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14 | <Metadata name="Page_topic">King Henry VIII (1491-1547): Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources The Six Wives of Henry VIII The Reformation</Metadata>
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15 | <Metadata name="Content">King Henry VIII (1491-1547): Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources The Six Wives of Henry VIII</Metadata>
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16 | <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
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17 | <Metadata name="Title">King Henry VIII: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</Metadata>
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19 | <Metadata name="URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/henry8.html</Metadata>
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34 | </Description>
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35 | <Content>
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36 |
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37 | <table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="667">
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38 | <tr>
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39 | <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
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40 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="29">&nbsp;</td>
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41 | <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
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42 | </tr>
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43 | <tr>
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44 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
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45 | <td width="50%" height="3">
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46 | <p align="center">
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47 | <img SRC="_httpdocimg_/henry8.gif" ALT="King Henry VIII" height=52 width=315></td>
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48 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
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49 | </tr>
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50 | <tr>
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51 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
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52 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
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53 | <p align="center">
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54 | <img SRC="_httpdocimg_/henry8main.jpg" ALT="portrait of King Henry VIII by an unknown artist" BORDER=2 height=348 width=250></p>
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55 | <p> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#One"><br></a>
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56 | View portraits of King Henry VIII at
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57 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2fimages.html">Tudor England: Images</a>.</p>
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58 | <p> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#One">A
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59 |
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60 | brief discussion of his personality and historical importance</a><br>
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61 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Two">Henry Tudor, duke of York: 1491-1502</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Three">Heir
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62 |
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63 | apparent: 1502-1509</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Four">1509-1526:
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64 |
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65 | Katharine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey &amp; Princess Mary</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Five">1526-1536:
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66 |
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67 | Anne Boleyn and the Henrician Reformation</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Six">1536-1546:
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68 |
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69 | Four wives, Thomas Cromwell &amp; foreign policy</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Seven">Death
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70 |
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71 | and disorder: Henry's last months and a discussion of his illness</a></p>
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72 | <p>
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73 |
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74 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Eight">The
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75 |
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76 | English nobility during Henry's reign</a><br>
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77 |
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78 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Nine">Henry:
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79 | lapsed Catholic or Protestant reformer?</a></p>
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80 | <blockquote>
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81 | <p> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">Primary
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82 |
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83 | Sources</a></p>
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84 |
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85 | <p> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Ten">Notable
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86 |
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87 | Dates and Events</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Eleven">Bibliography
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88 |
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89 | and Further Reading</a><p> <b>Henry's wives:</b>&nbsp;
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90 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fwives.html">The Six Wives of Henry VIII</a><br>
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91 | <br> <b>Henry's children:<br></b><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fedward6.html">
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92 | King Edward VI</a><br>
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93 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html">Queen Mary I</a><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2feliz1.html"><br>
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94 | Queen Elizabeth I</a></blockquote>
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95 | </td>
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96 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
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97 | </tr>
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98 | </table>
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99 |
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100 | <blockquote>
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101 | <blockquote>
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102 |
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103 | <p><b>'My, you ought to seen old Henry the Eight when he was in bloom.&nbsp;
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104 |
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105 | He <i>was</i> a blossom.&nbsp; He used to marry a new wife every day, and
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106 |
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107 | chop off her head next morning.&nbsp; And he would do it just as indifferent
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108 |
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109 | as if he was ordering up eggs.&nbsp; 'Fetch up Nell Gwynn,' he says.&nbsp;
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110 |
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111 | They fetch her up.&nbsp; Next morning, 'Chop off her head!'&nbsp; And they
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112 |
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113 | chop it off.&nbsp; 'Fetch up Jane Shore,' he says; and up she comes.&nbsp;
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114 |
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115 | Next morning, 'Chop off her head' - and they chop it off.&nbsp; 'Ring up
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116 |
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117 | Fair Rosamun.'&nbsp; Fair Rosamun answers the bell.&nbsp; Next morning,
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118 |
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119 | 'Chop off her head.'&nbsp; And he made every one of them tell him a tale
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120 |
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121 | every night; and he kept that up till he had hogged a thousand and one
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122 |
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123 | tales that way, and then he put them all in a book, and called it Domesday
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124 |
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125 | Book - which was a good name and stated the case.&nbsp; You don't know
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126 |
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127 | kings, Jim, but I know them; and this old rip of ourn is one of the cleanest
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128 |
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129 | I've struck in history.&nbsp; Well, Henry he takes a notion he wants to
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130 |
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131 | get up some trouble with this country.&nbsp; How does he go at it - give
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132 |
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133 | notice? - give the country a show?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; All of a sudden he heaves
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134 |
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135 | all the tea in Boston Harbor overboard, and whacks out a declaration of
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136 |
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137 | independence, and dares them to come on.&nbsp; That was <i>his</i> style
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138 |
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139 | - he never give anybody a chance.&nbsp; He had suspicions of his father,
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140 |
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141 | the Duke of Wellington.&nbsp; Well, what did he do? - ask him to show up?&nbsp;
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142 |
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143 | No - drownded him in a butt of mamsey, like a cat.&nbsp; Spose people left
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144 |
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145 | money laying around where he was - what did he do?&nbsp; He collared it.&nbsp;
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146 |
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147 | Spose he contracted to do a thing; and you paid him, and didn't set down
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148 |
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149 | there and see that he done it - what did he do?&nbsp; He always done the
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150 |
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151 | other thing.&nbsp; Spose he opened his mouth - what then?&nbsp; If he didn't
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152 |
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153 | shut it up powerful quick, he'd lose a lie, every time.&nbsp; That's the
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154 |
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155 | kind of a bug Henry was....</b>
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156 |
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157 | <br><b>All I say is, kings is kings, and you got to make allowances.&nbsp;
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158 |
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159 | Take them all around, they're a mighty ornery lot.&nbsp; It's the way they're
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160 |
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161 | raised.'</b>
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162 |
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163 | <center>
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164 | <p><font size=-1>from Mark Twain's <i>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i></font></p>
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165 | <hr></center>
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166 |
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167 | </blockquote>
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168 | <p align="left"><a NAME="One"></a><font size=4>I have no fear but when you
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169 |
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170 | heard that our Prince, now Henry the Eighth, whom we may call our Octavius,
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171 |
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172 | had succeeded to his father's throne, all your melancholy left you at once.&nbsp;
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173 |
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174 | What may you not promise yourself from a Prince with whose extraordinary
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175 |
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176 | and almost Divine character you are acquainted?&nbsp; When you know what
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177 |
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178 | a hero he now shows himself, how wisely he behaves, what a lover he is
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179 |
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180 | of justice and goodness, what affection he bears to the learned I will
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181 |
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182 | venture to swear that you will need no wings to make you fly to behold
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183 |
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184 | this new and auspicious star.&nbsp; If you could see how all the world
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185 |
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186 | here is rejoicing in the possession of so great a Prince, how his life
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187 |
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188 | is all their desire, you could not contain your tears for joy.&nbsp; The
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189 |
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190 | heavens laugh, the earth exults, all things are full of milk, of honey,
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191 |
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192 | of nectar!&nbsp; Avarice is expelled the country.&nbsp; Liberality scatters
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193 |
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194 | wealth with bounteous hand.&nbsp; Our King does not desire gold or gems
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195 |
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196 | or precious metals, but virtue, glory, immortality.&nbsp;&nbsp; </font>
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197 | <font size=2><i>Lord Mountjoy to Erasmus</i>, 1509</font></p>
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198 | <blockquote>
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199 |
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200 | <center><hr></center>
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201 |
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202 | <p><b>A brief discussion of his personality and historical
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203 |
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204 | importance</b> </p>
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205 | <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How can one adequately describe Henry's personality?&nbsp;
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206 |
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207 | Imagine yourself as Henry VIII, the second son suddenly yanked into the
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208 |
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209 | spotlight by your older brother's death. Sheltered and smothered by a father
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210 |
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211 | suddenly aware that he has just one heir left; handsome and intelligent
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212 |
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213 | and, by turns, both recklessly indulged and then denied.&nbsp; Any of us
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214 |
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215 | would have emerged as a mass of contradictions and frustrations.&nbsp;
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216 |
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217 | So Henry VIII, crowned king at the prime of his life, just eighteen years
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218 |
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219 | old and physically magnificent with more enthusiasm and energy than most
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220 |
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221 | of his contemporaries, became a conflicted and confused man.&nbsp; But
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222 |
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223 | it is a shame to let the last twenty years of his life color the interpretation
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224 |
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225 | of his entire life.&nbsp; One should not see him as simply an ogre king
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226 |
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227 | who beheaded two wives, divorced two others, and rejected another in one
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228 |
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229 | of the most humiliating ways possible.
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230 |
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231 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His personality was quite amazing; his intelligence,
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232 |
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233 | learning, and curiosity impressed even the world-weary ambassadors who
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234 |
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235 | littered his court.&nbsp; His thirst for knowledge was insatiable, though
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236 |
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237 | it never became the near-mania that haunted Philip II.&nbsp; Henry VIII
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238 |
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239 | didn't spend his declining years surrounded by slips of paper detailing
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240 |
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241 | the most minute occurrences in his realm.&nbsp; But he did spend his entire
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242 |
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243 | reign reading dispatches, scribbling notations, meeting with diplomats
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244 |
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245 | and politicians.&nbsp; Very little occurred in England that escaped his
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246 |
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247 | attention; indeed, very little occurred in Europe that escaped Henry VIII.&nbsp;
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248 |
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249 | He prided himself on this and well he should; the Spanish ambassador reported
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250 |
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251 | that Henry knew of the fall of Cadiz before the Holy Roman Emperor.
