I'm a history nut and I love teaching others about history, so here's some of my favorite and the most important/famous people in history, although some of these are lesser known.
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Basic Info: Born- June 28, 1491 Died- January 28, 1547 Ruled- 1509-1547 Buried- St. George's Chapel, Windsor, United Kingdom
Early life: Henry was the second son of Henry VII (first English ruler from the House of Tudor) and was the younger brother of Arthur Tudor. He also had three sisters named Mary(Mary is the grandmother of Lady Jane Grey, anther important person that I'll cover later in the book), Margaret, and Elizabeth and another brother named Edmund. Elizabeth and Edmund died in their toddler years. Arthur was expected to take the throne, leaving Henry with fewer responsibilities and he grew up with a broad education in music, poetry, and languages. Arthur was engaged and eventually married Catherine of Aragon, but he tragically died a few months later. Henry was next in line to the throne.
Years as King: (please keep in mind, this is summarized. He did so much as king and I was trying to make it as simple as possible) Henry became king at age 17 and married Catherine of Aragon (am I the only one who thinks it's weird that he married his brother's widow?) Over the years of their marriage, Catherine produced three daughters and three sons, but only a daughter (Mary I) survived past infancy. He was pretty active in court, hosting parties, jousting, playing music, and writing. He had little military talent, yet pursued many wars and conflicts, especially with France (England and France had a lot of hatred for each other). A man named Thomas Wolsey became a great friend and advisor to King Henry, and became archbishop of York, chancellor of England, and a cardinal of the church. He was often left to handle many of the kingdom's affairs, making him a very powerful man (until he angered the king, that is. Long story short, he screwed up an alliance that was helpful, and Henry no longer had any use for Wolsey) He eventually met Anne Boleyn and on came what was referred to as "The King's Great Matter." He was convinced that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was illegitimate and against divine law, because she had been his brother's wife first (I still down know why he'd ever marry his brother's wife in the first place. Ew). He believed he deaths of their kids were his punishment for their sin and he was determined to divorce her. He appealed to the Pope Clement VII, enlisting the help of Wolsey. Wolsey again failed and was quickly replaced by Thomas More, who became the new chancellor. A man by the name of Thomas Cromwell finally came along and gave Henry the answer he'd wanted, and helped him annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Cromwell remained in command if the counsel for eight years. Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in January of 1533 and their child was born that September. The pope, angry with Henry for the divorce, excommunicated Henry, who then formed the Church of England. He eventually had Anne and several others accused of treason and beheaded. Jane Seymour was his next wife and the father of his only surviving legitimate son, but Jane died in childbirth. Anne of Cleves came next, recommended by Thomas Cromwell because he wanted an alliance, but Henry quickly divorced her. Cromwell's enemies used the incident with Anne of Cleves to turn the king against him, and soon Cromwell was disposed of (aka, executed) in July of 1540. Henry became extremely paranoid, believing that he was being controlled and manipulated by everyone. His health also declined as he gained more and more weight, had leg ulcers, and possible depression. He married Catherine Howard shortly after Anne of Cleves, but the marriage was yet another failure. She was found guilty of adultery and sentenced to death. Henry became sad and bitter until his final marriage with Catherine Parr. He concentrated on keeping the realm united (and greatly regretted executing Thomas Cromwell). In 1542, he joined the Scots against France. The Scottish king died, and Henry hoped to have the child of the King (Mary, Queen of Scots) marry one of his own children. However, the Scots switched sides and allied with the French.
