Henry VIII of England ruled as king from 1509 to 1547. The second Tudor king after his father Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509), Henry had inherited a kingdom which enjoyed both unity and sound finances. Famous for his six wives as he searched for a male heir, the king was charismatic and domineering. In order to escape his first marriage, Henry set himself against the Pope and so began the Reformation of the Church in England whereby it broke away from Rome and the English monarch became its supreme head. A larger-than-life figure, Henry centralised government, further absorbed Wales into his kingdom, saw to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, formed the Royal Navy and built magnificent palaces such as St. James' in London. When Henry died, though, in 1547, he was succeeded by his juvenile son Edward VI of England (r. 1547-1553) and he left him an impoverished kingdom split over religious issues.
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Timeline
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28 Jun 1491Future Henry VIII of England is born at Greenwich Palace.
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2 Apr 1502Prince Arthur of England, first husband of Catherine of Aragon, dies of illness.
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Sep 1502Henry VII of England arranges for his second son Henry (future Henry VIII of England) to marry Catherine of Aragon at a future date.
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1509 - 1547Reign of Henry VIII of England.
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11 Jun 1509Prince Henry (future Henry VIII of England) marries Catherine of Aragon.
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24 Jun 1509Coronation of Henry VIII of England in Westminster Abbey.
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c. 1513 - 1529Cardinal Thomas Wolsey serves as Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England.
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16 Aug 1513A naval force of Henry VIII of England wins the Battle of the Spurs against the French.n
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9 Sep 1513Henry VIII of England sends an army to Scotland and wins a victory at Flodden where James IV of Scotland is killed.
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18 Feb 1516Birth of Mary, daughter of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon. She is the future Mary I of England.
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1518England, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a mutual defence agreement.
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1518Sir Thomas More is invited to join the KIng's Council of Henry VIII of England.
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1519Henry VIII of England has an illegitimate son,nHenry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond with his mistress, Elizabeth Blount.
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Jun 1520The Field of the Cloth of Gold pageant is held just outside Calais for Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France.
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1521Sir Thomas More is knighted by Henry VIII of Englandnand made Treasurer of the Exchequer.
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1521The Pope awards Henry VIII of England with the title 'Defender of the Faith'.
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1522Anne Boleyn arrives at the court of Henry VIII of England.
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1525The Treaty of More renews friendly relations between England and France.
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1525Cardinal Thomas Wolsey introduces an unpopular new tax, the Amicable Grant. It is abandoned after several rebellions.
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1529 - 1532Sir Thomas More is Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England.
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1529Cardinal Thomas Wolsey is dismissed from the Privy Council and as Lord Chancellor for his failure in Henry VIII of England's 'Great Matter'.
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Jun 1529Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio presides over a special court to decide the annulment of the first marriage of Henry VIII of England. No decision is reached.
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1530Henry VIII of England appoints Thomas Cranmer as ambassador to the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
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1530Cardinal Thomas Wolsey dies of ill health on his way to trial for treason against Henry VIII of England.
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1531Thomas Cranmer serves as the personal chaplain of Henry VIII of England.
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1532Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor over Henry VIII of England's plans to remarry.
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1532Thomas Cromwell pushes through Parliament the Act in Restraint of Annates which limits funds paid to the Papacy.
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1532 - 1540Thomas Cromwell is chief minister to Henry VIII of England.
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Oct 1532Henry VIII of England travels to France with Anne Boleyn as his official consort.
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1533 - 1555Thomas Cranmer serves as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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1533Thomas Cromwell pushes through Parliament the Act in Restraint of Appeals which declares that the English monarch is now the highest authority on all legal matters.
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25 Jan 1533Henry VIII of England marries his second wife, Anne Boleyn, in secret.
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30 Mar 1533Henry VIII of England appoints Thomas Cranmer as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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23 May 1533Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury formally annuls Henry VIII of England’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
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1 Jun 1533Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England, is crowned Queen of England.
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7 Sep 1533Birth of Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn. She is the future Elizabeth I of England.
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1534Thomas Cromwell pushes through Parliament the Treason Act which forbids people to speak out and criticise their king or his policies.
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30 Apr 1534Parliament passes the Act of Succession which declares Henry VIII of England's daughter Mary (with Catherine of Aragon) illegitimate.
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28 Nov 1534The Act of Supremacy declares Henry VIII of England the head of the Church in England and not the Pope.
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1535Thomas Cromwell and a team of inspectors compile the Valor Ecclesiasticus, a record of all the wealth and income of monastic institutions in England and Wales.
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Jan 1535Thomas Cromwell is made vicar-general by Henry VIII of England.
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6 Jul 1535Sir Thomas More is executed for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII of England as the head of the Church in England.
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1536Henry VIII of England and Thomas Cromwell push a bill through Parliament which begins the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales.
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1536The German Renaissance painter Hans Holbein the Younger becomes the court painter of Henry VIII of England.
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1536Thomas Cromwell's Ten Articles rejects four of the Seven Sacraments of Catholicism.
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9 Jan 1536Death from cancer of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII of England.
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May 1536Henry VIII of England marries his third wife, Jane Seymour.
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2 May 1536Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England, is confined to the Tower of London.
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17 May 1536Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, formally annuls the marriage of Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn.
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19 May 1536Anne Boleyn, Queen of England and second wife of Henry VIII of England is executed at the Tower of London.
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Aug 1536Thomas Cromwell issues The Injunctions, a set of recommendations for the clergy.
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Oct 1536 - Dec 1536The Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular uprising against religious changes made by Henry VIII of England, marches in the north of England.
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Jun 1537Henry VIII of England executes 178 of the protestors involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace.
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Jul 1537Thomas Cromwell publishes The Bishop’s Book.
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12 Oct 1537Birth of Edward, son and heir of Henry VIII of England and future Edward VI of England.
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1538Thomas Cromwell issues a more radical version of The Injunctions.
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1539Henry VIII of England approves the translation of the Bible into English.
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1539Henry VIII of England guarantees certain Catholic practices with the Act of Six Articles.
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1539Parliament passes an act to close all monasteries in England and Wales regardless of size.
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Jan 1540Henry VIII of England marries his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
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Mar 1540Waltham Abbey is the last monastery in England to close.
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10 Jun 1540Thomas Cromwell is arrested on charges of treason and heresy.
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Jul 1540Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
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9 Jul 1540Henry VIII of England and Anne of Cleves divorce by mutual consent. Thomas Cromwell is blamed for the mismatch.
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9 Jul 1540Henry VIII of England and Anne of Cleves divorce by mutual consent. n
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28 Jul 1540Thomas Cromwell is executed for treason and heresy.
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1541Henry VIII of England awards himself the title ‘King of Ireland’ .
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Feb 1542Catherine Howard is accused of adultery and executed in the Tower of London.
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1543Wales is divided into 13 counties by Henry VIII of England.
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Jul 1543Henry VIII of England marries his sixth wife, Catherine Parr.
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1544An army sent by Henry VIII of England attacks Scotland and sacks Edinburgh.
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1544 - 1545English forces ravage the Scottish Lowlands, the so-called ‘Rough Wooing’.
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1545An army of Henry VIII of England is defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Ancrum Moor.
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19 Jul 1545Henry VIII of England's vice-flagship the carrack Mary Rose sinks in the Solent.
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1546A peace treaty with France gives Henry VIII of England control of Boulogne for eight years.
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28 Jan 1547Henry VIII of England dies of ill health in Whitehall Palace.
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20 Feb 1547Coronation of Edward VI of England in Westminster Abbey.
