Reign of King Henry VIII

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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Henry Tudor (life 1491-1547; reign 1509-47) King Henry VIII of England, father of Queen Mary I, Elizabeth I and Edward VI, had six wives, two of whom he beheaded and another two he divorced. Following the Pope’s disagreement with Henry’s divorces, Henry insisted that the Church of England split from Rome, making Henry its first royal leader of the church. A determined figurehead, Henry had a tumultuous reign, incurring a large financial deficit from wars with France which he partly recouped in spoils from the dissolution of the monasteries.

The wars with France

The wars with France

Francis I acceded to the French throne in 1515, entering into an ongoing rivalry with Charles V, King of Austria, Burgundy and Spain and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1519) over who would dominate Europe. Henry was

500 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Reign of King Henry VIII". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 June 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=640, accessed 28 March 2024.]

640 Reign of King Henry VIII 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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