author
King of England Henry VIII
1491–1547
Remembered for his six marriages and larger-than-life personality, this Tudor king reshaped England in ways that still echo through history. His reign mixed pageantry, power struggles, and a dramatic break with Rome.
1 Audiobook
The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn; With Notes
by King of England Henry VIII
About the author
Born on June 28, 1491, Henry VIII became king in 1509 after the death of his father, Henry VII. Early in his reign he was known as an athletic, well-educated prince, but he would become one of the most famous and controversial rulers in English history.
Henry is best known for his six marriages, yet his political and religious choices were just as important. When the pope would not grant him an annulment from Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke with the Roman Catholic Church and made the English monarch head of the Church of England. That decision helped drive the English Reformation and changed the relationship between crown, church, and state.
He ruled until his death on January 28, 1547. Henry VIII remains a towering figure of the Tudor age: charismatic, forceful, and often ruthless, with a legacy shaped by royal power, religious upheaval, and the lasting drama of his court.