The+controversial+life+of+King+Henry+VIII+ended++yesterday

by Vanja
 * The controversial life of King Henry VIII has ended**

//It is no news that our King Henry VIII has been sick for a very long time now. He died night to 28th of January. Three days after the death, we received an official message that the death of King Henry VIII occurred and took place at the Palace of Whitehall.//



Henry VIII was born on June 28th 1491 in Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. He was King of our Kingdom, but later also Lord of Ireland. He will probably be most remembered as the one who caused the English reform and for his many and failed marriages.

King Henry VIII inherited the throne after that his older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died in 1502. He was not prepared and raised to become a King from the day he was born. The death of Arthur led to great changes in Henry’s life. Suddenly he couldn’t pay as much attention to sports and other things that had caught his interest, because soon he would have a whole country under his govern, and he needed to be prepared.

There have always been rumours going about Henry’s passion for women. It is also told that he had a tyrant behaviour sometimes, but we still look at him as the strong monarch that had the people behind him. He is responsible for the improved outside politic, and also for that England became a sea-force. King Henry was also a very scholar man. He was interested in music and in younger days also in sports. Back in time he also was very athletic, but as the years went by, his health became worse.

Early in 1514 King Henry got pocks, but he recovered well. During the years Henry VIII had a few accidents, and once nearly lost his head during a game. But in 1528 he got an open sore on his leg that didn’t close. In later years his weight also increased highly. Henry VIII was always a big man, but in the end his waist was measured 137 cm. The open sore that he got, caused his weight increase and made him unable to play sports. We can also find evidence that he suffered from podagra, which took away his abilities to move normal. It is also known than the King had to be lifted with pulleys in the end.

As his first wife, Katarina of Aragon, didn’t manage to give him a son, Henry VIII decided to take out a divorce. But the catholic pope wouldn’t give him permission to this. Based on this, King Henry decided to sign himself out of the Catholic Church. He founded his own church, The Protestant Church of England, which we are members of today. Even though he became protestant, he always acted more like a Catholic.

Henry VIII had six wives during his life. Most people are familiar with the mnemonic about he wives: “King Henry the eight, to six wives he was wedded: One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded.” His first wife, Katarina of Aragon, was divorced after that she couldn’t give birth to a boy, although she gave him his firstborn. Ann Boleyn was executed after the King claimed her unfaithful. His marriage to Jane Seymour was claimed to be real love and she even managed to give him a son, unfortunately she died right after the birth of Edward. The fourth wife was Anna of Kleve. As the stories tell, they never went along good and shortly after the marriage ended. Katarina Howard was the other wife that got executed, because she had two other men while she was married. Katarina Parr was his last wife, and also the wife he left behind. Katarina Parr has always been by the King’s side, and she nursed him when he became sick. She has also managed to keep all of his three children under one roof.

In the end King Henry VIII got a strong fever, and the last days of his life he spent in bed in St. James’s Palace. He died around two o’clock on the night to 28th January in Palace of Whitehall. This would have been his father 90th birthday. It was first three days after the death that we received an official message from the parliament, on the 31st of January.

On the 8th of February all church clocks of England will be ringing for King Henry VIII. His funeral will be held in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where he will be buried next to Jane Seymour. King Henry left behind three children: Mary, Edward and Elisabeth. According to the inherit-law Edward is the one who will take over the throne. At this time Edward is only nine years old, and is not in position to rule England by himself. In the testament of King Henry VII there are sixteen names that will together decide for one man that will rule for Edward until he turns eighteen. We will be following this case closely in the nearest days.