution of Montague | | | | 1539 | | Dissolution of the major Monastic houses supervised by Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII\'s Vicar General | | BAAAGCCI | | 1539 | | Thomas cromwell made Lord Great Chamberlain | | BAAAGCCI | | 1539 | | Treaty of Toledo: ends conflict between Francis I and Charles V | | | | 1539 | | Cranmer\'s Bible, The Great Bible, ordered to be read in churches | | BAAAGCBT | | 1539 | | Statute of Six Articles; burning for denying Transubstantiation; communion in one kind; celibacy of the clergy; obligation of monastic vows; masses for the dea and auricular confession | | BAAAGCBT | | 1539 | | Parliament gives Henry VIII\\\'s proclamations the force of law | | BAAAGBXJ | | 1540 | | Thomas Cromwell created Earl of
Essex | | BAAAGCCI | | 1540.Jan.06 | | Marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich | | BAAAGCCI BAAAGEKY | | 1540.May.19 | | Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
imprisoned in the Tower of London on suspicion of treason by plotting to betray Calais to the French | | BAAAGDGQ BAAAGCCR | | 1540.Jul.09 | | Marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves annulled | | BAAAGCCI BAAAGEKY | | 1540.Jul.18 | | Marriage of King
Henry VIII to Catherine Howard at Oatlands Palace in Surrey ]or 28th?[ | | BAAAGCCI BAAAGEKZ | | 1540.Jul.28 | | Execution of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, on a charge of treason at Tower Hill, London | | BAAAGCCI | | 1541 | | Henry VIII assumes title of King of Ireland, and Head of the Church in Ireland | | BAAAGBKD BAAAGCBT | | 1541 | | Execution of Margaret, Countess of Salisbury | | BAAAGBHX | | 1541.Oct.18 | | Death of Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII | | | | 1541.Nov.09 | | Catherine Howard is sent to the Tower of London | | BAAAGEKZ | | 1542 | | Statute against witchcraft (-1547);
invokes the death penalty for invoking or conjuring an evil spirit | | BAAAGCXN BAAAGCQN | | 1542.Feb.13 | | Execution of Catherine Howard on charges of adultery | | BAAAGEKZ | | 1542.Nov.25 | | Battle of Soloway: English victory over invading Scottish army | | BAAAGEKC | | 1542.Dec.14 | | Death of James V of Scotland; succeeded by his infant daughter Mary (b. Dec 7th or 8th) with James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (next in line to the throne), as regent (-1554) | | BAAAGEKC BAAAGEKT | | 1543 | | Wales divided into 12 counties; counties and boroughs send MPs to parliament | | BAAAGBKA BAAAGBXJ | | 1543 | | First burning of Protestants by the Spanish Inquisition | | | | 1543.May.24 | | Death of the astronomer Copernicus, aged 70, shortly after the publication of his heliocentric theory | | BAAAGEIB | | 1543.Jul | | Treaties of Greenwich: 6-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots, promised in marriage to Prince Edward, the son of Henry VIII in
1552
and for their heirs to inherit the kingdoms of Scotland and England | | BAAAGEKT BAAAGDGR BAAAGCLM BAAAGCLJ | | 1543.Jul.12 | | Marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine Parr | | | | 1543.Nov.20 | | Death of the painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98�)
Famous miniature painter in London during Henry VIII\'s reign | | BAAAGDKN | | 1544 | | Act of Succession: provides that Princess Mary might succeed to the throne if Edward dies without issue
The last of 3 Acts of Succession passed in the reign of Henry VIII | | BAAAGCAB BAAAGDGR | | 1544 | | War with France | | BAAAGBKY | | 1544 | | Treaty of Crespy-en-Valois: ends two year conflict between Charles V and Francis I | | | | 1544.May | | Henry VIII begins his rough wooing, a series of raids on Scottish territory, etc. (-June 1551), attempting impose the marriage to his son Edward VI on Mary, Queen of Scots | | BAAAGEKC BAAAGDGR BAAAGEKT | | 1545 | | Sinking of the Mary Rose and Roger Grenville in the Solent off Portsmouth | | BAAAGEIB BAAAGGAM | | 1545.Jul | | Battle of the Solent: French fleet enters the Solent intending to destroy the English fleet and invade the Isle of Wight | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGBFI BAAAGEIB | | 1546.Feb.18 | | Death of Martin Luther at Eisleben (where he was born), aged 63 | | BAAAGCBT BAAAGEIB | | 1546.Jun.07 | | Peace of Ardres; ends two years of conflict between Henry VIII and Francis I | | BAAAGEIB | | 1547.Jan.28 | | Death of King Henry