Affairs, mistresses, and wives: (Not gonna lie, Henry was a bit of a wh*re in my opinion, but I'll leave you to do the judging) His desperation for a sondrives him to have countless affairs with many women, and he is well known for having six wives. His mistress, Elizabeth Blout, gaze birth to a son in 1519. He was the only illegitimate child that Henry acknowledged, and was given the titles of Duke of Richmond and Somerset. His first child with Catherine of Aragon was a son, called Henry, but the child died when he was a little over a month old. The only surviving child produced by Henry and Catherine of Aragon was Mary I (and Henry wasn't very happy about having a daughter) While married to Catherine of Aragon, he met the Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. Mary was one of his mistresses for a while, but he began to desire Anne instead. She refused him and eventually drove him to break from the Catholic Church, annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, and he married Anne. His second wife, Anne Boleyn, gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth I. Anne failed to give him an heir and he quickly tired of her as well. He had her executed along with their members of the court (including her brother George, who Henry was convinced was sleeping with Anne. Mega ew) in 1536 for treason and adultery. He immediately found a new wife in Jane Seymour (who he'd met while with Anne Boleyn). She died after giving birth to their son, Edward in 1537. It's believed that she's the only one of his wives he truly loved. He wore black for months, didn't marry for three more years, and even requested to be buried beside her (I don't know if this is love for Jane or if he just loved the fact that she gave him a son but who knows). His next wife was Anne of Cleves, but Henry hated he way she looked so much that he quickly divorced her after jut a few months of marriage. After Anne, Henry found a new wife in the young Catherine Howard (and I mean young. She was between 17-20 while he was in his 40s). However, she didn't last very long either. Her promiscuity and sexual past were found out (although some argue that she had not consented to these past sexual relationships). While at court and married to the king, she had a relationship with a man named Thomas Culpeper (I swear there are way too many guys named Thomas). It was thought that one of the maids Lady Rochford (widow of George Boleyn) had helped Catherine and Thomas keep their relationship a secret. She was found out when one of her past lovers, Henry Mannock, bragged that he "knew her privates from all others by a privy mark", while Francis Dereham (her other lover) was so familiar with Catherine "afore her marriage to the king that he did lie with her a hundred nights in the year in his doublet and hose abed between the sheets." Catherine and others involved in her past were thoroughly investigated. The men were sent to trial and found guilty. Dehram was hung, drawn, and quartered. Culpeper was beheaded. The heads of both men were placed on pikes on London Bridge. Catherine didn't face a trial and was beheaded along with Lady Rochford at the Tower of London on February 13, 1542. She's only been queen for 18 months. He married his final wife, Catherine Parr, in 1543 and she stayed with him until his death in 1547. She only waited a few months to marry again, this time to Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley and the brother of Jane Seymour (3rd wife of Henry VIII). They had one child together, named Catherine.
Cool facts: • Henry was a successful musician and wrote a popular song called "Pastime with Good Company" • there are theories hay he also wrote the song "Greensleeves" for Anne Boleyn • Henry was never supposed to be king. The throne was intended for his older brother, Arthur, but the boy died suddenly at age 15 • he reportedly compared Anne of Cleves to a horse (more of a sad fact than a 'cool' one, but whatever). Their marriage quickly ended and she was given the title "The King's Sister" • he had an affair with Anne Boleyn's sister. Mary Boleyn was a lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon for ten years, during which she had a relationship with the king and claims that two of her children were his, but this was never proven. She ended up marrying a commoner and was disowned by her family • He was rather fit when he was younger, but a jousting accident left him permanently wounded. He had leg ulcers, migraines, and insomnia for the rest of his life. He was also unable to exercise and he quickly started gaining weight. • some say that his ghost haunts Hampton Court Palace, which is where Jane Seymour died and where Catherine Howard was arrested. • when Catherine Howard found out she was being arrested, she ran down the halls screaming for the king to save her • he helped to build a large portion of the British navy. He even named one of his ships Mary Rose after his sister (although some say it was after Mary Boleyn) • he created a position at his castle called "Grooms of Stool." These 'grooms' were in charge of monitoring the King's bowel moments
In movies, TV, and other media: There are a lot of really good movies about him including The Other Boleyn Girl and Anne of a Thousand Days. There's also a great television show called The Tudors which chronicles his life. They stay fairly historically accurate (although it's hard to say because there's so many rumors and controversies).
