55 Interesting King Henry VIII Facts Kids Should Know

Christian Mba
Oct 24, 2023 By Christian Mba
Originally Published on Apr 05, 2022
He transmitted himself from Roman catholic to Puritan and established the Church of England. Let's find King Henry the VIII facts.
Age: 3-18
Read time: 8.4 Min

King Henry VIII made interesting regulations where the Pope's importance was denied.

He converted all the revenue which was used in Rome into royal property and spent it on personal pleasure and unsolved war relations, which King Henry had fought with Francis 1, Janes v, Earl of Arran, Mary of Guise. Once Catherine's nephew, Charles V, came to his realm and proposed him to make an alliance with her.

King Henry was a hypochondriac and always had a fear of death. Henry VIII may have had a rare blood group that produces Kell antigens and later King Henry developed the McLeod syndrome, which reduced his Kell efficacy and he became a father.

Facts About King Henry VIII

Henry VIII is considered one of the most important Tudor monarchs of history. As the crowned king of the Tudor dynasty, how you should know all the essential facts about him.

King Henry was a strict Catholic, but absurd internal policies and extravagant behavior from the Pope made him renounce his position in the church and convert to Protestantism.

The Church of England was built by him, which became a milestone in English history.

King Henry was entitled to several titles like the King of Tudor, King of Ireland, powerful Tudor monarch, and His majesty.

King Henry was very fond of literature and music. Many books were written by him, such as 'Jousting Rules,' 'Catherine Argon's Pregnancy,' 'Henry VIII's Coronation 1509.'

King Henry was the second son of his father and did not have any probability of being a king but he became one, due to his brother king Arthur.

The most impressive and magnificent Hampton Court Palace was the house of King Henry

It was King Henry VIII's preference to be buried at George Chapel.

The Wind Stone Castle was renowned all around the world for its beautiful architecture. This was the prominent place of choice for King Henry VIII.

The principal entrance of Wind Stone Castle, which is an attraction for tourists, was inscribed with the name of King Henry.

Henry VIII was born in Greenwich Palace on June 28, 1491. The Greenwich Palace became the old Royal Naval College.

King Henry was in his kingship for 36 years until his death and his successor was Pince Edward VI.

King Henry VIII's Reign

Let's evaluate Henry VIII's reign, the most remarkable king of England.

King Henry was crowned as monarch of England on June 24, 1509, in the magnificent Hampton Court when the Feast of Epiphany was accommodated.

The crown of the Tudor king was noteworthy itself. However, an imitation of this was made and it was displayed in the Chapel Royal in front of the famous Tudor ceiling.

The Pope did not agree with the marriage proposal of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII.

The Pope's refusal made King Henry VIII deny all relationships with the Catholic Church and he proposed himself as the head of the Church of England.

All practices and norms were similar to the Catholic Church in England, but the supremacy of the Pope has transferred to King Henry VIII.

The English King Henry married six wives and had two daughters and sons.

By succeeding the throne, King Henry changed old policies which were not beneficial for the development of England. He gave a justifiable explanation to people, especially the Pope and his associates, for their extra involvement in the Royal Court and for being responsible for causing trouble.

By 1512 King Henry VIII recovered Guinea during the French War.

In the duration of 36 years of King Henry VIII's reign, he was cruel and autonomous to people, whoever tried to contradict him was assassinated.

King Henry VIII is known as the 'father of England navy' and he was responsible for developing navy warships and making remarkable changes.

The ship, named Mary Rose, which was Henry VIII's flung ship was used to carry the new apparatus.

Between 1504-1603, King Henry used to rule England by affiliation with the council.

Huge medicinal improvements happened during this period in England. King Henry appointed various medicinal experts and they practiced their work without any regulations and compromises.

There was a huge development in arts and literature, for example, blank verse sonnets and Windsor Castle were introduced at that time.

We notice many representations of King Henry VIII in arts and literature.

King Henry VIII's Personality

If we go back to historical events in England, one name is written over several periods, the name of King Henry VIII.

Henry belonged to the Tudor dynasty. King Henry was the second son of the former King of England, Henry VII. He obtained the throne after the death of his elder brother Edward.

He had a strong personality and a sharp mind. He was very cruel towards people who were against him and annihilated his enemies, an estimated 7,000 or more people were executed during his reign.