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252 |
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253 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He was usually genial company.&nbsp; He loved music
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254 |
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255 | and wrote his own.&nbsp; He enjoyed dancing and entertainment.&nbsp; He
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256 |
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257 | held countless banquets and tournaments.&nbsp; He enjoyed all physical
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258 |
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259 | activities and excelled at most of them.&nbsp; Hunting, archery, tennis,
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260 |
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261 | jousting - the king made his court into an endless round of competition
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262 |
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263 | and celebration.&nbsp; When he grew older, these former pleasures became
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264 |
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265 | torments; like most former athletes, Henry became fat as he aged and the
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266 |
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267 | once-loved pastimes became bitter reminders of the ravages of time.&nbsp;
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268 |
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269 | And he ruled over a country where almost half the population was 18 years
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270 |
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271 | old or younger!&nbsp; Youth was everywhere, staring the old king in his
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272 |
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273 | face.&nbsp; We can imagine the effects.&nbsp; Quite naturally, he sought
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274 |
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275 | reassurances - from women, his courtiers, his council.&nbsp; Affairs could
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276 |
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277 | distract him, but love affairs were never his grand passion.&nbsp; Despite
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278 |
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279 | his licentious reputation, Henry VIII was really a 16th century sexual
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280 |
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281 | prude; among his European contemporaries, he philandered the least.&nbsp;
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282 |
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283 | State affairs indulged his taste for war and glory; family affairs gnawed
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284 |
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285 | at his conscience and pride.&nbsp; But Henry VIII did not want distractions.&nbsp;
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286 |
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287 | He wanted a grand mission, a defining statement.&nbsp; In the end, he got
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288 |
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289 | his wish, though in the most improbable way possible.
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290 |
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291 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He began life as a second son, destined for the
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292 |
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293 | church.&nbsp; It was the dream of Henry VII for his eldest son, Arthur,
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294 |
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295 | to be king and for his second son, Henry, to be the highest churchman in
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296 |
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297 | England.&nbsp; And so, for the first ten years of his life, Henry was a
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298 |
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299 | student of theology.&nbsp; And for the next thirty years of his life, he
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300 |
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301 | remained a dutiful son of the church.&nbsp; It is ironic, then, that his
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302 |
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303 | most significant historical achievement was the destruction of the Roman
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304 |
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305 | Catholic faith in England.&nbsp; The impact of the Henrician reformation
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306 |
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307 | forever altered the course of English history.&nbsp; Henry VIII, who had
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308 |
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309 | indulged in endless diplomatic squabbles and foreign wars, left no grand
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310 |
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311 | achievement beyond his own borders.&nbsp; Vast amounts of money were spent
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312 |
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313 | on these foreign entanglements - and many lives lost - but, in the end,
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314 |
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315 | nothing changed in the European balance of power.&nbsp; England, constantly
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316 |
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317 | pulled between the two great continental powers of France and the Holy
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318 |
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319 | Roman Empire, nearly bankrupted itself in an attempt to become respected
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320 |
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321 | and feared.
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322 |
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323 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Why did Henry ultimately fail in those tasks normally
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324 |
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325 | reserved for monarchs?&nbsp; Ultimately, he was a victim of his times.&nbsp;
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326 |
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327 | The 16th century was a confusing mess of changing loyalties, betrayals,
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328 |
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329 | near-constant fighting, and most importantly, a rising skepticism of that
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330 |
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331 | great institution of the fading medieval world, the Roman Catholic church.&nbsp;
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332 |
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333 | With the advent of the printing press a century before, literacy and intellectual
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334 |
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335 | debate grew rapidly.&nbsp; The High Renaissance in Italy occurred during
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336 |
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337 | the first 20 years of Henry VIII's reign.&nbsp; It was a time of unparalleled
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338 |
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339 | scientific experiment, intellectual fervor, and spirited debate.&nbsp;
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340 |
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341 | In such a time, traditional views of kingship were bound to change for
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342 |
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343 | both the ruler and those he ruled.
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344 |
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345 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (As evidence of this confusion, one need only remember
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346 |
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347 | that Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor crowned by the Pope, led the brutal
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348 |
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349 | sack of Rome in 1527.&nbsp; Charles, supposedly the anointed defender of
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350 |
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351 | the papacy, actually ordered his imperial army to loot, pillage, and kill
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352 |
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353 | their way through Rome and the Vatican.&nbsp; The pope ended up fleeing
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354 |
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355 | to relative safety in his nightshirt.)
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356 |
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357 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While reading any biography of Henry VIII, one must
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358 |
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359 | remember the flavor of his times and judge him, if at all, by sixteenth-century
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360 |
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361 | standards.&nbsp; It's always amusing to read descriptions of Henry as the
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362 |
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363 | lustful tyrant torn between bedding and beheading innocent women; in truth,
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364 |
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365 | he blushed at dirty jokes and was more faithful than many 20th century
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366 |
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367 | husbands.&nbsp; He was married to Katharine of Aragon for over twenty years
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368 |
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369 | and had just a handful of mistresses.&nbsp; He waited years to physically
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370 |
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371 | consummate his relationship with Anne Boleyn, and despite being in the
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372 |
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373 | prime of his life, remained faithful to her until marriage.&nbsp; Was this
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374 |
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375 | sexual prudery a result of his early church training?&nbsp; Perhaps.&nbsp;
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376 |
|
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377 | Whatever the case, it was a hallmark of his life.&nbsp; Henry VIII was
|
---|
378 |
|
---|
379 | always an incurable romantic.
|
---|
380 |
|
---|
381 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His personal and political decisions were always
|
---|
382 |
|
---|
383 | grandiose, melodramatic, and played for great effect.&nbsp; He loved pomp
|
---|
384 |
|
---|
385 | and pageantry, even as he loathed to deal with the consequences of his
|
---|
386 |
|
---|
387 | actions.&nbsp; Like his father, he was caught in the transition from medieval
|
---|
388 |
|
---|
389 | England to renaissance England.&nbsp; And like his father, he was well-versed
|
---|
390 |
|
---|
391 | in English history and desperate to continue the Tudor dynasty, to secure
|
---|
392 |
|
---|
393 | his claims to Ireland, Scotland, and France, to raise England to the status
|
---|
394 |
|
---|
395 | of its continental neighbors, and to expand his God-given right to rule
|
---|
396 |
|
---|
397 | all Englishmen.&nbsp; When reading about Henry's political and dynastic
|
---|
398 |
|
---|
399 | ambitions, one is always struck by the wide scope of his desires.&nbsp;
|
---|
400 |
|
---|
401 | Though most came to naught in the end, he actually planned invasions of
|
---|
402 |
|
---|
403 | France, plotted to join Charles V's invasion of Italy, and intended to
|
---|
404 |
|
---|
405 | seize the Scottish throne.&nbsp; The word 'ambitious' hardly does Great
|
---|
406 |
|
---|
407 | Harry justice.
|
---|
408 |
|
---|
409 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His political ambitions failed and he bequeathed
|
---|
410 |
|
---|
411 | a woeful mess to his nine-year-old heir, Edward VI.&nbsp; His greatest
|
---|
412 |
|
---|
413 | achievement was a dubious one, and one for which he was often eager to
|
---|
414 |
|
---|
415 | distance himself - the Henrician reformation, the end of Roman Catholicism
|
---|
416 |
|
---|
417 | in England and the birth of the Anglican church.&nbsp; The king, for all
|
---|
418 |
|
---|
419 | his contradictions and failures, helped destroy the greatest institution
|
---|
420 |
|
---|
421 | in medieval Europe.&nbsp; Once Germany and England fell to the new heresy,
|
---|
422 |
|
---|
423 | its spread across Europe was inevitable and invincible.
|
---|
424 |
|
---|
425 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the biography of Henry at this site, I hope to
|
---|
426 |
|
---|
427 | capture both the king's personality and assess his importance to history.&nbsp;
|
---|
428 |
|
---|
429 | Henry VIII's reign was as tumultuous as the king himself.&nbsp; If nothing
|
---|
430 |
|
---|
431 | else, it makes for entertaining reading.</p>
|
---|
432 | <p>
|
---|
433 |
|
---|
434 | <font size=-2><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Top">TOP</a></font>
|
---|
435 |
|
---|
436 | <br>
|
---|
437 |
|
---|
438 | </p>
|
---|
439 |
|
---|
440 | <hr WIDTH="100%">
|
---|
441 |
|
---|
442 | <p>
|
---|
443 |
|
---|
444 | <br><a NAME="Two"></a><b>Henry Tudor, duke of York: 1491-1502</b> </p>
|
---|
445 | <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The second Henry Tudor was born on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich
|
---|
446 |
|
---|
447 | Palace in London.&nbsp; He was the third child of the first Tudor monarch,
|
---|
448 |
|
---|
449 | Henry VII, and his wife, Elizabeth Plantagenet, daughter of the Yorkist
|
---|
450 |
|
---|
451 | king, Edward IV.&nbsp; At the time of her second son's birth, Queen Elizabeth
|
---|
452 |
|
---|
453 | was just 25 years old; her husband was 34, and had been king for almost
|
---|
454 |
|
---|
455 | six years.&nbsp; Those six years had been difficult ones.&nbsp; Henry's
|
---|
456 |
|
---|
457 | marriage to Elizabeth had helped amass Yorkist support for his rule, but
|
---|
458 |
|
---|
459 | the English people were hardly enthusiastic about Henry, even as they had
|
---|
460 |
|
---|
461 | been noticeably ambivalent about his predecessor, Elizabeth's uncle, Richard
|
---|
462 |
|
---|
463 | III.&nbsp; Elizabeth was popular with the common people; her young life
|
---|
464 |
|
---|
465 | had all the romance and tragedy necessary for sympathetic gossip and she
|
---|
466 |
|
---|
467 | was a classical fair beauty, possessing all the female virtues necessary
|
---|
468 |
|
---|
469 | for a queen.&nbsp; She was quiet, demure, and charming; she was also content
|
---|
470 |
|
---|
471 | to allow her formidable mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, assume a position
|
---|
472 |
|
---|
473 | of unprecedented influence over the king.
