Henry VIII is one of the best known English monarchs with a far-reaching effect on the later history of the country. Henry was the younger of Henry VII’s sons, and succeeded his father peacefully after his elder brother Arthur’s premature death at the age of fifteen. Henry had previously been provided with an intensive education and may have been intended for a career in the church.

As negotiations were already underway for Prince Arthur to marry the Spanish noblewoman, Catherine of Aragon, their father substituted Henry for his late brother in the proceedings and appropriate papal dispensations were secured due to the lady’s formal marriage to the deceased Arthur. Henry did his best to repudiate his spouse but was unsuccessful. On his rise to the throne, he soon had two of his father’s advisers executed for treason – a tactic he would use time and again when his ambitions were thwarted.

Henry was both athletic and scholarly, enjoying sports such as jousting and real tennis as well as pursuing the arts and music, and gambling avidly but also retaining a strong spiritual inclination. England was embroiled in lengthy wars with France at this time, allied with Spain against the French who sponsored the Scots to attack England; the battle of Flodden Field in 1513 was a comprehensive defeat for the Scots which ended their involvement in the French wars.

Catherine of Aragon proved unable to supply Henry with an heir, although he had several illegitimate children. Henry diverted his attention to a lady of the court, Anne Boleyn, who used Henry’s infatuation to bolster her position. Papal permission for an annulment was sought but could not be granted (the Pope had been imprisoned by the French king) and Henry began to lose patience with the see of Rome. At this time, the Protestant cause was gaining ground in northern Europe and the king saw an opportunity to divorce himself from his barren wife and divest himself of the need to seek papal authority for his dynastic manoeuvres by having the position of the king declared paramount over both church and state. In 1533 Catherine was stripped of her royal position and Anne Boleyn confirmed as the only true queen after her secret marriage to Henry.

The break with Rome caused a large shift in the political balance of power, with clergy appointed by the Pope no longer able to control English religious and political life. Henry soon tired of Anne and began looking for another consort, while the Dissolution of the Monasteries brought ecclesiastical wealth into the royal coffers. The devastation of the abbeys resulted in the destruction of the greater part of England’s historical literature. Churchmen who refused to take the oath of support for the king were tortured and executed, and Henry took full advantage of his unique position as the head of the church and the state. His hapless marital dealings led to a very complex web of loyalties at the royal court, while his religious role sparked ambition and envy.

Towards the end of his life, Henry lost his athletic abilities due to a leg wound and grew obese. He died in bed in London in 1547. All three of his legitimate children (Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth) reigned after his death.

Hammered Coin Book and Other References:

S = Coins of England and the United Kingdom
N = English Hammered Coinage by J J North
SI = Sterling Imitations of Edwardian Type by M J Mayhew
WW = Wildwinds.com (reference & attribution site)