The Life of Henry VIII

To better understand the life of England's King Henry VIII, one of the most famous and infamous of monarchs in history, the times into which he was born must be understood. Like his father, Henry VII, Henry VIII reigned during the transition from Medieval England to Renaissance England. The advent of the printing press, the rise of skepticism, the move toward secularism, and unprecedented scientific experiment were responsible for rapidly changing ideas. They were also the cause of some of the greatest conflicts of the sixteenth century. According to one biographer, "[Henry VIII] was a victim of his times. The 16th century was a confusing mass of changing loyalties, betrayals, near-constant fighting, and most importantly, a rising skepticism of that great institution of the fading medieval world, the Roman Catholic church." Henry VIII was considered one of the most educated as well as eventually one of the most brutal Kings of England. His six marriages resulted in two divorces, one publicly humiliating rejection, two beheadings and a final lasting union between Henry VIII and Katherine Parr, who survived after his death with their marriage intact. This biography will touch upon some of the most successful and disastrous events in the life of Henry VIII.

King Henry VII had groomed his eldest son, Arthur, to become the next King of England, while Henry was groomed to become the highest church official in England. Such int

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ies might easily lend itself to acting as a symbol of the transition from the Medieval to the Renaissance periods in history. In Henry VIII's later years, the King would be plagued by ill-health, worn from battles that did little to change the balance of power in Europe, and his battles with the Catholic church and other woes turned him into a conflicted and doubting individual. As Weir argues, Henry VIII changed in personality and temperament from his youthful days on the throne to those of the final two decades of his reign, "Only as he grew older did the suspicious and crafty streaks in his nature become more pronounced; nor were his willfulness, arrogance, ruthlessness, selfishness, and brutality yet apparent, for they were masked by an irresistible charm and affable manner." Henry's search for an heir and his conflict with the Roman Catholic church over divorce caused him to have Thomas More beheaded as well as breaking from the Catholic church's authority. The reformation by Henry VIII that resulted in the origination of the Anglican church was one of the most tumultuous and significant, if dubious, triumphs of his reign. Weir maintains that Henry would often waffle over complex decisions like his break with the church

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