Henry VIII of England

Accession & Reign

Accession & Reign

King Henry VII died on 21 April 1509 King Henry VII died on 21 April 1509 and the young Henry succeeded him as King. Inexperienced and still a teenager at the time of his coronation, Henry VIII relied greatly on Thomas Wolsey’s guidance to rule the kingdom. Soon Wolsey became a very powerful figure in the English court and was made the Lord Chancellor by 1515.

In 1511, In 1511, Henry VIII joined Pope Julius II’s Holy League against France. The King depended heavily on Wolsey to help in organizing the first French campaign through which he aimed to bring French territories under the English rule.

In 1521, Charles of Austria, In 1521, Charles of Austria, who was the monarch of both Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, declared war on France. Henry aligned England with Charles and hoped to restore English lands in France. Charles successfully defeated and captured King Francis I of France but none of Henry’s expectations from this battle were fulfilled. So he withdrew England from the alignment with France and signed the Treaty of the More in 1525.

In 1534,In 1534, Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of the Church of England. There were several uprisings opposing his religious policies, but they were quickly suppressed. A number of dissenters were arrested and executed.

By the early 1540s his relations with Charles had improved and they once again formed an alliance and planned to invade France in 1543. In preparation, Henry proceeded to eliminate the potential threat of Scotland and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Solway Moss in 1542.Battle of Solway Moss in 1542.

Accession & Reign

King Henry VII died on 21 April 1509 and the young Henry succeeded him as King. Inexperienced and still a teenager at the time of his coronation, Henry VIII relied greatly on Thomas Wolsey’s guidance to rule the kingdom. Soon Wolsey became a very powerful figure in the English court and was made the Lord Chancellor by 1515.

In 1511, Henry VIII joined Pope Julius II’s Holy League against France. The King depended heavily on Wolsey to help in organizing the first French campaign through which he aimed to bring French territories under the English rule.

A war against France was formally declared in 1512, and the initial attacks proved to be a failure. In 1513, Henry and his troops invaded France and defeated a French army at the Battle of the Spurs. Soon the English also conquered Thérouanne and Tournai.

During the King’s absence from England, James IV of Scotland attempted to invade England. However Henry VIII”s wife Queen Catherine successfully defended England and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Flodden. The Scottish King was also killed in the battle.

In 1521, Charles of Austria, who was the monarch of both Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, declared war on France. Henry aligned England with Charles and hoped to restore English lands in France. Charles successfully defeated and captured King Francis I of France but none of Henry’s expectations from this battle were fulfilled. So he withdrew England from the alignment with France and signed the Treaty of the More in 1525.

In 1534, Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of the Church of England. There were several uprisings opposing his religious policies, but they were quickly suppressed. A number of dissenters were arrested and executed.

Under Henry’s dominance, the Church of England completely broke away from the Pope and this gave rise to a great northern uprising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 in protest against the King’s policies which were unacceptable to the Catholics.

Thousands of people, led by Robert Aske rebelled against the King and Henry arrested Aske along with 200 other rebels and executed them for treason, thus bringing an end to the disturbances.

By the early 1540s his relations with Charles had improved and they once again formed an alliance and planned to invade France in 1543. In preparation, Henry proceeded to eliminate the potential threat of Scotland and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Solway Moss in 1542.

Initially he hesitated to invade France and this angered Charles. Finally Henry went to France in 1544 and launched a two-pronged attack. Meanwhile Charles made peace with France leaving Henry alone in the campaign. Henry too attempted to make peace with France but France tried to invade England in 1545. The French attempt was unsuccessful, and these campaigns had cost both England and France dearly. Thus France and England signed the Treaty of Camp in June 1546.

Henry VIII of England was the King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547Henry VIII of England was the King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547. A son of Henry VII, he was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, succeeding his father. An arrogant and autocratic ruler, he brought about radical changes in the English Constitution and greatly expanded royal power, asserting the King’s supremacy over the Church of England. During his reign he earned the title of 'Father of the Royal Navy’, as he was known for his love of maintaining a strong naval force with several warships built with the latest technology and fitted with modern guns. He is also credited to have built the first naval dock in Britain at Portsmouth. Politically ambitious, he was aided by several prominent figures like Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cranmer in the implementation of his plans. Henry VIII was notorious for his cruelty and was so obsessed with his powers that he routinely quashed dissenters by executing them without even a formal trial. He was so ruthless that he even had several of his former favorite ministers executed when they fell out of his favor. Henry VIII was equally notorious for his six marriages and several scandalous love affairs.

Who was Henry VIII of England?

Henry VIII of England was the King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547. A son of Henry VII, he was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, succeeding his father. An arrogant and autocratic ruler, he brought about radical changes in the English Constitution and greatly expanded royal power, asserting the King’s supremacy over the Church of England. During his reign he earned the title of 'Father of the Royal Navy’, as he was known for his love of maintaining a strong naval force with several warships built with the latest technology and fitted with modern guns. He is also credited to have built the first naval dock in Britain at Portsmouth. Politically ambitious, he was aided by several prominent figures like Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cranmer in the implementation of his plans. Henry VIII was notorious for his cruelty and was so obsessed with his powers that he routinely quashed dissenters by executing them without even a formal trial. He was so ruthless that he even had several of his former favorite ministers executed when they fell out of his favor. Henry VIII was equally notorious for his six marriages and several scandalous love affairs.