And why did he start the Church of England? Who was Henry VIII? And why did he start the Church of England?

The Tudors The Tudors were a royal family who ruled England. The first Tudor king was called Henry VII. Henry VII

Henry VIII Henry VIII was king of England from 1509 until 1547. He was born in 1491, and was only 17 years old when he became king. Henry VIII

Look again at this picture of Henry. How would you describe him? Describe the expression on his face. What is Henry trying to tell us about himself in this portrait? How can you tell he is an important person? What sort of clothes is he wearing?

Henry and his wives In England, the crown is passed from the parent to the child when the parent dies. Henry was desperate to have a male heir to pass the crown on to. In order to have children, Henry had to find himself a wife. But he married not once, not twice, but SIX times!!

Wife Number 1 Catherine of Aragon Henry married Catherine of Aragon in 1509. Catherine was a Spanish princess. They had one daughter, Mary, who later became Queen of England. Henry divorced Catherine. Mary What happened? Catherine of Aragon

Henry Seeks an Annulment Henry was desperate for a male heir, but Catherine had only had a daughter. He began an affair with Anne Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting. He wanted to get an annulment from Catherine, but the pope refused.

The Church of England Because the Pope would not give him an annulment, Henry declared himself the head of the English Church. All English clergy now reported to him. English Catholics now followed the Church of England, or Anglican Church, led by Henry. Anglicans still shared many Catholic beliefs.

Wife Number 2 Anne Boleyn Next, Henry fell for Anne Boleyn. Henry and Anne were married in 1533 in secret – because Henry hadn’t got rid of his first wife yet! They had a daughter, Elizabeth, who also later became a Queen of England. Henry had Anne beheaded. Elizabeth What happened? Anne Boleyn

Wife Number 3 Jane Seymour After getting rid of Anne, Henry married Jane Seymour in 1536. Jane finally gave Henry the son he so wanted – Edward. Unfortunately, Edward died when he was just 16. Jane died after giving birth to Edward. Edward What happened? Jane Seymour

Wife Number 4 Anne of Cleves After Jane died, Henry sent a painter, Holbein, to Germany in 1540 to paint a picture of Anne of Cleves. He thought she looked very pretty, but when he saw her he hated her! He thought she was very ugly, and called her the “Flanders Mare”. They had no children. Henry divorced Anne. What happened? Anne of Cleves

Wife Number 5 Catherine Howard Next came Catherine Howard. She married Henry in 1540. They had no children, mainly because she didn’t like Henry and had lots of other boyfriends! Henry wasn’t very happy about this, and she was beheaded in 1542. What happened? Catherine Howard

Wife Number 6 Catherine Parr Henry married his final wife in 1543. She is supposed to have been very nice and kind, and Henry seems to have been quite happy with her. They had no children, but stayed married. Catherine Parr outlived Henry – he died in 1547, while she lived until 1548. What happened? Catherine Parr

One king. Six wives. Three children. WHY?