Henry viii fact file
Henry was born
Henry was born in 1491 in Greenwich Palace near London. His father was King Henry VII. His mother was Elizabeth of York.
In English history, the time when he and his family lived is known as the Tudor age. Tudor was Henry's family name.
Henry becomes King
Henry's older brother Arthur died in 1502. So Henry was next in line to be king.When Henry's father died in 1509, Henry became king. He was crowned King Henry VIII (the 8th English king named Henry).
Why is Henry famous? The king with six wives
Henry was the King of England who had six wives. He wanted to make England strong. Most of all, he wanted a son to be king after him.
Henry's first wife was Catherine of Aragon. Catherine and Henry had a daughter, Mary. But no son. So in 1533, Henry decided to divorce Catherine, so he could marry someone else.
Henry's second wife was Anne Boleyn. She had a daughter, Elizabeth. Henry turned against Anne, and she was beheaded in 1536.
Next Henry married Jane Seymour. In 1537, she had a son, Edward, but she died two weeks later. Henry was very sad.
Henry's fourth wife (1540) was Anne of Cleves, from Belgium. Henry had never seen her until she came to England for the wedding. He divorced her after six months.
His fifth wife was Catherine Howard. She was only 19. She was beheaded in 1542.
Finally, Henry's sixth wife was Catherine Parr, a widow. She looked after his children.
The end of Henry's reign
Henry died in 1547. Each of Henry's children later took the throne. Edward became king aged only 9 years old, but died when he was just 15. Mary then became Queen in 1553 until her death in 1558. She was succeeded by Elizabeth.
How do people remember Henry?
Paintings of Henry VIII show a big, fierce-looking man in fine clothes. He looks scary, and many people were scared of him. If the King did not get his way, he got cross. People who made him cross risked having their heads chopped off!
Henry was born in 1491 in Greenwich Palace near London. His father was King Henry VII. His mother was Elizabeth of York.
In English history, the time when he and his family lived is known as the Tudor age. Tudor was Henry's family name.
Henry becomes King
Henry's older brother Arthur died in 1502. So Henry was next in line to be king.When Henry's father died in 1509, Henry became king. He was crowned King Henry VIII (the 8th English king named Henry).
Why is Henry famous? The king with six wives
Henry was the King of England who had six wives. He wanted to make England strong. Most of all, he wanted a son to be king after him.
Henry's first wife was Catherine of Aragon. Catherine and Henry had a daughter, Mary. But no son. So in 1533, Henry decided to divorce Catherine, so he could marry someone else.
Henry's second wife was Anne Boleyn. She had a daughter, Elizabeth. Henry turned against Anne, and she was beheaded in 1536.
Next Henry married Jane Seymour. In 1537, she had a son, Edward, but she died two weeks later. Henry was very sad.
Henry's fourth wife (1540) was Anne of Cleves, from Belgium. Henry had never seen her until she came to England for the wedding. He divorced her after six months.
His fifth wife was Catherine Howard. She was only 19. She was beheaded in 1542.
Finally, Henry's sixth wife was Catherine Parr, a widow. She looked after his children.
The end of Henry's reign
Henry died in 1547. Each of Henry's children later took the throne. Edward became king aged only 9 years old, but died when he was just 15. Mary then became Queen in 1553 until her death in 1558. She was succeeded by Elizabeth.
How do people remember Henry?
Paintings of Henry VIII show a big, fierce-looking man in fine clothes. He looks scary, and many people were scared of him. If the King did not get his way, he got cross. People who made him cross risked having their heads chopped off!
To view a video to help you remember the order of Henry VIII's wives, click here.