Henry VIII -His life and reign

D.O.B

Jun 28, 1491

Henry VIII is born to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

Catherine of Aragon + Prince Arthur

Nov 14, 1501

Catherine was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. When she was 16, she came to England in 1501 to marry Henry VII's eldest son and heir to the throne, Arthur. The two married in 1501

Arthur's death

Apr 2, 1502

After only 5 months of Catherine and Prince Arthur's marriage, he passed away.

Henry VII dies

Apr 21, 1509

Henry VIII's father passes away.

henry becomes king

Apr 21, 1509

King Henry VIII of England became King on the death of his father, King Henry VII, on 21st April 1509. His coronation took place on 24th June 1509. He was crowned in 1509

Henry marries Catherine of Aragon

Jun 11, 1509

When Henry VIII became King he asked Catherine to marry him and the two were married on 11th June 1509.

The Protestant Reformation

Jan 1, 1517

The Reformation is the movement in history, beginning in 1517, which broke up the institutional unity of the church in Western Europe and established the third great branch of Christianity, called Protestantism, which was and is centered on the absolute and sufficient authority of the Bible and on justification by faith alone.

Birth of Mary

Feb 18, 1518

Henry & Catherine's marriage produced just one living child, a daughter called Mary, and Henry was desperate for a male heir.

The Field of the Cloth of Gold

Jun 7, 1520

Henry VIII and Francis I meet on the boarder of France and English-occupied Calais. The meeting was arranged to establish an alliance between England and France and lasted for three weeks. It is known as "The Field of the Cloth of Gold". Henry and Francis agreed in principle to an alliance, but just two weeks later Henry met with Charles, Holly Roman Empire and forged a counter alliance.

Henry marries Anne Boleyn

Nov 14, 1532

Anne Boleyn was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn and Lady Elizabeth Howard. Anne resisted the King's attempts to seduce her and refused to become his mistress, as her sister, Mary Boleyn, had done. In 1532 Henry married Anne Boleyn in a secret ceremony whilst she was already pregnant and he was still officially married to Catherine. The King's second marriage was not popular. People believed that Anne was a witch and had cast a spell on Henry.

Catherines divorce

May 23, 1533

By 1527 Henry was really doubting about his marriage to Catherine. He believed that he had no sons because God was punishing him for having married his brother's wife. He had found a passage in the Bible that backed this belief. He had also fallen for another lady; Anne Boleyn. Catherine refused to grant Henry a divorce or retire to a convent. Henry therefore began the Reformation in England so that he could divorce Catherine without the Pope's permission. Catherine was divorced by Henry in 1533

Birth of Elizabeth

Sep 7, 1533

Elizabeth's life was troubled from the moment she was born. Henry VIII had changed the course of his country's history in order to marry Anne Boleyn, hoping that she would bear him the strong and healthy son that Catherine of Aragon never did. But, on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich Palace, Anne bore Elizabeth instead. Anne did eventually conceive a son, but he was stillborn.

The Act of Supremecy

Nov 1, 1534

The Act of Supremacy was declared making Henry 'the only supreme head on earth of the Church in England.

The dissolution of the monasteries

Jan 1, 1536

The conflict between Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church eventually led to the seizure of Church properties by the state. Hundreds of monasteries were demolished for building materials, sold off or reclaimed as Anglican Churches.

Anne's beheading

May 19, 1536

Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London following on the back of rumors that she had been unfaithful.

Birth of Edward I

Oct 15, 1537

It wasn't until early 1537 that Jane became pregnant. During her pregnancy, Jane's every whim was indulged by the King, convinced that Jane, whom he felt to be his first 'true wife', carried his long hoped for son. In October, a prince was born at Hampton Court Palace and was christened on 15th of October. The baby was named Edward. Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was godmother and Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, also played a role in the ceremony.

Jane's Death

Oct 24, 1537

There has been much written over whether or not Jane gave birth to Edward by cesarean section. It seems unlikely that if she had, she would have lived as long as she did after the birth. Jane attended her son's christening, although she was weak. She died on October 24th, just two weeks after her son was born.

Henry marries Anne of Cleves

Jan 6, 1540

Henry VIII remained single for over two years after Jane Seymour's death, genuinely mourning for her. However, it does seem that someone, possibly Thomas Cromwell, began making inquiries shortly after Jane's death about a possible foreign bride for Henry. Hans Holbein was sent to the court of the Duke of Cleves, who had two sisters: Amelia and Anne. Holbein painted the sisters of the Duke of Cleves and Henry decided to have a contract drawn up for his marriage to Anne. The marriage took place on

Anne of Cleves' divorce

Jul 6, 1540

Anne knew that she would only be making trouble for herself if she raised any obstacles to Henry's attempts to annul the marriage. She testified that the match had not been properly broken. After the marriage had been dissolved, Anne accepted the honorary title as the 'King's Sister'. She was given property, including the formerly the home of Anne Boleyn. Anne lived away from court quietly in the countryside until 1557.

Kathryn's beheading

Feb 13, 1542

Less than a year into Kathryn's marriage, rumors began. One couldn't blame her for seeking men closer to her own age. But to do so was dangerous for a Queen, especially one who came from a family with enemies. Kathryn also appointed one of her admirers as her personal secretary. By Nov 1541, there was enough evidence against the Queen that Archbishop Cranmer informed the King of Kathryn's misconduct. Henry didn't believe the accusations, but he agreed to allow further investigations. Enough evid

Henry marries Katherine Parr

Jul 12, 1543

Katherine Parr was the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife Maud Green. Katherine had already been widowed twice when she married Henry. She was noticed by not only the King, but also Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour. Katherine expressed her desire to marry Thomas Seymour, but the King’s request for her hand was one that Katherine felt it was her duty to accept. The two were married in the Queen’s closet at Hampton Court Palace.

Henry's death

Jan 28, 1547

Henry VIII died in January 1547 and Katherine had probably expected to play some role in the regency for the new nine-year-old king, Edward VI, but this was not to be. A few months after Henry’s death, Katherine secretly married Thomas Seymour, but the quickness and secret nature of the union caused a scandal. Katherine was still able to take guardianship of Princess Elizabeth and Seymour purchased the wardship of the king’s cousin, Lady Jane Grey. It was during this time that the rumors of a re