|
---|
474 |
|
---|
475 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
---|
476 |
|
---|
477 | Elizabeth's emotional attachment to her husband has been much-debated.&nbsp;
|
---|
478 |
|
---|
479 | In truth, she had known all her<img SRC="_httpdocimg_/h8two.jpg" ALT="sketch of Henry VIII as a toddler" BORDER=1 height=214 width=150 align=right> life that she would never marry a man of
|
---|
480 |
|
---|
481 | her own choice.&nbsp; In the end, her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, conspired
|
---|
482 |
|
---|
483 | with Margaret Beaufort for Elizabeth to marry Henry Tudor, exiled son of
|
---|
484 |
|
---|
485 | Henry VI's half-brother.&nbsp; Henry was, by all accounts, grateful for
|
---|
486 |
|
---|
487 | the match.&nbsp; He appreciated its political implications.&nbsp; He also
|
---|
488 |
|
---|
489 | respected his new queen and was faithful to his marriage vows, an unusual
|
---|
490 |
|
---|
491 | trait in a king.&nbsp; Upon her marriage, Elizabeth entered a semi-retirement
|
---|
492 |
|
---|
493 | - she was queen and her duty was to produce as many heirs as possible.&nbsp;
|
---|
494 |
|
---|
495 | Nine months after her marriage, she gave birth to her first child at St Swithin's Priory in Winchester, a prince named Arthur.&nbsp; Henry and
|
---|
496 |
|
---|
497 | Elizabeth had wed on 18 January 1486 at Westminster Abbey in London; Prince
|
---|
498 |
|
---|
499 | Arthur was born 20 September 1486.&nbsp; Three years later, Elizabeth gave
|
---|
500 |
|
---|
501 | birth to their second child, a princess called Margaret after Henry VII's
|
---|
502 |
|
---|
503 | mother.&nbsp; She was born on 28 November 1489 at Westminster Palace in
|
---|
504 |
|
---|
505 | London.&nbsp; For the new king, the birth of a healthy second child, and
|
---|
506 |
|
---|
507 | his wife's rapid recovery, were good omens.&nbsp; Even as he attempted
|
---|
508 |
|
---|
509 | to enforce his rule in the always troublesome northern England which had
|
---|
510 |
|
---|
511 | been Richard III's base of support, Henry VII could rest assured that his
|
---|
512 |
|
---|
513 | dynasty was becoming secure.&nbsp; But it was only on 28 June 1491, when
|
---|
514 |
|
---|
515 | another healthy prince was born, this time at Greenwich Palace, that Henry
|
---|
516 |
|
---|
517 | VII could breathe a sigh of relief.&nbsp; This second son was a necessary
|
---|
518 |
|
---|
519 | insurance policy for the new Tudor dynasty.&nbsp; Childhood mortality was
|
---|
520 |
|
---|
521 | high and diseases such as small pox, the sweating sickness, and the plague
|
---|
522 |
|
---|
523 | were rife throughout England.&nbsp; A king needed as many healthy heirs
|
---|
524 |
|
---|
525 | as possible, and the birth of a second son was an occasion for celebration.
|
---|
526 |
|
---|
527 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On 27 February 1490, Prince Arthur was titled prince
|
---|
528 |
|
---|
529 | of Wales at Westminster Palace in London; this was the real beginning of
|
---|
530 |
|
---|
531 | a tradition that continues to this day.&nbsp; And in 1494, Arthur's baby
|
---|
532 |
|
---|
533 | brother was titled duke of York, the traditional title of the king's brother.&nbsp;
|
---|
534 |
|
---|
535 | At this early age, all we know of Prince Henry was that he was considered
|
---|
536 |
|
---|
537 | a handsome and precocious toddler, but one would expect such descriptions
|
---|
538 |
|
---|
539 | of the king's son.&nbsp; He did not share his brother's fair coloring or
|
---|
540 |
|
---|
541 | slight build.&nbsp; Prince Henry was a sturdy, strawberry-blond boy noted
|
---|
542 |
|
---|
543 | for his energy and temper.&nbsp; Just a year after his birth, his mother
|
---|
544 |
|
---|
545 | bore another daughter; this child was called Elizabeth and she died three
|
---|
546 |
|
---|
547 | years later.&nbsp; It was the first in a series of tragedies for the young
|
---|
548 |
|
---|
549 | queen.&nbsp; She and Henry VII were considered good and affectionate parents,
|
---|
550 |
|
---|
551 | but they never lost sight of the political importance of their children.&nbsp;
|
---|
552 |
|
---|
553 | Together they decided that Prince Henry, like most second sons, was destined
|
---|
554 |
|
---|
555 | for the church, and his early schooling was planned accordingly.&nbsp;
|
---|
556 |
|
---|
557 | This strong emphasis upon theology and its esoteric debates remained with
|
---|
558 |
|
---|
559 | Henry for the rest of his life and made him feel uniquely qualified to
|
---|
560 |
|
---|
561 | interpret religious law during the 1520s.</p>
|
---|
562 | <p>
|
---|
563 |
|
---|
564 | <font size=-2><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Top">TOP</a></font>
|
---|
565 |
|
---|
566 | <br>
|
---|
567 |
|
---|
568 | </p>
|
---|
569 |
|
---|
570 | <hr WIDTH="100%">
|
---|
571 |
|
---|
572 | <p>
|
---|
573 |
|
---|
574 | <br><a NAME="Three"></a><b>Heir apparent: 1502-1509</b> </p>
|
---|
575 | <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Henry's position as the second son lasted only until 2 April
|
---|
576 |
|
---|
577 | 1502, just a few months before his eleventh birthday.&nbsp; It was on that
|
---|
578 |
|
---|
579 | day that his brother Arthur died at Ludlow Castle, the government seat
|
---|
580 |
|
---|
581 | of the prince of Wales.&nbsp; The insecurity of the Tudor succession was
|
---|
582 |
|
---|
583 | suddenly unavoidable.&nbsp; Elizabeth of York, despite repeated pregnancies,
|
---|
584 |
|
---|
585 | had not borne another healthy son; after Henry's birth, there was just
|
---|
586 |
|
---|
587 | one more male child - a son called Edmund, born in 1499 and dead just a
|
---|
588 |
|
---|
589 | year later.&nbsp; The queen did become pregnant shortly after Arthur's
|
---|
590 |
|
---|
591 | death but this eighth pregnancy proved to be her last.&nbsp; The child,
|
---|
592 |
|
---|
593 | called Katherine, was born and died on 2 February 1503.&nbsp; Elizabeth
|
---|
594 |
|
---|
595 | contracted an infection and died a few days later, on 11 February, her
|
---|
596 |
|
---|
597 | thirty-seventh birthday.&nbsp; So in the short space of a year, Henry lost
|
---|
598 |
|
---|
599 | both his older brother and mother.&nbsp; But the effects of these losses
|
---|
600 |
|
---|
601 | was felt even more keenly by Henry VII.&nbsp; His reign had proved to be
|
---|
602 |
|
---|
603 | neither peaceful or happy.&nbsp; He was beset by worries - constant diplomatic
|
---|
604 |
|
---|
605 | maneuvering, subjects who mocked him as a cold-hearted, tax-hungry miser,
|
---|
606 |
|
---|
607 | and now he had lost his son and wife.
|
---|
608 |
|
---|
609 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Arthur's death was more than a personal tragedy;
|
---|
610 |
|
---|
611 | it was a political tragedy as well.&nbsp; The young prince had been married
|
---|
612 |
|
---|
613 | to <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2faragon.html">Princess
|
---|
614 |
|
---|
615 | Katharine of Aragon</a> on 14 November 1501 at St.Paul's Cathedral, London.&nbsp;
|
---|
616 |
|
---|
617 | The daughter of the 'Catholic Kings' of Spain, Ferdinand of Aragon and
|
---|
618 |
|
---|
619 | Isabella of Castile, Katharine's marriage to the Tudor heir had marked
|
---|
620 |
|
---|
621 | the high point of Henry VII's foreign diplomacy.&nbsp; His grip on the
|
---|
622 |
|
---|
623 | English throne had long been considered both illegitimate and untenable
|
---|
624 |
|
---|
625 | by most European powers, except in cases where it suited their interests
|
---|
626 |
|
---|
627 | to pretend otherwise.&nbsp; But a bond of marriage between the house of
|
---|
628 |
|
---|
629 | Tudor and the ruling dynasty of Spain gave Henry's rule a stamp of approval.&nbsp;
|
---|
630 |
|
---|
631 | He was now allied with one of the most powerful ruling families in Europe.&nbsp;
|
---|
632 |
|
---|
633 | Prince Henry met his sister-in-law and future wife on this momentous occasion,
|
---|
634 |
|
---|
635 | heading the procession that led her to the cathedral.&nbsp; Later, he officially
|
---|
636 |
|
---|
637 | introduced her to the citizens of London.
