Defensor Sporting

Admin | November 15, 2011 | Comments Off

Defensor Sporting

Defensor Sporting

Henry VIII, the English king who reigned from 1509 to his death in 1547, is most often remembered for his overgrown waistline, his six wives, and his frightening temper. Although those characteristics were certainly true of the later years of his life and reign, the beginning was quite different. There were very many aspects of the early reign of Henry VIII that were vital in understanding who he was as a person and as a king. Thus when considering his reign as a whole, it is key that the beginning not be overlooked, which it often is.

Succession of Henry VIII

Henry VIII, son of Henry VII (Henry Tudor) and Elizabeth of York, ascended to the throne of England at the age of eighteen on April 22, 1509. He was married to Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain on June 11 and both were crowned on June 24. Henry was an eighteen-year-old youth when he was crowned. His father’s throne was not secure, and by the time Henry ascended, although there were tireless efforts made by his father to secure it, it was still not completely safe. Henry VII took his crown from the battlefield on which he defeated and killed Richard III in 1485 at Bosworth. His claim to the throne was weak, and many doubted it was legitimate. There were many who had a more stable claim and thus Henry VII set out to rid his kingdom of the other claimants. By the time Henry VIII ascended, most of the competitors were gone.Henry VIII did not have a strong interest in politics and decision-making at the beginning of his reign. He was more interested, as can be expected of a young man his age, in sporting, hunting, and dancing; three things that the young king did remarkably well. He left the more mundane tasks to a few trusted advisors. In the beginning, his closest and most influential advisors were William Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, and Bishop Richard Foxe. After 1514, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey played a large role in policy-making in Henry’s government, and was a strong figure at Henry’s court.