Henry VIII King Of ENGLAND

Male 1491 - 1547  (55 years)


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  • Name Henry VIII King Of ENGLAND  [2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    • In the Early years of his reign, Henry was content to leave governing in the hands of his Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey. However, Wolsey fell from power when he failed to secure a divorce for Henry from Catherine of Aragon. The King became increasingly autocratic and by his death he was much hated.

      As a young man, Henry was tall and handsome. However, when older he became grossly overweight and was riddled with disease.

      Although well-educated, Henry at first had no enthusiasm for statecraft or personal rule, preferring hunting, the tourney, games, mistresses, and music to governing the country. During the first two decades of his reign, Henry entrusted the business of government to his great minister, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. born in 1475, Wolsey was the son of an Ipswich butcher. He entered the church and became Archbishop of York in 1514. A year later he received his cardinal's hat and became the Chancellor of England. Cardinal Wolsey looked after England's affairs at home and abroad with great skill, presiding over a period of growing prosperity. However, Wolsey fell from grace in 1529 when he failed to secure Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. he died that year before he could be brought to trial for treason.

      After Henry VIII's break with Rome, Thomas Cromwell set up a commission to examine the state of every monastery and convent in England, with a view to possible closure and appropriation of its wealth by the Crown. Many were found to be racked with corruption. Henry, who urgently needed money to finance his extravagant lifestyle, ordered their dissolution. In 1537, the smaller monasteries were closed and their property confiscated. the remainder were similarly dealt with in 1539. [1]
    Birth 28 Jun 1491  [3
    Gender Male 
    Death 28 Jan 1547  [3
    Person ID I21339  Main Tree
    Last Modified 9 Apr 2022 

    Father Henry VII King Of ENGLAND,   b. 28 Jan 1457, Pembroke Castle, Wales Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 21 Apr 1509, Richmond Palace Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 52 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Mother Elizabeth PLANTAGENET,   b. 11 Feb 1465, Westminster Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Feb 1503, Tower of London Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 38 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Marriage 18 Jan 1486  Westminster Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Family ID F07097  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Catherine Of ARAGON,   b. 16 Dec 1485, Alcala de Henares Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 07 Jan 1536 (Age 50 years) 
    Marriage 1509  [1
    Children 
     1. Mary I Queen Of ENGLAND,   b. 18 Feb 1516, Greenwich Palace Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Nov 1558, St. Jame's Palace, London Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 42 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F07095  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 18 May 2018 

    Family 2 Anne BOLEYN,   b. Abt 1507   d. 19 May 1536, Beheaded on Tower Green for alleged adultery Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 29 years) 
    Marriage 25 Jan 1533  [3, 4
    Children 
     1. Elizabeth I 'Tudor' Queen of ENGLAND,   b. 7 Sep 1533, Greenwich Palace Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 24 Mar 1603, Richmond Palace Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 69 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F17457  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 17 Apr 2018 

    Family 3 Jane SEYMOUR,   b. 1509   d. 1537 (Age 28 years) 
    Marriage 1536  [3
    Children 
     1. Edward VI King Of ENGLAND,   b. 12 Oct 1537, Hampton, Court Palace, Surrey Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 6 Jul 1553, Greenwich Palace Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 15 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F17458  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Apr 2018 

    Family 4 Anne Of CLEVES,   b. 1515   d. 1557 (Age 42 years) 
    Marriage 1540  [3
    Family ID F17459  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 5 Catherine HOWARD,   b. Abt 1525   d. 13 Feb 1541/2, Beheaded on Tower Green Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 17 years) 
    Marriage 1540  [3
    Family ID F17460  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 6 Catherine PARR,   b. 1512   d. 1548 (Age 36 years) 
    Marriage 1543  [3, 5
    Family ID F17461  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 9 Apr 2022 

  • Sources 
    1. [S9498] Plantagenet Somerset Fry, Kings & Queens of England and Scotland.

    2. [S01910] Blood Royal, Issue of the Kings and Queens of Medieval England 1066-1399 by. T. Anna Leese.

    3. [S03581] Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

    4. [S5008] David Faris, "Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists", (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.).

    5. [S3693] Louise Brownell Clarke, The GREENES of Rhode Island with Historical Records of English Ancestry 1534-1902.

    6. [S13027] John Wentworth, L.L.D., The WENTWORTH Genealogy, Comprising The Origin of the name, The Family in England, and a Particular Account of Elder William WENTWORTH, The Emigrant and of his Descendants Vol 1.