Henry VIII: Wives, Wars and Wealth of England's Infamous King

Henry VIII: Wives, Wars and Wealth of England’s Infamous King

henry viii king of england

Considered by many historians to be “one of the most charismatic and important rulers to ever sit on the English throne, Henry the Eighth is best known for his six marriages and numerous mistresses, including what would become a now-infamous expulsion of the holy Roman Catholic Church from England.

Henry VIII’s Church of England

After Pope Clement the Seventh refused to annul Henry’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry separated the Church of England from papal authority, installing himself as Supreme Head of the Church of England, while dissolving all convents and monasteries on English soil.

Known for his radical changes to the English Constitution, Henry was most noted for ushering in the concept of the divine right of kings, a doctrine maintaining that kings derive their authority not from their subjects, but from the direct hand of god.

Considered the “father of the Royal Navy,” Henry grew Britain’s naval strength from a few semi-dedicated warships to well over fifty, creating the Navy Board to oversee his burgeoning naval influence.

Also on the home front, Henry oversaw the legal union of England and Wales, while becoming the first English monarch to rule as King of Ireland following the Crown of Ireland Act of 1542.

He achieved many of his political aims through the work of his chief ministers, some of whom were banished or executed when they fell out of Henry’s favor, including Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich and Thomas Cranmer.

Wealth and War of King Henry VIII

Known for his extravagant spending, Henry used the proceeds from the dissolution of convents and monasteries and money formerly paid to Rome to fuel his excessive lifestyle.

Like many immoderate spenders, Henry was continuously on the brink of financial ruin, compounded by numerous and largely unsuccessful wars against King Francis the First of France, Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Fifth, King James the Fifth of Scotland and the Scottish regency under the Earl of Arran and Mary of Guise.

Characterized in his later years as lustful, egotistical, paranoid and tyrannical, Henry the Eighth died on January 28th, 1547 after six contentious marriages, including Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard, not to mention a veritable conga line of mistresses along the way.