King Henry VIII was born on 28 June 1491. He was brought up by his devout Catholic grandmother Margaret Beaufort. The monarch himself was a devout and well - informed Catholic and his publication Defense of the Seven Sacraments in 1521 earned him the title of the Defender of the Faith from Pope Leo X. Since childhood, Henry spoke five languages fluently, played the lute and enjoyed royal parties.
Shortly after his coronation, the king married Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his elder brother Arthur, for political reasons. However, fifteen years later King Henry VIII still had no son, although a daughter Mary had been born to the royal couple in 1516. For the reason that Catherine didn't give birth to a son, the monarch asked the Pope to allow him to divorce her. But the Pope was controlled by Charles V, who was Holy Roman Emperor and king of Spain. Also he was Catherine's nephew, and wanted Henry to stay married to her for political and family reasons. The Pope didn't wish to anger Charles and he forbade the divorce. The sovereign was furious. That's why in 1531, he forced his bishops to make him head of the Church of England. So, in 1534, since Parliament had passed The Acts of Supremacy, the King officially recognised as the head of the Church of England and formally married to his new love, Anne Boleyn, on 25th January 1533. The woman gave birth to their only daughter, the future queen Elizabeth I. In January 1536, Anne gave birth to a stillborn male child. This ruined their marriage. In May she was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Several days later she was found guilty and beheaded.
On 30th of May, King Henry VIII married again. His new wife was Jane Seymour She gave the king the son he so desperately desired. Unfortunately Jane Seymour died because of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of the future King Edward VI.
Anne of Cleves was Henry's fourth wife. Their marriage took place in 1540. However, the monarch hated the first sight of her and after six months, the marriage was declared unconsummated. The same year the king renewed his youth in marriage to Catherine Howard who was 20 years old. As her cousin Anne Boleyn she was also beheaded.
Thereafter Henry VIII decided to marry once more. He found a measure of peace with the calm and obedient Catherine Parr. They had no children.
King Henry VIII died in 1547, leaving behind his sixth wife, two daughters and one son.
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