|
---|
638 |
|
---|
639 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With Arthur's death, his teenage wife was trapped
|
---|
640 |
|
---|
641 | in England while Henry VII squabbled with her father over the remaining
|
---|
642 |
|
---|
643 | payments on her dowry.&nbsp; Henry VII was perhaps even then mulling over
|
---|
644 |
|
---|
645 | the idea of not letting the all-important Spanish alliance go to waste.&nbsp;
|
---|
646 |
|
---|
647 | Soon enough he was openly proposing that Katharine marry young Prince Henry,
|
---|
648 |
|
---|
649 | now the heir apparent and five years her junior.&nbsp; What did young Prince
|
---|
650 |
|
---|
651 | Henry know of these plans?&nbsp; Probably very little.&nbsp; After Arthur's
|
---|
652 |
|
---|
653 | death, Henry VII became somewhat paranoid and tried desperately to protect
|
---|
654 |
|
---|
655 | his only son from any injury or illness.&nbsp; People who wished to visit
|
---|
656 |
|
---|
657 | the young prince had to receive permission from Henry VII, and this remained
|
---|
658 |
|
---|
659 | the case well into the boy's adolescence.&nbsp; Such strict rules may have
|
---|
660 |
|
---|
661 | irked the heir but they did not interfere with his continuing education.&nbsp;
|
---|
662 |
|
---|
663 | While his older brother was in Wales learning the intricacies of government,
|
---|
664 |
|
---|
665 | Henry received a primarily classical education, mastering Latin and French
|
---|
666 |
|
---|
667 | and becoming an excellent and exuberant athlete.&nbsp; Contemporary sources
|
---|
668 |
|
---|
669 | make it clear that he was a happy child, fond of sports and spectacle,
|
---|
670 |
|
---|
671 | and equally proud of his intellectual accomplishments.&nbsp; In short,
|
---|
672 |
|
---|
673 | he possessed all the personality and charm his father noticeably lacked.&nbsp;
|
---|
674 |
|
---|
675 | Both his physical appearance and character were similar to those of his
|
---|
676 |
|
---|
677 | Plantagenet grandfather Edward IV.&nbsp; This fact was much remarked upon
|
---|
678 |
|
---|
679 | by those Englishmen who had lived through the last years of the Wars of
|
---|
680 |
|
---|
681 | the Roses.
|
---|
682 |
|
---|
683 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Luckily for Prince Henry, his father spent the last
|
---|
684 |
|
---|
685 | years of his reign establishing good relationships with other monarchs
|
---|
686 |
|
---|
687 | and avoiding expensive war; also, his fondness for extorting money from
|
---|
688 |
|
---|
689 | an unwilling populace never wavered.&nbsp; He left his son a king's greatest
|
---|
690 |
|
---|
691 | gift - a healthy treasury.&nbsp; Ironically, one of Henry VIII's first
|
---|
692 |
|
---|
693 | acts as king was to execute his father's most productive, and hence most
|
---|
694 |
|
---|
695 | notorious, tax collectors.&nbsp; But Henry VII never really decided whether
|
---|
696 |
|
---|
697 | he wanted to marry Prince Henry to Katharine of Aragon.&nbsp; He kept the
|
---|
698 |
|
---|
699 | young princess in England for seven years while he toyed with the idea.&nbsp;
|
---|
700 |
|
---|
701 | Her living conditions steadily deteriorated; she was miserably unhappy,
|
---|
702 |
|
---|
703 | many of her Spanish attendants were sent home, she lacked money for even
|
---|
704 |
|
---|
705 | basic necessities.&nbsp; Food and adequate clothing were constant concerns.&nbsp;
|
---|
706 |
|
---|
707 | She struggled to bear her hardships with the serene and regal dignity that
|
---|
708 |
|
---|
709 | was ingrained in her character as a princess of Spain, and such calm in
|
---|
710 |
|
---|
711 | the face of deprivation impressed young Prince Henry.&nbsp; It is certainly
|
---|
712 |
|
---|
713 | true that even years later, in the midst of an acrimonious separation,
|
---|
714 |
|
---|
715 | he never lost his respect for Katharine.&nbsp; This respect was always
|
---|
716 |
|
---|
717 | tinged with a bit of fear.&nbsp; He was keenly aware of her great ancestry
|
---|
718 |
|
---|
719 | and extensive education, her self-deprecating wit and complete mastery
|
---|
720 |
|
---|
721 | of all feminine tasks.&nbsp; Even as queen of England, she took particular
|
---|
722 |
|
---|
723 | pride in sewing and mending Henry's shirts.
|
---|
724 |
|
---|
725 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
---|
726 |
|
---|
727 | They had little contact during the later years of Henry VII's reign, only
|
---|
728 |
|
---|
729 | meeting occasionally at formal<img SRC="_httpdocimg_/henry8-cr.jpg" ALT="portrait of Henry VIII, c1509" BORDER=1 height=194 width=125 align=right> events.&nbsp; Henry was formally promised
|
---|
730 |
|
---|
731 | in marriage to Katharine on 23 June 1503; the treaty stated that he would
|
---|
732 |
|
---|
733 | marry Katharine on his fifteenth birthday, 28 June 1505, and that her parents
|
---|
734 |
|
---|
735 | send over 100,000 crowns worth of plate and jewels in addition to the dowry
|
---|
736 |
|
---|
737 | she had given when married to Prince Arthur.&nbsp; Henry VII was a stickler
|
---|
738 |
|
---|
739 | on the dowry issue, refusing to allow the marriage to be solemnized, much
|
---|
740 |
|
---|
741 | less celebrated and consummated, until the money arrived.&nbsp; But the
|
---|
742 |
|
---|
743 | Spaniards were as loathe to part with money as Henry.&nbsp; So 1505 came
|
---|
744 |
|
---|
745 | and went with no marriage though Prince Henry referred in letters to Katharine
|
---|
746 |
|
---|
747 | as his 'most dear and well-beloved consort, the princess my wife'.&nbsp;
|
---|
748 |
|
---|
749 | But his father was still king, and his father refused to allow the marriage.&nbsp;
|
---|
750 |
|
---|
751 | To strengthen his bargaining power with the Spaniards, he had Prince Henry
|
---|
752 |
|
---|
753 | make a formal protest to Richard Fox, the bishop of Winchester, disowning
|
---|
754 |
|
---|
755 | the marriage contract.&nbsp; Both parties prevaricated - until 1509, when
|
---|
756 |
|
---|
757 | Henry VII suddenly died at the age of 52, and his headstrong son, chafing
|
---|
758 |
|
---|
759 | at his father's authority, was free to make his own decisions.&nbsp; To
|
---|
760 |
|
---|
761 | the surprise of all, including the Spaniards, he promptly announced he
|
---|
762 |
|
---|
763 | would marry Katharine and crown her queen of England.
|
---|
764 |
|
---|
765 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After years of being shut away from the world, he
|
---|
766 |
|
---|
767 | was now king.&nbsp; All of the boundless energy and enthusiasm of his character
|
---|
768 |
|
---|
769 | was unleashed.&nbsp; Perhaps out of chivalry, or adolescent affection,
|
---|
770 |
|
---|
771 | or, as he later claimed, out of respect for his father's wishes, he wed
|
---|
772 |
|
---|
773 | his late brother's wife.&nbsp; In light of future events, it is worth noting
|
---|
774 |
|
---|
775 | that the dowry had not been the only sticking-point in the marriage plans
|
---|
776 |
|
---|
777 | - there was the not insignificant fact that Katharine had been married
|
---|
778 |
|
---|
779 | to Henry's brother, and her marriage to Henry would be regarded as incestuous
|
---|
780 |
|
---|
781 | and unacceptable to the church.&nbsp; As Henry VIII would later argue,
|
---|
782 |
|
---|
783 | <i>Leviticus</i>
|
---|
784 |
|
---|
785 | clearly stated that a man was forbidden to marry his brother's widow.&nbsp;
|
---|
786 |
|
---|
787 | For her part, Katharine claimed, and her duenna, Dona Elvira, agreed, that
|
---|
788 |
|
---|
789 | her marriage to Arthur had never been consummated.&nbsp; The young prince
|
---|
790 |
|
---|
791 | of Wales had been suffering from consumption for months, even before the
|
---|
792 |
|
---|
793 | wedding, and their wedding night had passed uneventfully.&nbsp; If this
|
---|
794 |
|
---|
795 | was true, and it seems to have been (until it was in Henry VIII's interests
|
---|
796 |
|
---|
797 | for it not to be), there was no barrier to her union with Henry.&nbsp;
|
---|
798 |
|
---|
799 | Both the English and Spanish courts sought the requisite papal dispensation.&nbsp;
|
---|
800 |
|
---|
801 | It was granted and the path to marriage was clear.</p>
|
---|
802 | <p>
|
---|
803 |
|
---|
804 | <font size=-2><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Top">TOP</a></font>
|
---|
805 |
|
---|
806 | <br>
|
---|
807 |
|
---|
808 | </p>
|
---|
809 |
|
---|
810 | <hr WIDTH="100%">
|
---|
811 |
|
---|
812 | </blockquote>
|
---|
813 | <p><font size=4>His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever
|
---|
814 |
|
---|
815 | set eyes on; above the usual height, with an extremely fine calf to his
|
---|
816 |
|
---|
817 | leg, his complexion very fair and bright, auburn hair combed straight and
|
---|
818 |
|
---|
819 | short, in the French fashion, and a round face so very beautiful that it
|
---|
820 |
|
---|
