Why is henry viii important

In he united Wales with England, and in he declared himself King of Ireland. Henry VIII is most famous for divorcing his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, because she could not give him a male heir, and then marrying five times more!

Although Henry remained a Catholic to the end of his life, this was the beginning of the Church of England. In Henry used his new power to begin to close down the monasteries and take their land and money. Anne of Cleves was a political bride, chosen to cement an alliance with her brother, the ruler of a Protestant duchy in Germany.

The marriage only lasted a few days before Henry had it annulled. He then married Catherine Howard, but two years later she too was beheaded for treason and adultery. In the last years of his reign Henry grew moody, obese and suspicious, hobbled by personal intrigues and by the persistent leg wound from his jousting injury.

His final marriage, to the widow Catherine Parr in , saw his reconciliation with Mary and Elizabeth, who were restored to the line of succession. His 9-year-old son Edward VI succeeded him as king but died six years later. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.

She sought to return England to the Catholic One of the most renowned kings in English history, Henry V led two successful invasions of France, cheering his outnumbered troops to victory at the Battle of Agincourt and eventually securing full control of the French throne.

His portrayal in three of The plot was organized by Robert Catesby c. He is also credited with establishing the Royal Navy, encouraging shipbuilding and the creation of anchorages and dockyards. Because divorce wasn't allowed within the Roman Catholic church, Henry wasn't allowed to divorce Catherine of Aragon and remarry Anne Boleyn.

To get around this, Henry broke with the papacy in Rome, and established the Church of England instead. Find out more. After a long and successful career, she sank in off Portsmouth, during an engagement with a French fleet.

Thomas Cromwell was in charge of preparing this religious text, known as the Great Bible. More than 9, copies of the Great Bible were distributed across England, and its popularity helped to standardise the English language. The formation of the Church of England also meant that taxes which had been payable to the Pope were transferred to the Crown. Henry was a prodigious spender, so welcomed the financial benefits of the English Reformation.

In order to achieve his extensive religious reforms Henry allowed Parliament to pass statutes which give it unprecedented power. The Reformation Parliament could now write laws which dictated religious practice and doctrine. He famously acknowledged he was at his strongest when his will was expressed through parliamentary statute, saying. Previously, Ireland had technically been a papal possession. Henry could not have achieved his ambitions without the changes he made to the powers of Parliament.