162 Henry VIII Neville The Life and Times of Henry VII London: Orion Publishing, 1994 Bill Kte’pi Henry VIII (1491–1547) English monarch Henry VIII was king of England from 1509 to 1547 He is perhaps best known for his succession of wives, some of whom were put to death, and was a key figure in both English and religious history Early Life Henry was born June 28, 1491, the second son of King Henry VII Raised as a prince and second in succession to the throne, Henry was an intelligent and athletic youth He was schooled in Latin, Greek, and French, his upbringing in a large degree under the control of his paternal grandmother, Margaret Beaufort, an intelligent and shrewd woman By age 10, Henry was expected to attend and even preside at royal functions, officially receiving his brother’s betrothed bride and his own future first wife, Princess Catherine of Aragon, in 1501 Henry’s life changed dramatically in 1502 when his older brother Prince Arthur died unexpectedly at age 16 Arthur had been married less than five months to Catherine of Aragon A year later, Henry’s father began negotiations to allow Henry to marry his brother’s widow, which required special permission from the pope in Rome That year, at age 11, Henry became officially engaged to Catherine, though they were not married till after Henry became king During those years, Catherine became a political pawn in the diplomatic negotiations between Spain and England, as Henry’s father threatened several times to cancel the engagement The Young King When his father died in April 1509, Henry was officially crowned king of England, lord of Ireland, and king of France (a nominal title, since he only ruled a portion of France) Two months later, Henry married Catherine of Aragon The 18-year-old king made an impressive appearance at court, being extremely physically fit and robust and thrilled with jousting, hunting, and dancing He was attentive to the responsibilities of governing, but avoided routine meetings, expecting his counselors to go to him at his convenience to report and present issues requiring Henry’s decision Chief among his counselors was Thomas Wolsey, who Most famous for having six wives, Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church and created the Church of England became Henry’s chief minister in 1512 His early years of marriage to Catherine were generally happy ones, but marred by the fact that his first child was stillborn, and his second child, a son, died within six weeks of his birth In 1515, a daughter, Mary I (crowned Queen Mary in 1553), was born During this time, there were substantial changes in neighboring France and the rest of Europe In 1515, King Louis XII of France died, and his son Francis I took the throne In 1519, Emperor Maximilian died and his son Charles (nephew of Queen Catherine) became Emperor Charles V The three young rulers were at times allies, and other times enemies (often two against the other) over the next 30 years After Charles’s accession, Henry made an official visit to both King Francis and Charles at elaborately planned events marked with enormous pomp and ceremony Wolsey, increasing in personal power during these years, represented Henry ably in orchestrating the events, ensuring that Henry had the upper hand wherever possible