Henry VIII

The English Reformation

The War of the Roses

 Two branches of the

Plantagenet royal family,
Lancaster and York,
broke out into conflict
with one another for the
throne of England.
 Lancaster (Red Rose)
 York(White Rose)
 Fighting continued on
and off from 1455-1485.
The War of the Roses

 A Lancastrian claimant to
the throne, Henry Tudor,
eventually defeated the
Yorkist king Richard III.
 He married Edward IV’s
daughter, Elizabeth of
York, and unified both
the houses of Lancaster
and York.
 This began the Tudor
dynasty which will
continue to rule England
for the next 117 years.
Henry VII

 Henry VII’s rule was constantly being challenged by

rebellion and strife.
 He spent most of his rule asserting royal power and unifying
his country.
 Henry VII strengthened monarchal power England and
closely regulated governmental spending.
 Royal income rose from an annual average of £52,000 to
£142,000.
 Henry VII spent money shrewdly and left a full treasury
on his death in 1509.
Henry VIII
 Henry VIII (1491-1547)
became King of England in
1509.
 He was described in his
youth as being very
athletic and highly
intelligent.
 An observer noted that
“he speaks good French,
Latin, and Spanish; is very
religious; hears three
masses daily when he
hunted … He is extremely
fond of hunting, and never
takes that diversion
without tiring eight or ten
horses … He is also fond of
tennis.”
Henry VIII

 Henry was a staunch Roman Catholic and was given the

title “Defender of the Faith” by the pope because of his
attacks on Martin Luther.
 Henry inherited a stable realm and a full treasury from
his father.
 Henry quickly became bored with governmental
administration and allowed his Lord Chancellor, Thomas
Wolsey, to tend to England’s affairs.
Thomas Wolsey
 Wolsey was a butcher’s
son who rose through the
ranks due to his skills and
abilities.
 Henry eventually
appointed Wolsey as a
Cardinal which effectively
allowed him to “govern”
the Church of England.
 Wolsey grew extremely
powerful in a few short
years and the extent to
which his power grew can
best be seen in the palace
he had built for himself –
Hampton Court.
Hampton Court Palace
Henry’s Ambitions

 Henry’s interest in foreign policy was focused on

Western Europe.
 Henry became obsessed with waging war against his
continental neighbors France, Spain, and the Holy
Roman Empire.
 Through his family and marriage he was related to the
kings of these different areas.
 Henry spent a huge amount of money on his wars and
essentially emptied the treasury.
Military Spending
 Henry also invested in the navy, increasing the number of
ships from 5 to 53.
 The flagship of this fleet was the Mary Rose.
The Beginning of Trouble

 Henry had married his

brother’s widow,
Catherine of Aragon, in
1509.
 The couple produced
only one surviving child –
Princess Mary.
 By the end of the 1520s,
Catherine was in her
forties and Henry was
desperate for a son.
The Search for a Male Heir
 Henry desperately
needed a son to solidify
his family’s rule over
England.
 Being the second Tudor
ruler he was in no
position to hand the
crown over to his
daughter.
 Henry fell in love with
Anne Boleyn, the sister
of one of his many
mistresses.
Anne Boleyn

 Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn so that their union

could produce a legitimate heir.
 He sought to get his marriage annulled by the Church
because Catholic law does not permit divorce.
 The pope, fearing the reaction of the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V (Catherine's uncle,) would not grant Henry the
annulment.
 Wolsey, who had rallied for Henry’s cause, was
dismissed by Henry for his failure and imprisoned (he
later died in prison.)
Thomas Cromwell

 Henry then turned to

Wolsey’s successor,
Thomas Cromwell, to use
his Parliamentary power
to obtain the annulment
Henry desired.
 The result was a series of
Acts cutting back papal
power and influence in
England and bringing
about the English
Reformation.
The Acts

 The Act against Annates – Threatened ecclesiastical

revenues to the Pope
 The Act in Restraint of Appeals – Forbade appeals to
Rome
 The Act of Submission of the Clergy – Church laws could
only be passed with the king’s consent
 The Act of Succession – Kings were allowed to
determine their heirs
 The Act of Supremacy – Made Henry “the only supreme
head on Earth of the Church of England.”
Thomas Cranmer
 Henry appointed Thomas
Cranmer as the new
Archbishop of Canterbury.
 In May 1533 Cranmer
declared Henry’s marriage
as invalid and a week later
Anne Boleyn was crowned
queen.
 While Cromwell used the
power of Parliament to
increase Henry’s power,
Thomas Cranmer
manipulated church law to
grant Henry his
annulment.
Rome’s Reaction
 The pope responded to
Henry’s actions by
excommunicating him.
 Henry’s policies forced
his followers to choose
between the king and the
pope – those who
opposed Henry were
executed.
 The most famous of
these men killed was the
Grand Chancellor Sir
Thomas More who was
beheaded in 1535 for
treason.
Monastic Life

 Another victim of Henry’s policies was the monasteries

and convents of England.
 Henry claimed the land holdings of these monasteries
for the crown and sold them off to the highest bidder.
 This generated a huge source of revenue for the crown
which was quickly spent on new palaces and wars.
 The large number of displaced monks and nuns created
a growing Catholic population who hated Henry.
Anne Boleyn
 Henry’s second marriage
to Anne Boleyn produced
only one heir –Princess
Elizabeth.
 When Anne failed to
produce a male child
Henry had her tried for
treason and beheaded.
 In 1537, Henry married
his third wife – Jane
Seymour – who gave birth
to Prince Edward VI.
 Jane died twelve days
after the birth.
More Marriages

 Henry married three more times after the death of Jane

Seymour:
 Anne of Cleves (divorced)
 Henry’s failed marriage to Anne manufactured Cromwell’s
downfall – he was arrested and executed.
 Katherine Howard (beheaded on grounds of adultery)
 Catherine Parr (who survived)
 None of these subsequent marriages produced any more
children.
To Recap …

 Wife 1 – Catherine of Aragon (divorced)

 Wife 2 – Anne Boleyn (beheaded)
 Wife 3 – Jane Seymour (died)
 Wife 4 – Anne of Cleves (divorced)
 Wife 5 – Katherine Howard (beheaded)
 Wife 6 – Catherine Parr (survived)
Henry’s Later Life

 Henry made sure that his sole male heir, Edward,

received the best Protestant education possible.
 He essentially disowned his Catholic daughter Mary and
mostly ignored his other daughter Elizabeth.
 The last years of Henry’s life were spent campaigning
against the French.
 He quickly squandered all forms of income on pointless
wars, plunged the crown into steep debt, and inflated the
national currency.
Henry’s Death
 Henry died in London on January 28, 1547.
 Henry suffered from gout, morbid obesity, genetic
deformities, and diabetes.
Henry’s Legacy

 Henry left behind a country in shambles.

 His wars and wasteful spending left his country nearly
bankrupt.
 His religious changes created a large rift between the
Catholic and Protestants in his country.
 He left behind only one sickly male heir and two
daughters who were declared illegitimate.
 None of Henry’s children would produce any offspring.
 Henry’s policies radically changed royal power in
England and established the Anglican Church.