Though he had a calm personality, some of his traits had shown that he became arrogant and judgmental in the latter part of his life. He had a shifting personality towards his beloveds too.

Some reports had shown that he was obsessed with his lover and gave her the foremost priority, but later when he got satiated this person lost her value to him. 

He made some major changes in the constitution of England and manifested the value of a king and the efficacy in front of local people.

His Royal Court was always full of scholars and visitors. Thomas Wesley, Thomas More, and Richard Rich were some of the remarkable names who belongs to his courtroom.

He made a drastic change in the navy structures and weaponry. He was called the 'father of England navy.' He developed so many powerful warships and guns with the low launching system.

He had increased his military strength by almost double in his kingship. He resurrected the nobility of the military and spent a good time with them. He appointed a very brave and trustworthy general who was the key source of his military supervision.

A group of royal mountain guards was appointed by Henry VIII for the first time and they were called the Gentleman Pensioners. They were almost 200 in strength and they were also called the standing troops of England.

Foreign mercenaries had one-third part of his army. The whole structure was unprecedented. Historians believe it was a tactic to control the internal rebels, who might contradict the king.

He got an army that was accommodated in a certain way, where they would act upon certain things without any considerations.

King Henry was highly educated and understood the value of gun powder weapons in war. This is the reason he had ordered to make lots of handgun machinery and artillery for his troops from the other reign.

He intended to make his kingdom and kingship more powerful among other states. His war fleet was engaged with many technologies which were quite new at that time.

He made lots of coastal forts for surveillance on the outskirts.

The drastic change made native people choose their career in military service and that became a reason for the decline in farmers, as the young generation had chosen to join the military or navy.

King Henry had fought three significant wars against France, Ireland, and Scotland. The influence of the war of ROSE is a remarkable phenomenon in the history of England.

King Henry VIII's Family

When we are talking about the Tudor king, Henry VIII, how can we miss the etymology of his Royal Family which influences the history of England so much?

His father was Henry VII, former king of England and his mother was also a powerful lady with the royal association, she was Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth of York. She was married to King Henry VII during the battle of Bosworth Field.

King Henry married six girls which was a remarkable fact in history.

King Henry VIII's first wife was Catherine Aragon. He renounced the power of the church to wed her when Pope Clement VII refused their marriage proposal. They got married anyway by June 15, 1509.

Catherine of Aragon was the Princess of Wales and the former brother of Henry's brother Arthur. His second wife was Anne Boleyn, who was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, the first Earl of Wiltshire, and his queen Elizabeth Howard.

Their marriage was politically compromised and she had secured a position as a maid to King Henry's former wife.

His third wife was Jane Seymore, they were married on May 30, 1536. She died two years later, two weeks after giving birth to her newborn child, who was later introduced as King Edward VI.

Queen Jane was the first and last of Henry VIII's queens who got a funeral just beside his burial.

King Henry VIII's fourth wife was Anne of Cleves, though their marriage was not working, it lasted from January 6 to July 9, 1540. She was declared unconsummated and got the title of the beloved sister of King Henry VIII after their divorce.

Henry VIII's fifth wife was Catherine Howard, who was the daughter of the well-known King Edmond Howard and Joyce Culper. She became queen in 1541 at an age of 19.

King Henry VIII's last wife was Catherine Parr, they were married on July 12, 1543. She became the last queen of the consort of England.

Catherine Parr had a close relationship with the three children of King Henry. She was influential in the Royal Court. She performed each obligation as a ruler after the death of Henry until Edward was mature enough to hold the leash.

She used the Third Succession Act and encouraged the process of demand of the throne for the two daughters of King Henry VIII, named Mary and Elizabeth.

King Henry had six wives, two daughters, and a son. He also had a few illegitimate children and some of Henry VIII's children died during birth or after birth.

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Sources

https://www.historyhit.com/key-changes-during-henry-viiis-reign/

https://www.funkidslive.com/learn/top-10-facts/top-10-facts-about-henry-viii/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28514934/

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Written by Christian Mba

Bachelor of Science specializing in Computer Science

Christian Mba picture

Christian MbaBachelor of Science specializing in Computer Science

Christian Mba is an experienced blogger and content writer with over a decade of experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Nigeria and has a keen interest in Python programming. Along with his writing and blogging expertise, he is also an SEO specialist with more than six years of experience. Chris, as he is commonly known, has a passion for music and enjoys playing the piano.

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