821 | would become a pretty woman, his throat being rather long and thick....&nbsp;
|
---|
822 |
|
---|
823 | He will enter his twenty-fifth year the month after next.&nbsp; He speaks
|
---|
824 |
|
---|
825 | French, English and Latin, and a little Italian, plays well on the lute
|
---|
826 |
|
---|
827 | and harpsichord, sings from book at sight, draws the bow with greater strength
|
---|
828 |
|
---|
829 | than any man in England and jousts marvelously....&nbsp; a most accomplished
|
---|
830 |
|
---|
831 | Prince.</font><i><font size=4>&nbsp;&nbsp; </font><font size=-1>the Venetian diplomat Pasqualigo in a dispatch</font></i><font size=-1>, 1515</font></p>
|
---|
832 | <blockquote>
|
---|
833 | <hr>
|
---|
834 | <p><a NAME="Four"></a><b>1509-1526: Katharine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey
|
---|
835 |
|
---|
836 | and Princess Mary</b> </p>
|
---|
837 |
|
---|
838 | <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Henry was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey on 23 June 1509.&nbsp;
|
---|
839 |
|
---|
840 | He had married Katharine on 11 June at Grey Friars Church in Greenwich
|
---|
841 |
|
---|
842 | and she shared his coronation.&nbsp; It was a splendid event and continued
|
---|
843 |
|
---|
844 | throughout midsummer with much celebration and spectacle.&nbsp; There is
|
---|
845 |
|
---|
846 | an account of the coronation at the <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">Primary
|
---|
847 |
|
---|
848 | Sources</a> section.&nbsp; It was soon clear that the young king, who turned
|
---|
849 |
|
---|
850 | 18 just a few days after his coronation, had little interest in the day-to-day
|
---|
851 |
|
---|
852 | business of government.&nbsp; While it is true that Henry was a vocal participant
|
---|
853 |
|
---|
854 | at council meetings, the early years of his reign were devoted more to
|
---|
855 |
|
---|
856 | enjoyment than the drudgery of administration.&nbsp; He was content to
|
---|
857 |
|
---|
858 | allow trusted nobles and ecclesiastics to rule in his name - William Warham,
|
---|
859 |
|
---|
860 | archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey and later 2d duke
|
---|
861 |
|
---|
862 | of Norfolk, Bishop Richard Foxe, and, beginning around 1514, <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fwolsey.html">Thomas
|
---|
863 |
|
---|
864 | Wolsey</a>.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As mentioned earlier, one of the first acts of Henry's
|
---|
865 |
|
---|
866 | reign was a particularly brutal one, especially designed to benefit his
|
---|
867 |
|
---|
868 | popularity.&nbsp; He ordered the executions of his father's most productive
|
---|
869 |
|
---|
870 | and hated tax collectors, Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson.&nbsp; It
|
---|
871 |
|
---|
872 | was a bloody beginning for his reign and a taste of things to come.&nbsp;
|
---|
873 |
|
---|
874 | Certainly it pleased the English people for most tax collectors were hated,
|
---|
875 |
|
---|
876 | and Dudley and Empson had been particularly ruthless.&nbsp; But their efficiency
|
---|
877 |
|
---|
878 | had the complete support of King Henry VII, whose orders they followed.&nbsp;
|
---|
879 |
|
---|
880 | A problem had emerged for the new king - how could he execute the tax collectors
|
---|
881 |
|
---|
882 | when their only crime was to obey their king?&nbsp; He resorted, for the
|
---|
883 |
|
---|
884 | first but not the last time, to judicial murder, charging the men with
|
---|
885 |
|
---|
886 | 'constructive treason'.&nbsp; It was a wholly fictitious charge which no
|
---|
887 |
|
---|
888 | one fully understood, even those at the trial.&nbsp; This cold-blooded
|
---|
889 |
|
---|
890 | act pleased the people and demonstrated Henry's desire for popular approval.&nbsp;
|
---|
891 |
|
---|
892 | But it also revealed a ruthlessness to his character that grew more pronounced
|
---|
893 |
|
---|
894 | as the years passed.&nbsp; Many historians argue that Henry grew tyrannical
|
---|
895 |
|
---|
896 | only after Katharine of Aragon failed to provide an heir but the evidence
|
---|
897 |
|
---|
898 | proves otherwise.&nbsp; If someone could not be legally executed, the king
|
---|
899 |
|
---|
900 | simply invented a new charge.&nbsp; For example, in 1513, before leaving
|
---|
901 |
|
---|
902 | for war in France, he executed Edmund de la Pole, his Plantagenet cousin
|
---|
903 |
|
---|
904 | held prisoner in the Tower since Henry VII's reign.&nbsp; A benign spirit,
|
---|
905 |
|
---|
906 | locked away for most of his life, Edmund was no threat to anyone.&nbsp;
|
---|
907 |
|
---|
908 | But Henry executed him to remind his subjects that, though he would be
|
---|
909 |
|
---|
910 | in France, any challenge to his authority would be met with grave displeasure.
|
---|
911 |
|
---|
912 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His marriage to Katharine was very happy, at least
|
---|
913 |
|
---|
914 | during these early years.&nbsp; She had a more reserved character than
|
---|
915 |
|
---|
916 | her husband and blushed at his ribald jests, but she entered into the spirit
|
---|
917 |
|
---|
918 | of frivolity which pervaded their court.&nbsp; There was dancing and music,
|
---|
919 |
|
---|
920 | for Henry was a splendid dancer and musician; he composed songs and wrote
|
---|
921 |
|
---|
922 | poetry, most of which has survived and is quite lovely.&nbsp; He also enjoyed
|
---|
923 |
|
---|
924 | hunting, sometimes tiring ten horses during a single hunt, and jousting;
|
---|
925 |
|
---|
926 | by all accounts, he was the greatest athlete at the court.&nbsp; And he
|
---|
927 |
|
---|
928 | was a dedicated and affectionate husband.&nbsp; Everything he built was
|
---|
929 |
|
---|
930 | decorated with an intertwined H and K, and Katharine's pomegranates were
|
---|
931 |
|
---|
932 | carved next to Tudor roses.&nbsp; He called himself the 'Knight of the
|
---|
933 |
|
---|
934 | Loyal Heart' and bowed before his queen after each grueling tournament.&nbsp;
|
---|
935 |
|
---|
936 | He also involved Katharine in the seemingly endless visits of foreign dignitaries,
|
---|
937 |
|
---|
938 | inviting the ambassadors to her apartments and openly seeking her advice
|
---|
939 |
|
---|
940 | and opinion.&nbsp; It was clear that they loved and respected one another,
|
---|
941 |
|
---|
942 | and those early years made his eventual disinterest all the more painful
|
---|
943 |
|
---|
944 | for the queen to bear.
|
---|
945 |
|
---|
946 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
---|
947 |
|
---|
948 | Katharine bore their first child on 31 January 1510, just six months after
|
---|
949 |
|
---|
950 | their coronation.&nbsp; It was a girl, born too early to survive.&nbsp;
|
---|
951 |
|
---|
952 | The next birth, on 1 January 1511, was a far happier occasion.&nbsp; It
|
---|
953 |
|
---|
954 | was a boy, called Henry after his father and titled duke of Cornwall.&nbsp;
|
---|
955 |
|
---|
956 | The delighted father planned celebrations to rival his<img SRC="_httpdocimg_/aragon-min.jpg" ALT="portrait of Katharine of Aragon, c1525 by Horenbout" height=168 width=166 align=right> coronation.&nbsp;
|
---|
957 |
|
---|
958 | The boy was apparently healthy yet died about two months later.&nbsp; The
|
---|
959 |
|
---|
960 | cause was unknown, but it was an age of high infant mortality.&nbsp; The
|
---|
961 |
|
---|
962 | young parents were devastated.&nbsp; Henry consoled himself by waging war
|
---|
963 |
|
---|
964 | against France, courtesy of his father-in-law Ferdinand of Aragon, and
|
---|
965 |
|
---|
966 | Katharine's fierce piety led her to kneel for hours on cold stone floors
|
---|
967 |
|
---|
968 | in prayer.&nbsp; But Henry's attempts to gain glory on the battlefield
|
---|
969 |
|
---|
970 | were misplaced.&nbsp; In June 1512, the marquess of Dorset sailed out of
|
---|
971 |
|
---|
972 | Southampton, bound for Gascony with 12,000 troops.&nbsp; They reached the
|
---|
973 |
|
---|
974 | port of Fuentarrabia, where they were to join the Spanish and attack Bayonne.&nbsp;
|
---|
975 |
|
---|
976 | But the Spanish troops never arrived.&nbsp; Ferdinand, without consulting
|
---|
977 |
|
---|
978 | his son-in-law, attacked and seized Navarre instead and then declared the
|
---|
979 |
|
---|
980 | 'Holy War' over.&nbsp; He had essentially used Henry's troops as bait;
|
---|
981 |
|
---|
982 | when the French went off to fight the English, Ferdinand seized his chance
|
---|
983 |
|
---|
984 | and attacked Navarre.&nbsp; To top off his treachery, he also openly criticized
|
---|
985 |
|
---|
986 | the English soldiers who, without receiving his permission, had sailed
|
---|
987 |
|
---|
988 | home after waiting four months at Fuentarrabia.&nbsp; Henry was too embarrassed
|
---|
989 |
|
---|
990 | by his soldiers' mutiny to call his father-in-law's bluff.
