The birth of Henry Tudor, later known as Henry VIII, took place on June 28th, 1491, in London, England. He was one of 6 other siblings born to Henry VII and Elizabeth York, but only 3 of his siblings survived their childhood. Though Henry’s brother, Arthur, was expected to ascend to the throne, he died at the young age of 15, leaving the throne to Henry.
When Henry was 17 years old, he married Arthur’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, after Pope Julius II granted a dispensation to Catherine’s previous marriage on grounds that it had not been consummated. They remained married for 24 years until Henry divorced her because she was unable to give him a male heir, which was incredibly important because of the War of Roses that lasted 30 years, of which nobody wanted a duplicate. Instead, she provided a daughter, Princess Mary.
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He petitioned to the Pope for an annulment, and when he was refused, decided that he needed not permission from the Pope on church matters in England. He then divorced Catherine of Aragon after his mistress, Anne Boleyn, was found with child. The king’s close friend, Thomas More, was very much against this. Thomas and Henry had both been very devout Catholics, having written “Declaration of the seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther” together, and so Thomas was shocked and disappointed to see his loved friend go against the faith in such
a way. Thomas confronted Henry about this, causing great conflict between the two. Henry had his friend sentenced to death because of this opposition, to which More responded, “I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first.” Thomas More was martyred for the faith on July 6th in 1535.
In January of 1533, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were wed in secret, and soon after, Henry was the father of yet another girl, named