Henry VIII

1491 – 1547 · died at about 56^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Henry VIII

• Henry VIII was named "Defender of the Faith" by Pope Leo X for a 1521 book defending the papacy. A later pope revoked the title after Henry was excommunicated, but it is still in use today.^[1]
• Henry did not write "Greensleeves", despite the popular claim: the song uses an Italian style that reached England only after his death. His best-known real song is "Pastime with Good Company".^[1]
• Henry was never meant to be king: he was the second son, and became heir only after his older brother Arthur died in 1502, just 20 weeks after marrying Catherine of Aragon.^[1]
• Henry was a well-built athlete over 6 feet tall in his youth, but late in life his waist measured 54 inches and he had to be moved about with mechanical devices.^[1]
• After Henry gained weight following a jousting fall in 1536, his courtiers began wearing heavily padded clothes to imitate and flatter him.^[1]
• Henry's grand planned tomb was never finished, and its sarcophagus was later reused for Lord Nelson's tomb in St Paul's Cathedral.^[1]
• Henry VIII was alive at the same time as Christopher Columbus — their lives overlapped for 15 years (1491–1506).^[1][2][3][4]
• Henry VIII shares a birthday with Jean-Jacques Rousseau: both were born on June 28.^[1][2][5][6]

Henry VIII was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. After the pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry passed legislation that severed England and Ireland from the Roman Catholic Church and established the monarch as Supreme Head of the Church of England, initiating the English Reformation. He subsequently married five more times; two marriages were annulled and two wives were executed.^[1]

Contemporaries

Michelangelo

56 yr overlap

Hernán Cortés

56 yr overlap

Martin Luther

55 yr overlap

Suleiman the Magnificent

53 yr overlap

Nicolaus Copernicus

52 yr overlap

Albrecht Dürer

37 yr overlap

Niccolò Machiavelli

36 yr overlap

Vasco da Gama

33 yr overlap

Ferdinand Magellan

30 yr overlap

Raphael

29 yr overlap

Leonardo da Vinci

28 yr overlap

Christopher Columbus

15 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Henry VIII

When was Henry VIII born?

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, and died on January 28, 1547.

How old was Henry VIII at death?

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, and died on January 28, 1547, at age 55.

What was Henry VIII known for?

Henry VIII was known for: King of England, six wives. Henry VIII was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. After the pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry passed legislation that severed England and Ireland from the Roman Catholic Church and established the monarch as Supreme Head of the Church of England, initiating the English Reformation. He subsequently married five more times; two marriages were annulled and two wives were executed.

Who was alive at the same time as Henry VIII?

Henry VIII's closest contemporary was Michelangelo. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.