Henry VIII

Henry VIII
Portrait of Henry VIII after Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1537–1562
King of England Lord/King of Ireland (more...)
Reign	22 April 1509 – 28 January 1547
Coronation	24 June 1509
Predecessor	Henry VII
Successor	Edward VI
Born	28 June 1491 Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, England
Died	28 January 1547 (aged 55) Palace of Whitehall, Westminster, England
Burial	16 February 1547 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Spouse	Catherine of Aragon ​ ​ (m. 1509; ann. 1533)​ Anne Boleyn ​ ​ (m. 1533; ann. 1536)​ Jane Seymour ​ ​ (m. 1536; died 1537)​ Anne of Cleves ​ ​ (m. 1540; ann. 1540)​ Catherine Howard ​ ​ (m. 1540; died 1542)​ Catherine Parr ​ (m. 1543)​
Issue more...	Henry, Duke of Cornwall Mary I of England Elizabeth I of England Edward VI of England Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (ill.)
House	Tudor
Father	Henry VII of England
Mother	Elizabeth of York
Religion	Roman Catholicism (1491–1534) Church of England (1534–1547)
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Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was the King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547.

Henry VIII increased the power of the monarchy and government over the country. Many people he did not like were executed under his orders, including two of his own wives. He was easily led by whoever his favourite advisor was: Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer and Richard Rich. More and Cromwell were also executed. He passed laws to merge Wales into England and was the first English monarch to be King of Ireland.

His government was able to raise more money because they stopped paying money to the Roman Catholic Church and because they closed down the monasteries. But he also spent far more money on his own enjoyment and on wars with France and Scotland. These wars did not achieve much. He made the Royal Navy much bigger and made other improvements to the armed forces.

Early in his reign he was seen as a very handsome young man who had studied a lot and enjoyed sports, music and writing. Later in his reign he became weak, ill and hugely obese. He also became unpredictable, bad-tempered and unable to admit to making mistakes. He died at the age of 55 in 1547. The next king was his son Edward VI.