Painting of Henry VIII

Henry VIII

Henry VIII (1491–1547) was the second king in the Tudor dynasty who famously had six wives and established the Church of England. He was the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York and became heir to the throne after the death of his brother Arthur in 1502. Henry ascended the throne in 1509 and reigned until his death in 1547. He played a significant role in the English Reformation, instigating the English church's break from Rome in the 1530s in order to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry his second wife, Anne Boleyn. The Tudor king had six wives in total. These were, successively, Catherine of Aragon; Anne Boleyn; Jane Seymour; Anne of Cleves; Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr. Henry died on 28 January 1547 and was succeeded by his only surviving legitimate son, Edward VI. Henry's two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, would also later rule England

Rafaëlle Cohen as Anne Boleyn in BBC docu-drama The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family

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The Château Vert pageant: 500 years since Anne Boleyn’s first recorded appearance at Henry VIII’s court. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543). (Photo by: PHAS/UIG via Getty Images)

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Turning points1534: Henry VIII declares his ‘empire’. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Sir Lancelot of the Lake and Queen Guinevere seen embracing by King Arthur in a medieval illustration

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Anne Boleyn, who was executed by beheading on 19 May 1536 after being found guilty of high treason, was said to have had "much joy and pleasure in death". (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

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Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon

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The Dissolution: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The ruins of the once magnificent Roche Abbey

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Painting of the Field of Cloth of Gold (artist unknown) from around 1545

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Katherine Willoughby in an 18th-century engraving after a Hans Holbein the Younger portrait. In 1546 the prospect of her marrying England's ageing King Henry VIII was causing tongues to wag in diplomatic circles. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

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A seventh wife for Henry VIII? The story of Katherine Willoughby. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Anne Boleyn

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Anne Boleyn’s final battle: Tracy Borman reveals Henry VIII's final 'kindness'. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife. Henry and Catherine's marriage was a happy one, until their failure to produce a male heir began to cast a long shadow. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

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Illustration shows James IV ceding his crown following defeat at the battle of Flodden. (Picture by Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo)

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Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. National Portrait Gallery, London. (Photo by PHAS/UIG via Getty Images)

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The Spanish Princess Part II. (Image by Starz)

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Henry Fitzroy

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A watercolour version of a mural showing Henry VIII (front left) with his father, Henry VII, his wife Jane Seymour (front right) and his mother, Elizabeth of York. The mural, which aimed to validate Henry's right to the throne, adorned Whitehall Palace before being destroyed by fire. (Photo by Bridgeman Royal Collection)

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Henry VIII: confident young king or insecure son?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Top, left to right: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour. Bottom, left to right: Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr.

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An engraving of Margaret Tudor

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A portrait of Thomas Cromwell.

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Portrait of Catherine Howard

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Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France meet (in marquee, top) at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, June 1520. “For all their expressions of friendship,” writes Glenn Richardson, “the two kings spent most of the summit attempting to outshine one another”. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

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Fields of the Cloth of Gold: the greatest show on earth. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Scene from the the Westminster Tournament Roll, commissioned by Henry VIII to document the lavish jousting tournament held to celebrate the birth of his son with Catherine of Aragon

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What if…Henry VIII's first son had lived?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Henry VIII

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Henry VIII and Francis I meet at the Field of Cloth of Gold, 7 June 1520. (Photo by Getty Images)

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The Field of the Cloth of Gold. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The English Reformation: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Tudors, everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on their wedding day

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The royal weddings of Henry VIII: Alison Weir on what came before divorced, beheaded, died...

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