Henry VIII was born on 28 June 1491 in Greenwich, England. He was the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Once his brother , Prince Arthur passed away in 1502, Henry became heir to the throne and succeeded in 1509.
It is said in his youth that Henry was a highly intelligent and athletic individual. According to a contemporary observer, Henry spoke French, Latin and Spanish very well ,he was very religious, and enjoyed activities such as hunting and tennis. Other sources say that Henry also enjoyed to joust.
In the year of 1521, Henry was given the title of ' Defender of the Faith' by the pope. This was because he had written a best-selling book (20 editions in England and Europe) that attacked Martin Luther and supported the Roman Catholic Church.
Furthermore, as a king, Henry lacked interest in application to government business and administration, but was very interested in foreign policy.His interest focused on Western Europe and therefore alliances with the kings of Spain, France and the Holy Roman Emperor were formed. (Henry was related by marriage to all three alliances - his wife Catherine was Ferdinand of Aragon's daughter (king of Spain), his sister Mary married Louis XII of France in 1514, and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was Catherine's nephew.)
Not only did Henry invest in creating ties with other nations, but he also invested in the English navy. He managed to increase it from 5 ships to 53.
Later on in life, around the second half of King Henry VIII's reign he was faced with two issues that would later be important to the history and monarchy of England. The first issue being his succession and the second being the Protestant Reformation.
The Protestant Reformation would later led to the creation of the Church of England.
It is said in his youth that Henry was a highly intelligent and athletic individual. According to a contemporary observer, Henry spoke French, Latin and Spanish very well ,he was very religious, and enjoyed activities such as hunting and tennis. Other sources say that Henry also enjoyed to joust.
In the year of 1521, Henry was given the title of ' Defender of the Faith' by the pope. This was because he had written a best-selling book (20 editions in England and Europe) that attacked Martin Luther and supported the Roman Catholic Church.
Furthermore, as a king, Henry lacked interest in application to government business and administration, but was very interested in foreign policy.His interest focused on Western Europe and therefore alliances with the kings of Spain, France and the Holy Roman Emperor were formed. (Henry was related by marriage to all three alliances - his wife Catherine was Ferdinand of Aragon's daughter (king of Spain), his sister Mary married Louis XII of France in 1514, and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was Catherine's nephew.)
Not only did Henry invest in creating ties with other nations, but he also invested in the English navy. He managed to increase it from 5 ships to 53.
Later on in life, around the second half of King Henry VIII's reign he was faced with two issues that would later be important to the history and monarchy of England. The first issue being his succession and the second being the Protestant Reformation.
The Protestant Reformation would later led to the creation of the Church of England.