Henry VIII of England died today, the 28th January, in 1547. He is probably one of history’s most infamous monarchs and he was only narrowly king as he succeeded his brother Arthur, who died aged 15.
His reign was long, at 35 years and he is most notorious for his six wifes( a fact known to all schoolchildren) and for his breaking from his beloved Catholic Church. He inherited much wealth from his mean father, but squandered it all on magnificent building projects, very few of which survive today. He lived in a time of great men: the king of France was Francis I and Spain’s was Charles V.The three were rivals for power and the others’ attentions. He was a very fit man as a youth, enjoying many sports, including jousting. It is possible jousting wounds brought on complications which may have brought on health problems, some mental, leading to his massive weight gain in later years.
He was a tyrant and had many men executed for civil unrest.
His legacy was at least a hundred years of religious unrest and foreign wars, only made worse by his siblings differing religious beliefs. Despite a few military victories, a minor one against France the other against Scotland, I do not believe he brought much to his Kingdom and is one of my least favourite monarchs. He is buried in Windsor and was succeeded by his nine year old son, Edward.