VIII, aged 55; Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset becomes
Lord Protector in the name of the 9-year-old King Edward VI | | BAAAGCEE BAAAGBHZ BAAAGCLM BAAAGCBT BAAAGCAB BAAAGDGQ BAAAGDGI | | 1547.Jan.28 | | Viscount Lisle one of the executors of the will of Henry VIII | | BAAAGDGQ | | by 1547 | | City of London levies taxes for poor relief
Such tax levied nationally in 1572 with compulsion imposed on local authorities by 1576 | | BAAAGBWS BAAAGBTY BAAAGDKN BAAAGDGR | | 1551.Jun | | End of raids on Scottish territory, etc., started as Henry VIII\'s rough wooing in 1544
The campaign is reckoned to have cost �500,000 apart from its cost in human life | | BAAAGEKC BAAAGEKT BAAAGDGR | | 1557.Jul.16 | | Death of Anne of Cleves in London | | BAAAGEKY | | 1558.Nov.17 | | Death of Queen Mary I, her half-sister succeeded to the crown as Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn
Her reign is marked by the rise of England as a sea-power and a flourishing of the arts, particularly literature and drama | | 00000000 BAAAGCLM BAAAGCBT BAAAGCAB BAAAGEKU BAAAGEKX | | 1593 | | Henry IV of France becomes
Catholic | | BAAAGBKY | | 1899.Sep.14 | | Henry Bliss becomes 1st automobile fatality
(In New York) | | |
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HATFIELD PALACE Hatfield Palace was maintained by Henry VIII as a home for his children; Elizabeth was brought up there from the age of three months old and learned of her accession to the throne there.
LONDON
TOWER OF LONDON During Henry VII's reign the Tower of London fell out of favour as a royal palace as the monarch preferred the palace in Whitehall. The armoury and mint took over life at the Tower as did the guarding of an increasing number of prisoners of the state. Two of Henry's six wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were executed by beheading at the Tower.
GREENWICH PALACE Henry VIII was born at Greenwich Palace and, on his accession to the throne, he made it his chief residence. It was at the palace that he married Katharine of Aragon and it was also there that their daughter Mary (later to become Queen Mary I) was born. Princess Elizabeth was born there; her mother Anne Boleyn was arrested there; and Henry married Anne of Cleves at the palace.
SURREY
HAMPTON COURT PALACE This was Henry's favourite palace on the river Thames where he spent much of his time.
SUSSEX
ANNE OF CLEVES HOUSE The house in Lewes, Sussex, where Anne of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife, lived after her divorce from him is now a museum.
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII
by Antonia Fraser (paperback ISBN 0749314095)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
by Alison Weir, publisher Ballantine Books, New York, 1992
Recommend a Book for this Page
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
by Alison Weir (1991), The Bodley Head, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
ISBN 0-370-31396-8
The Wives of Henry VIII
by M.A.S. Hume (1905)
Assertio Septum Sacramentorum Adversus Martinus Lutherus
published 1521, edited by O'Donovan, New York, 1908
- contains Henry's own views on matrimony
Acts of the Privy Council of England
(32 volumes) edited by John Roche Dasent, HMSO (1890-1918)
Calendar of Letters & Papers, Foreign & Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII
(21 volumes in 33 parts) edited by J.S. Brewer, James Gairdner & R. Brodie, (HMSO, 1862-1932)
Calendar of Letters, Despatches & State Papers Relating to Negotiations Between England & Spain, Preserved in the Archives at Simancas and Elsewhere
(17 volumes) edited by G.A. Bergenroth, P. de Goyangos, G. Mattingley, R. Tyler, et al., HMSO (1862-1965)
Calendar of State Papers & Manusripts Relating to English Affairs Preserved in the Archives of venice & in Other Libraries of Northern Italy
(7 volumes) edited by L. Rawdon-Brown, Cavendish Bentinck, et al., HMSO (1864-1947)
State Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII
(11 volumes) (Record Commissioners, 1831-1852) Published under the Authority of Her Majesty's Commission
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