|
---|
991 |
|
---|
992 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Desperate to erase the memory of that military blunder,
|
---|
993 |
|
---|
994 | he planned a grand campaign for the spring of 1513.&nbsp; His ambassadors
|
---|
995 |
|
---|
996 | even secured the support of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian.&nbsp; He
|
---|
997 |
|
---|
998 | joined the 'Holy Alliance' of England and Spain to attack France.&nbsp;
|
---|
999 |
|
---|
1000 | But once again Ferdinand's self-interest ruled the day.&nbsp; He went behind
|
---|
1001 |
|
---|
1002 | his allies' backs to make a secret truce with Louis XII of France, and
|
---|
1003 |
|
---|
1004 | so he kept Navarre peacefully.&nbsp; This happened in March 1513 and suitably
|
---|
1005 |
|
---|
1006 | angered Henry.&nbsp; But the English king had learned a lesson from his
|
---|
1007 |
|
---|
1008 | previous blunder.&nbsp; His forces were launched from England's only possession
|
---|
1009 |
|
---|
1010 | on the continent, Calais in northern France.&nbsp; The Spanish would not
|
---|
1011 |
|
---|
1012 | be involved.&nbsp; On 1 August 1513, about a month after he left England,
|
---|
1013 |
|
---|
1014 | Henry besieged the town of Therouanne.&nbsp; Two centuries before, Edward
|
---|
1015 |
|
---|
1016 | III had seized that city after the great battle of Crecy.&nbsp; With Maximilian
|
---|
1017 |
|
---|
1018 | by his side (actually as his subordinate; he allowed Henry command of his
|
---|
1019 |
|
---|
1020 | troops in exchange for paying their salaries), Henry won a victory within
|
---|
1021 |
|
---|
1022 | a fortnight.&nbsp; The capture of a duke, marquis, and vice-admiral fleeing
|
---|
1023 |
|
---|
1024 | the scene helped raise substantial ransoms.&nbsp; He gave the town to Maximilian
|
---|
1025 |
|
---|
1026 | as a gift and the emperor ordered it razed to the ground.&nbsp; Their next
|
---|
1027 |
|
---|
1028 | battle was one month later at Tournai.&nbsp; It surrendered after eight
|
---|
1029 |
|
---|
1030 | days and Henry decided it would become another English stronghold within
|
---|
1031 |
|
---|
1032 | France.
|
---|
1033 |
|
---|
1034 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He had left Katharine in charge at home, officially
|
---|
1035 |
|
---|
1036 | titled Governor of the Realm and Captain-General of the Armed Forces, an
|
---|
1037 |
|
---|
1038 | honor never allowed his other wives.&nbsp; She had been resoundingly successful.&nbsp;
|
---|
1039 |
|
---|
1040 | France and Scotland had an 'Auld Alliance' against England, and&nbsp; James
|
---|
1041 |
|
---|
1042 | IV of Scotland, married to Henry's sister Margaret Tudor, had responded
|
---|
1043 |
|
---|
1044 | to English aggression against his ally.&nbsp; He led his armies into northern
|
---|
1045 |
|
---|
1046 | England.&nbsp; Thomas Howard, the earl of Surrey, took the few English
|
---|
1047 |
|
---|
1048 | troops left in the nation to meet him.&nbsp; The armies clashed at Flodden
|
---|
1049 |
|
---|
1050 | Edge, between Berwick and the Cheviots.&nbsp; Three hours of fighting ended
|
---|
1051 |
|
---|
1052 | the Scottish threat.&nbsp; The evening of 9 September 1513 saw over 10,000
|
---|
1053 |
|
---|
1054 | Scots dead, including most of their aristocracy.&nbsp; James IV himself
|
---|
1055 |
|
---|
1056 | was killed.&nbsp; Had Henry's attention been focused on his own country,
|
---|
1057 |
|
---|
1058 | he could have seized a golden opportunity - with James dead and the high
|
---|
1059 |
|
---|
1060 | nobility of Scotland destroyed, he could have marched into Edinburgh and
|
---|
1061 |
|
---|
1062 | seized his sister Margaret and her infant son, now King James V.&nbsp;
|
---|
1063 |
|
---|
1064 | But instead he remained enthralled with dreams of European conquest, perhaps
|
---|
1065 |
|
---|
1066 | comparing himself to his hero, Henry V.&nbsp; And these dreams were encouraged
|
---|
1067 |
|
---|
1068 | by news that the Pope had, in secret, promised to recognize Henry as king
|
---|
1069 |
|
---|
1070 | of France if he could physically seize possession of the country.&nbsp;
|
---|
1071 |
|
---|
1072 | This generous offer had been inspired by French meddling in papal affairs.
|
---|
1073 |
|
---|
1074 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During this triumphant time, Katharine lost another
|
---|
1075 |
|
---|
1076 | child.&nbsp; In November 1513, another prince, also called Henry, duke
|
---|
1077 |
|
---|
1078 | of Cornwall, was born and soon died.&nbsp; It was the third miscarriage
|
---|
1079 |
|
---|
1080 | in as many years.&nbsp; Was Henry worried?&nbsp; He was still young, as
|
---|
1081 |
|
---|
1082 | was Katharine, and had been king for just five years.&nbsp; He was naturally
|
---|
1083 |
|
---|
1084 | optimistic, though undoubtedly disappointed.&nbsp; Once again, the queen
|
---|
1085 |
|
---|
1086 | was on her knees in prayer.&nbsp; Perhaps she felt the losses more keenly.&nbsp;
|
---|
1087 |
|
---|
1088 | In letters to her father, she blamed herself.&nbsp; She clearly saw the
|
---|
1089 |
|
---|
1090 | dead children as a reproof of some sort, a failure to fulfill the most
|
---|
1091 |
|
---|
1092 | basic feminine role.&nbsp; But she was able to send Henry the bloody coat
|
---|
1093 |
|
---|
1094 | of the Scottish king; it may have been some consolation.
|
---|
1095 |
|
---|
1096 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Still, in 1514, as <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fwolsey.html">Cardinal
|
---|
1097 |
|
---|
1098 | Thomas Wolsey</a> extended his control of government, Katharine had reason
|
---|
1099 |
|
---|
1100 | to become wary.&nbsp; The golden happiness of the first years with Henry
|
---|
1101 |
|
---|
1102 | was wearing thin.&nbsp; Her father had betrayed her husband openly and
|
---|
1103 |
|
---|
1104 | scornfully, treating them both as little more than foolish children.&nbsp;
|
---|
1105 |
|
---|
1106 | She had been her father's best ambassador, heedlessly pressing his claims
|
---|
1107 |
|
---|
1108 | upon Henry, using the natural affection between husband and wife to urge
|
---|
1109 |
|
---|
1110 | alliances with Spain.&nbsp; She felt the sting of her father's betrayals.&nbsp;
|
---|
1111 |
|
---|
1112 | He had lied to her, misled her, and tricked her into betraying her husband.&nbsp;
|
---|
1113 |
|
---|
1114 | It was clear that her primary loyalty must be to Henry and the English
|
---|
1115 |
|
---|
1116 | people; she would never trust Ferdinand again.&nbsp; In 1514, the king
|
---|
1117 |
|
---|
1118 | returned home and his councilors told him that Henry VII's great treasury
|
---|
1119 |
|
---|
1120 | was fast running low.&nbsp; War with France was too costly to continue.&nbsp;
|
---|
1121 |
|
---|
1122 | Henry had seized Tournai and made the competent Thomas Wolsey its bishop,
|
---|
1123 |
|
---|
1124 | but more extensive campaigning was out of the question.&nbsp; In this,
|
---|
1125 |
|
---|
1126 | the king surprisingly agreed.&nbsp; He had won his share of glory - at
|
---|
1127 |
|
---|
1128 | least for now - and it would be enough.&nbsp; And Ferdinand's betrayal
|
---|
1129 |
|
---|
1130 | had been met with a suitable reply.&nbsp; Henry's younger sister
|
---|
1131 |
|
---|
1132 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fbrandon.html">Mary</a>,
|
---|
1133 |
|
---|
1134 | the most beautiful of the Tudor children, had been betrothed to Ferdinand's
|
---|
1135 |
|
---|
1136 | nephew, the duke of Burgundy, but now Henry made peace with France and
|
---|
1137 |
|
---|
1138 | promised Mary to Louis XII, three times her age and suffering from gout.
|
---|
1139 |
|
---|
1140 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Henry's
|
---|
1141 |
|
---|
1142 | new desire for peace with France, England's traditional enemy, was encouraged
|
---|
1143 |
|
---|
1144 | by Spanish duplicity.&nbsp; But it<img SRC="_httpdocimg_/wolsey-cr.jpg" ALT="portrait of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey" height=234 width=150 align=right> was also due to the growing influence
|
---|
1145 |
|
---|
1146 | of Wolsey.&nbsp; Derisively called 'Master Almoner' by those jealous of
|
---|
1147 |
|
---|
1148 | his influence, Wolsey came from a humble background and, like most talented
|
---|
1149 |
|
---|
1150 | and ambitious men from poor families, he used the church to advance in
|
---|
1151 |
|
---|
1152 | society.&nbsp; He attended Oxford and showed such promise that he was made
|
---|
1153 |
|
---|
1154 | bursar of Magdalen College and then chaplain to Archbishop Deane.&nbsp;
|
---|
1155 |
|
---|
1156 | In 1507, in his thirties and now well-connected, he became chaplain to
|
---|
1157 |
|
---|
1158 | Henry VII.&nbsp; Upon Henry VIII's accession, Wolsey received a seat on
|
---|
1159 |
|
---|
1160 | the council and was made king's almoner.&nbsp; This position allowed him
|
---|
1161 |
|
---|
1162 | personal contact with the young, impressionable monarch.&nbsp; He accompanied
|
---|
1163 |
|
---|
1164 | Henry to France during the successful campaigns of 1513, where he was made
|
---|
1165 |
|
---|
1166 | bishop of Tournai, and their close relationship grew stronger.&nbsp; Henry
|
---|
1167 |
|
---|
1168 | appreciated Wolsey's dedication to administrative detail and hard work.&nbsp;
|
---|
1169 |
|
---|
1170 | And both Warham and Fox, the two senior councilors Henry inherited from
|
---|
1171 |
|
---|
1172 | his father, regarded Wolsey as their protégé.&nbsp; They
|
---|
1173 |
|
---|
1174 | were quite happy to retire to their dioceses, leaving the younger man to
|
---|
1175 |
|
---|
1176 | deal with the headstrong and rash young king.&nbsp; One can easily sympathize
|
---|
1177 |
|
---|
1178 | with Warham and Fox since Henry VIII's personality was quite different
|
---|
1179 |
|
---|
1180 | from his father's.&nbsp; The most obvious difference was that he spent
|
---|
1181 |
|
---|
1182 | money with the same passion his father had collected it.
