King Henry VIII: More Than Just a Wife Killer?

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Divorced, beheaded, and died; divorced, beheaded, survived. These are well-known events that happened to King Henry VIII’s wives. This little jingle is so famous that King Henry VIII’s treatment of his wives is the most known thing about him. The question is, is he really just a wife killer? To many people's surprise, there is more to King Henry VIII. Granted, I only learned this myself during my World History class in eleventh grade (shoutout to Ms. Campbell!), so I don’t blame people for not knowing more about this historical king. There are several areas where King Henry VIII excelled than just killing his wives, so let’s see what this wife-killer was capable of.

Religion

One of the first things I learned during World History is how religion was one of life's most important features in the medieval ages. And can you guess what church held great power and influence? The Catholic Church. Henry was born and raised Catholic. He was even given the title “Defender of Faith” when he became king and wrote a book with Sir Thomas Moore titled An Assertion of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther. As you can see, Henry loved his religion.

However, I also learned that the Reformation couldn’t have happened without him. He changed the religion of England from Catholic to Protestant, leading to the monasteries being terminated. This guy even named himself Head of the Church of England. Why, though, when he had spent so much of his life respecting the Pope and the Church?

Well, this boils down to the Pope not letting Henry divorce Catherine of Aragon. Of course, Henry only wanted to divorce his first wife because he wanted to be in Anne Boleyn, and she refused until they were married. A true queen, she knew “how quickly the king tired of those who had served him as his beloveds.”

Once Henry was Head of the Church of England, Catherine was Ara-gone, and Anne was Bole-in. He was in the relationship for three years and out when his second wife became Anne Bole-out. By beheading.

Some historians believe the Reformation may have laid the groundwork for English Euroskepticism. You read that correctly: Brexit may have been influenced by Henry being a lady killer.

Military

Henry also did a lot for the English navy, too. Did you know King Henry VIII is known as the “Father of the British Navy”? He’s the reason the Royal Naval Dockyards at Woolwich and Deptford were built in the first place. Henry ordered England’s first gunship to be made because I guess the country really needed one of those. He also got England’s number of battleships up to 60 from the measly five it had been before. And here I am, still trying to make sure I don’t end up living in my mum’s basement.

Another thing I learned in World History is how many kings became paranoid in their later years, and Henry was no exception. In response to this paranoia, he made many coastal fortresses during the early 1540s to defend England from invasions. French armies attempted to invade from the English Coast in 1545-1546, so I guess his paranoia wasn’t unjustified after all; the French failed miserably, to the surprise of nobody.

Conclusion

King Henry VIII clearly did more than just kill his wives, so why is this usually the only thing people know about him? Well, having some of your wives killed is a pretty memorable thing. Also, six wives? That’s a little unusual from that time period, don’t you think? He even went to the extreme of upending the entire religion of England to divorce Catherine of Aragon. Or, maybe it’s just easier to joke about Henry being a wife killer.

At the end of the day, I guess the reason isn’t that important. King Henry VIII had two of his wives killed, but he had many more accomplishments than that; both are true. Now it’s up to you: is King Henry VIII more than just a wife-killer?

Sources

https://elizabethanenglandlife.com/thetudorsfacts/king-henry-viii-accomplishments.html

https://www.sixwives.info/henry-viii-accomplishments.htm

Amber Boileau is a 19 year-old Professional Writing student at Algonquin College. Coming from the middle of nowhere, her free time from studying was spent reading, writing, and spending time with her family. This resulted in a girl who mostly stayed inside and grew to be irritated with 99% of the people around her. She still prefers to be inside, alone, and working on her school, reading, or writing, but will occasionally come out of hiding to be with her friends.