Henry VIII of England

Reign: 1509 – 1547
Life: 1491–1547

Henry VIII is one of the most recognizable monarchs in English history, mostly due to his succession of wives and obsession with securing a male heir. To divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, he initiated the English Reformation and declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. In 1536, while married to his second wife, Anne Boleyn, he suffered a serious jousting accident which knocked him unconscious for two hours and permanently injured his leg. This led to the image we have of him today: an obese, irritable ruler who weighed over 400lbs and had a 60-inch waist. Henry also built up England's naval forces from the seven vessels that he inherited from his father to a formidable fleet of around 50 warships. He only ever secured one surviving male heir, Edward VI, with his third wife, Jane Seymour, who tragically died just days after giving birth.

During Henry VIII of England's reign, Suleiman the Magnificent ruled Ottoman Empire, Francis I of France ruled France, and Charles V ruled Spain.

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Henry VIII: King and Court by Alison Weir

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Henry VIII: King and Court

Alison Weir

Weir's panoramic study of Henry's court, politics, religion, and spectacle at full scale.

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