|
---|
1183 |
|
---|
1184 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But it is important to remember that Henry VIII
|
---|
1185 |
|
---|
1186 | never completely abandoned his power to Wolsey, though court gossip believed
|
---|
1187 |
|
---|
1188 | otherwise.&nbsp; He carefully read the Cardinal's dispatches and proved
|
---|
1189 |
|
---|
1190 | himself well-informed about domestic and foreign affairs when dealing with
|
---|
1191 |
|
---|
1192 | ambassadors.&nbsp; Also, Henry possessed a lifelong love of keeping his
|
---|
1193 |
|
---|
1194 | subjects, noble or common, on their toes; he enjoyed indulging his taste
|
---|
1195 |
|
---|
1196 | for surprises.&nbsp; In banquets, this showed itself in his passion for
|
---|
1197 |
|
---|
1198 | elaborate costumes in which his identity was hidden.&nbsp; His subjects
|
---|
1199 |
|
---|
1200 | would guess which costume hid their king, to the delight of all.&nbsp;
|
---|
1201 |
|
---|
1202 | Once, he and several courtiers dressed as Robin Hood and his band of outlaws
|
---|
1203 |
|
---|
1204 | and then broke into Katharine of Aragon's apartments.&nbsp; The queen,
|
---|
1205 |
|
---|
1206 | used to such antics, wisely played along but several of her ladies were
|
---|
1207 |
|
---|
1208 | terrified.&nbsp; At the
|
---|
1209 |
|
---|
1210 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">Primary
|
---|
1211 |
|
---|
1212 | Sources</a> section, you can read about Henry's first meeting with his
|
---|
1213 |
|
---|
1214 | fourth wife, Anne of Cleves; he disguised himself at their first meeting,
|
---|
1215 |
|
---|
1216 | to the amusement of his nobles and the confusion of the lady.&nbsp; At
|
---|
1217 |
|
---|
1218 | times, this love of surprise - of keeping those close to him on an uneven
|
---|
1219 |
|
---|
1220 | keel - was downright cruel.&nbsp; He would later allow his councilors to
|
---|
1221 |
|
---|
1222 | plan Thomas Cranmer's arrest, only to tell the archbishop their plan in
|
---|
1223 |
|
---|
1224 | secret.&nbsp; When the soldiers arrived, they were openly embarrassed and
|
---|
1225 |
|
---|
1226 | thwarted when Cranmer revealed his knowledge of the plan and the king's
|
---|
1227 |
|
---|
1228 | pardon.&nbsp; And his sixth and final wife, Katharine Parr, was likewise
|
---|
1229 |
|
---|
1230 | surprised.&nbsp; Walking in her garden with Henry, she was accosted by
|
---|
1231 |
|
---|
1232 | soldiers intending to arrest her.&nbsp; Their warrant had been signed by
|
---|
1233 |
|
---|
1234 | Henry himself.&nbsp; But when they attempted to seize the queen, Henry
|
---|
1235 |
|
---|
1236 | cursed them, beat several of them about the head and shoulders, and demanded
|
---|
1237 |
|
---|
1238 | they beg Katharine's forgiveness.&nbsp; One can imagine the guards' confusion.
|
---|
1239 |
|
---|
1240 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All of these instances serve to illustrate Henry's
|
---|
1241 |
|
---|
1242 | desire to remain in control, to hold absolute power in his hands always.&nbsp;
|
---|
1243 |
|
---|
1244 | As king, he could give orders but it was also his privilege to immediately
|
---|
1245 |
|
---|
1246 | change his mind without bothering to consult anyone.&nbsp; His will was
|
---|
1247 |
|
---|
1248 | law.&nbsp; And so he demonstrated his power by doing exactly as he liked,
|
---|
1249 |
|
---|
1250 | oftimes choosing the perfect moment to throw everyone off guard and demonstrate
|
---|
1251 |
|
---|
1252 | his complete authority.&nbsp; It may have seemed irrational to his contemporaries,
|
---|
1253 |
|
---|
1254 | and also to us, but it was quite an effective policy.&nbsp; It meant that
|
---|
1255 |
|
---|
1256 | no one ever really knew where they stood with the king.&nbsp; And so, not
|
---|
1257 |
|
---|
1258 | knowing his true feelings, they were all the more eager to sycophantically
|
---|
1259 |
|
---|
1260 | fawn over him and seek his approval.
|
---|
1261 |
|
---|
1262 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This strain of the king's character was perhaps
|
---|
1263 |
|
---|
1264 | a bit more light-hearted in the early years of his reign but, like most
|
---|
1265 |
|
---|
1266 | of Henry's good qualities, it soon developed an ugly cast.&nbsp; His mutability
|
---|
1267 |
|
---|
1268 | was certainly recognized by Wolsey, and famously by Sir Thomas More, and
|
---|
1269 |
|
---|
1270 | later led to the Cardinal's downfall.&nbsp; But in the early years of their
|
---|
1271 |
|
---|
1272 | relationship, as Wolsey's genius for administration and diplomacy led him
|
---|
1273 |
|
---|
1274 | to amass great titles and wealth, the men got along amazingly well.&nbsp;
|
---|
1275 |
|
---|
1276 | This continued for over a dozen years.&nbsp; In 1514, Wolsey was titled
|
---|
1277 |
|
---|
1278 | archbishop of York, and in 1515 he became a cardinal and lord chancellor,
|
---|
1279 |
|
---|
1280 | and in 1518 he was made papal legate.&nbsp; As archbishop of York, he lived
|
---|
1281 |
|
---|
1282 | at York Palace and to most outside observers this was the real seat of
|
---|
1283 |
|
---|
1284 | government power.&nbsp; Messengers rode constantly between York and Henry's
|
---|
1285 |
|
---|
1286 | palaces.
|
---|
1287 |
|
---|
1288 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For a long while, both Wolsey and Henry were focused
|
---|
1289 |
|
---|
1290 | on foreign affairs.&nbsp; Wolsey was a Francophile and desired peace between
|
---|
1291 |
|
---|
1292 | the traditional enemies.&nbsp; He used Ferdinand's treacherous behavior
|
---|
1293 |
|
---|
1294 | to encourage a marriage between Henry's sister and Louis XII.&nbsp; This
|
---|
1295 |
|
---|
1296 | pro-France policy naturally placed him at odds with Katharine of Aragon.&nbsp;
|
---|
1297 |
|
---|
1298 | Though she recognized her father's treachery and protected her marriage
|
---|
1299 |
|
---|
1300 | by no longer pressing Spanish claims, she was still the daughter of the
|
---|
1301 |
|
---|
1302 | Spanish king.&nbsp; Wolsey didn't trust her, which certainly wasn't surprising.&nbsp;
|
---|
1303 |
|
---|
1304 | Katharine developed a natural antipathy to the Cardinal as well.&nbsp;
|
---|
1305 |
|
---|
1306 | She was a deeply pious woman, growing more so as she aged.&nbsp; She thought
|
---|
1307 |
|
---|
1308 | Wolsey far too worldly to be a man of the church.&nbsp; She favored councilors
|
---|
1309 |
|
---|
1310 | like <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fmore.html">Thomas
|
---|
1311 |
|
---|
1312 | More</a> and <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2ffisher.html">John
|
---|
1313 |
|
---|
1314 | Fisher</a>, bishop of Rochester, men whose dedication to the church was
|
---|
1315 |
|
---|
1316 | as passionate as her own.&nbsp; She was also peeved that her role as Henry's
|
---|
1317 |
|
---|
1318 | confidante and advisor was slowly stolen away by Wolsey.&nbsp; Katharine
|
---|
1319 |
|
---|
1320 | was jealous of the Cardinal's influence with her husband, particularly
|
---|
1321 |
|
---|
1322 | since it meant a subsequent decline in her own influence.&nbsp; The king
|
---|
1323 |
|
---|
1324 | no longer brought foreign ambassadors to her rooms and he no longer sought
|
---|
1325 |
|
---|
1326 | her opinions.&nbsp; It was as if her father's betrayals implicated her.&nbsp;
|
---|
1327 |
|
---|
1328 | Wolsey was the consummate diplomat, skilled at flattering the queen when
|
---|
1329 |
|
---|
1330 | they met, but their mutual dislike was open knowledge at court.
