HENRY EIGHTH

WELL KNOW FACTS ABOUT HENRY

He was born in 1491
He was not intended to be king, his brother Arthur was the heir to the throne
He married his brother's wife, Catharine
He was very athletic and sportive
He was a big man
He broke away from the Catholic church
He started the Church of England
He desperately wanted a son
He divorced two wives, killed two, was widowed by one, left one a widow.
He became very fat in later life
He died 1547

LITTLE KNOW FACTS ABOUT HENRY

He was highly intelligent
He was very spiritual
He was very well read
He was a king that inspired loyalty
He was a poet and musician
He had bright auburn hair
He had six wives not eight
His reign started the Reformation
Music was a consuming passion
He loved to hawk
He wore lots of jewelry on his fingers

THE MERRY WIVES OF HENRY 8

Catherine of Aragon	Anne Boleyn	Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves	Catharine Howard	Catherine Parr

The tragedy of Henry's life was that he did not have healthy sons. The only one to survive was Edward V1 and he was a sickly boy. Most of the decisions Henry made, regarding his wives, were made because he wanted a son. Henry thought that a woman on the throne of England would be a disaster.

SOME REMARKS MADE ABOUT HENRY IN 1509

"His majesty is the handsomest potentate I have ever set eyes on. Above the usual height, bright, with auburn hair, combed straight and short in the French fashion, and a round face so beautiful that it would become a pretty woman, his throat being long and thick".

"He is very fond of hunting, and never takes his diversion without tiring eight or ten horses which he causes to be stationed beforehand along the line of country he means to take, and when one is tired he mounts another, and before he gets home, they are all exhausted. He is extremely fond of tennis."

Mountjoy wrote:
"If you could see how all the world here is rejoicing in the possession of so great a Prince, how his life is all their desire, you could not contain your tears for joy. The heavens laugh, the earth exults, all things are full of milk, of honey, of nectar! Avarice is expelled the country. Liberality scatters wealth with bounteous hand. Our King does not desire gold or gems, or precious metals, but virtue, glory and immortality"

"Upon hearing that Francois 1 of France wore a beard, he allowed his own to grow, and as it is reddish, he has now got a beard that looks like gold"

These excerpts are taken from "The Life and Times of Henry 8th" by Robert Lacey

For those interested in reading more about this king here are a couple of suggestions to get you started:

'The Autobiography of Henry V11" by Margaret George
"Henry V111 and his court" by N. Williams
"The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England" by Antonia Fraser
"The Secret Diary of Anne Bolyen" by Robin Maxwell

Great Links:
Compendium of Common Knowledge: http://ren.dm.net/compendium
The Tudors: http://www.royal.gov.uk./history/tudor.htm
Tudor England: http://tudor.simplenet.com/
Stories: http://www.tudortimes.com/stories.htm

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