Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547.

 

He is best known for his six marriages. Seeking a male heir, he broke with the Catholic faith and appointed himself Supreme Head of the Church of England in order to divorce Catharine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. He went on to dissolve convents and monasteries, for which he was excommunicated, to seize their income for himself.

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He has been described as "one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne" and his reign has been described as the "most important" in English history but as he aged, he became severely overweight, his health suffered and he became feared as a lustful, egotistical, paranoid and tyrannical monarch.