Facts About Henry VIII

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Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 to 1547. He is probably most well-known for having six wives and for being very over-weight towards the end of his reign, but there’s much more to the man than that. Although we will look at particular parts of his reign and life in more detail in other articles, this post will focus on some of the key general facts and information associated with Henry VIII.

Henry VIII Fact File

Born: 28th June 1491 at Greenwich Palace. His father was Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and his mother was Elizabeth of York.

Died: 28th January 1547 at the Palace of Whitehall in London. Henry was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Reign: 21st April 1509 to 28th January 1547.

Facts About Henry VIII’s Early Life

  • Henry received an excellent education from some of the best tutors in Europe.
  • He was fluent in Latin and French and he could speak some Ancient Greek and Spanish.
  • Henry’s mother, Elizabeth of York, died when he was eleven years old.
  • Henry wasn’t expected to become King of England, but when his brother Arthur died in 1502 at the age of 15, Henry was next in line for the throne.

Other Facts About Henry VIII

  • Henry enjoyed music and he could play the lute and the organ.
  • He had a good singing voice and he could read and compose music.
  • In his youth, Henry VIII was a keen sportsman. He loved jousting, hunting and playing real tennis.
  • Henry was over 6 feet tall and was strong and athletic.
  • In 1536, Henry was unhorsed in a jousting tournament. He was very badly hurt and it seems that the leg injury he sustained may have contributed to his obesity and mood swings that characterised the latter part of his reign.
  • Henry VIII had six wives – Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. You can read more about them by clicking here.
  • Henry VIII separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, using the Act of Supremacy to declare himself the head of the Church of England. Click here to read more about the Break with Rome. (coming soon!)

Click here to see the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Henry VIII.

Visit the Primary Facts resources page for The Tudors.

66 Responses to Facts About Henry VIII

  1. i dont know if this is a spelling mistake but it says form and it should say from but iver all it was amazing

    Reply

  2. Well, thankyou for the facts on Henry VIII They were very usefull to me and Thomas. We hope more facts will be posted..anyway thankyou
    Poppy
    xxx

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  3. Heloo, My name is Tomas Thankyou for the facts it was very nice of you Henry was a very unusual man and did you know that his last words are supposed to be “Monks, Monks, Monks!” 😉 Thankyou again Tomas

    Reply

  4. Hey my name is Georgia and i find these facts useful as i am writing a biography so it is so helpful thank you and he was a very unusual man like Tomas said

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  7. Thank you, very helpful for my homework. I like the way you have organised it and great for my teachers lesson! Thanks again.

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  11. Thanks it soooooooo helped me and got me ready for my assessment. Thanks i love this website. I know where to go for history help.

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  18. thanks really helped me and because of your information i got an A in my history report thanks once again keep up the information cheers

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  19. I have to do a term paper fact sheet. It sounds kind of cheesy but at least I can use a lot of the facts instead of using wiki when I have it due in 2 days. Thanks a lot. I am 17 and it’s helpful lol. I think I will be looking for many many facts on Henry VII and all of his life. Our theme for our Term Paper is Leadership and Legacy in History. Thanks!!

    Reply

  25. thank you so much for this information you helped my brother to be inspired to learn about henry viii me and my mum could not thank you enough …thanks too you he had an amazing level on his henry vii research project …we could not thank you enough .:)

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  29. thanks so much you helped me with my school project!!!
    it would be great if you added info on Henry VIIIs wives too.
    THANK YOU!!!!!:) 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply

  39. this is really useful and it helped me with my homework cus I was stuck and didn’t know what to do so thanks

    Reply

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