Henry VIII

Henry VIII (1491-1547), King of England, b. Greenwich, London.

When Henry became king, he was a popular young man of seventeen.

He was a devout Catholic. He wrote a book called An Assertion on the Seven Sacraments and for this the Pope gave him the title 'Defender of the Faith'. The title is still used by rulers of England today. It is shown on coins as 'FD', fidei defensor.

Later, Henry wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. He quarrelled with the Pope and founded the Church of England.

He claimed to be the head of the Church and he put to death fifty people who did not agree with this.

Henry had six wives. They were Catherine of Aragon (divorced 1533), Anne Boleyn (executed 1536), Jane Seymour (died 1537), Anne of Cleves (divorced 1540), Catherine Howard (executed 1542) and Catherine Parr (died 1548).

See Alison Weir Henry VIII