|
---|
1331 |
|
---|
1332 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In December 1514, Katharine suffered another miscarriage;
|
---|
1333 |
|
---|
1334 | it was her fourth, and the third son.&nbsp; It was particularly galling
|
---|
1335 |
|
---|
1336 | for her since earlier that year Henry had taken his first public mistress.&nbsp;
|
---|
1337 |
|
---|
1338 | He was not a lecher, and certainly less victimized by lust than his fellow
|
---|
1339 |
|
---|
1340 | monarchs, particularly Francis I of France.&nbsp; But kings take mistresses
|
---|
1341 |
|
---|
1342 | and around New Years' 1514, Henry's eye was caught by <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2ffitzroy.html">Elizabeth
|
---|
1343 |
|
---|
1344 | Blount</a>.&nbsp; She was the cousin of Lord Mountjoy and one of Katharine's
|
---|
1345 |
|
---|
1346 | ladies-in-waiting.&nbsp; Bessie was pretty and vivacious, and quite happy
|
---|
1347 |
|
---|
1348 | to bask in the king's attention.&nbsp; And she had his attention for several
|
---|
1349 |
|
---|
1350 | years, which once more proves Henry's monogamous streak.&nbsp; And he did
|
---|
1351 |
|
---|
1352 | not neglect his wife.&nbsp; On 18 February 1516, Katharine and Henry's
|
---|
1353 |
|
---|
1354 | luck changed.&nbsp; Their only surviving child, a princess called Mary,
|
---|
1355 |
|
---|
1356 | was born.&nbsp; She was healthy and survived the difficult early months
|
---|
1357 |
|
---|
1358 | of infancy.&nbsp; Henry was proud, if disappointed, and told an ambassador:
|
---|
1359 |
|
---|
1360 | 'We are both young.&nbsp; If it was a daughter this time, by the grace
|
---|
1361 |
|
---|
1362 | of God the sons will follow.'
|
---|
1363 |
|
---|
1364 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One can easily understand Henry's disappointment.&nbsp;
|
---|
1365 |
|
---|
1366 | He was a good father to Mary in those early years, proudly carrying her
|
---|
1367 |
|
---|
1368 | about and showing her off to visitors.&nbsp; But he was perhaps aware that
|
---|
1369 |
|
---|
1370 | time was running out for a male heir to be born.&nbsp; There are indications
|
---|
1371 |
|
---|
1372 | that he explored the idea of divorcing Katharine as early as 1518.&nbsp;
|
---|
1373 |
|
---|
1374 | An English courtier had supposedly visited the Vatican on an exploratory
|
---|
1375 |
|
---|
1376 | mission earlier that year.&nbsp; And gossip about Katharine's miscarriages
|
---|
1377 |
|
---|
1378 | had spread through the English court as early as 1514.
|
---|
1379 |
|
---|
1380 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Henry was still affectionate towards Katharine,
|
---|
1381 |
|
---|
1382 | and they remained intimate for several years after Mary's birth, as evidenced
|
---|
1383 |
|
---|
1384 | by other pregnancies.&nbsp; But perhaps the bloom of the relationship had
|
---|
1385 |
|
---|
1386 | gone.&nbsp; His wife looked older than her years, her body worn out by
|
---|
1387 |
|
---|
1388 | ceaseless pregnancies and births.&nbsp; She was by nature a reserved and
|
---|
1389 |
|
---|
1390 | serious person; her mind dwelt constantly upon the failure of her most
|
---|
1391 |
|
---|
1392 | important duty as queen.&nbsp; On 10 November 1518, her last child - another
|
---|
1393 |
|
---|
1394 | daughter - was born, and died.&nbsp; Special doctors summoned from Spain
|
---|
1395 |
|
---|
1396 | arrived to help the queen conceive again.&nbsp; They were unsuccessful.&nbsp;
|
---|
1397 |
|
---|
1398 | Henry publicly vowed to lead a crusade against the&nbsp;<img SRC="_httpdocimg_/fitzroy.jpg" ALT="miniature portrait of Henry Fitzroy, Henry VIII's illegitimate son" height=203 width=208 align=LEFT>Turks
|
---|
1399 |
|
---|
1400 | if God granted him a son.
|
---|
1401 |
|
---|
1402 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But it was not to be, at least not with Katharine
|
---|
1403 |
|
---|
1404 | of Aragon.&nbsp; In 1519, Elizabeth Blount, his young mistress, bore him
|
---|
1405 |
|
---|
1406 | a healthy son.&nbsp; Henry was ecstatic.&nbsp; Here at last was proof that
|
---|
1407 |
|
---|
1408 | the king could father sons.&nbsp; Henry named the boy after himself, giving
|
---|
1409 |
|
---|
1410 | him the last name 'Fitzroy', the traditional surname of royal bastards.&nbsp;
|
---|
1411 |
|
---|
1412 | He would soon lavish so many titles upon the boy that Katharine felt it
|
---|
1413 |
|
---|
1414 | necessary to remind him that Princess Mary was his heir.&nbsp; Henry publicly
|
---|
1415 |
|
---|
1416 | chastised her and, in a fit of spite, sent several of her favorite attendants
|
---|
1417 |
|
---|
1418 | back to Spain.
|
---|
1419 |
|
---|
1420 | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now we come to an important moment in what came
|
---|
1421 |
|
---|
1422 | to be called 'the king's great matter' (Henry's attempt to annul his marriage
|
---|
1423 |
|
---|
1424 | to Katharine.)&nbsp; Fitzroy's birth proved Henry could have a son, and
|
---|
1425 |
|
---|
1426 | no one could deny Katharine's fertility.&nbsp; It is doubtful Henry ever
|
---|
1427 |
|
---|
1428 | blamed her for the failure to produce a male heir after witnessing the
|
---|
1429 |
|
---|
1430 | endless cycle of pregnancies and prayer.&nbsp; Yet why had he and Katharine
|
---|
1431 |
|
---|
1432 | been unable to produce a living son between them?&nbsp; Naturally enough,
|
---|
1433 |
|
---|
1434 | the king's mind turned to God.&nbsp; It must be God's will that they had
|
---|
1435 |
|
---|
1436 | no male heir.&nbsp; But what had he done to offend God?&nbsp; Henry searched
|
---|
1437 |
|
---|
1438 | for an answer and soon found it quite easily.&nbsp; In the Bible, <i>Leviticus
|
---|
1439 |
|
---|
1440 | </i>XVIII,
|
---|
1441 |
|
---|
1442 | 16 clearly stated 'Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife:
|
---|
1443 | it is thy brother's nakedness'.&nbsp; And, later, in chapter XX, 'If a man shall
|
---|
1444 | take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's
|
---|
1445 | nakedness; they shall be childless'.&nbsp; What could be more clear?&nbsp; The
|
---|
1446 | Bible itself condemned his marriage to Katharine.&nbsp; The pope's dispensation
|
---|
1447 | was meaningless.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And so began one of the most fascinating decades in English
|
---|
1448 | history.<p>
|
---|
1449 |
|
---|
1450 | <font size=-2><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Top">TOP</a></font>
|
---|
1451 |
|
---|
1452 | <br>
|
---|
1453 |
|
---|
1454 | </p>
|
---|
1455 |
|
---|
1456 | <hr WIDTH="100%">
|
---|
1457 |
|
---|
1458 | <p>
|
---|
1459 |
|
---|
1460 | <br><a NAME="Five"></a><b>1526-1536: Anne Boleyn and the Henrician Reformation</b>
|
---|
1461 | </p>
|
---|
1462 | <p align="center">This section, along with the remainder of the biography, is
|
---|
1463 |
|
---|
1464 | not available as of March 2004.
|
---|
1465 |
|
---|
1466 | <br>I will post its completion soon.</p>
|
---|
1467 | <p>
|
---|
1468 |
|
---|
1469 | <font size=-2><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html#Top">TOP</a></font>
|
---|
1470 |
|
---|
1471 | <br>
|
---|
1472 |
|
---|
1473 | </p>
|
---|
1474 |
|
---|
1475 | <hr WIDTH="100%">
|
---|
1476 |
|
---|
1477 | <center>
|
---|
1478 |
|
---|
1479 | <p> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2fimages.html">Portraits
|
---|
1480 |
|
---|
1481 | of Henry VIII</a><br> <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">Primary
|
---|
1482 |
|
---|
1483 | Sources</a></p>
|
---|
1484 |
|
---|
1485 | <p> <b>Henry's wives:</b>&nbsp;
|
---|
1486 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fwives.html">The Six Wives of Henry VIII</a><br>
|
---|
1487 | <br> <b>Henry's children:<br></b><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fedward6.html">
|
---|
1488 | King Edward VI</a><br>
|
---|
1489 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html">Queen Mary I</a><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2feliz1.html"><br>
|
---|
1490 | Queen Elizabeth I</a><p><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ftudor1.html">Test your knowledge
|
---|
1491 |
|
---|
1492 | of Henry VIII's life at Tudor Quizzes</a>.<p><font size=-1><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs.html">to
|
---|
1493 |
|
---|
1494 | Tudor Monarchs</a></font><br><font size=-1><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor.html">to Tudor
|
---|
1495 |
|
---|
1496 | England</a></font></center>
|
---|
1497 |
|
---|
1498 |
|
---|
1499 |
|
---|
1500 | </blockquote>
|
---|
1501 | </blockquote>
|
---|
1502 |
|
---|
1503 |
|
---|
1504 |
|
---|
1505 | <!-- text below generated by server. PLEASE REMOVE --><!-- Counter/Statistics data collection code --><script language="JavaScript" src="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fhostingprod.com%2fjs%5fsource%2fgeov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;el=direct&amp;href=http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082557" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript>
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1506 | <IMG SRC="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;el=direct&amp;href=http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=76001524&t=1108082557" ALT=1 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1>
|
---|
1507 | </Content>
|
---|
1508 | </Section>
|
---|
1509 | </Archive>
|
---|