King Henry 8 of England is one of the most famous and, perhaps, controversial rulers in the history of this country. On the one hand, he greatly strengthened power, contributed to the strengthening of the state, but it was precisely the years of his reign that were marked by executions, intrigues and the restructuring of the religious and social system.
General characteristics of kingship
The 16th century was a time of strengthening the power of the center in England. This king's predecessor had made great efforts to secure a foothold for his authority. In part, he succeeded, but the need to continue the reforms was obvious. This was also explained by the fact that the state had not fully recovered from the bloody civil war, which became a serious crisis. Under these conditions, the new king of England, Henry 8, came to the throne.
His main and paramount task was to provide a social basis for his power. At first, he supported Catholicism, the Pope, and the Austrian Habsburgs by marrying the aunt of Emperor Charles V. However, he soon changed course of his policy. Needing the internal support of the English nobility, he took extremely radical measures, namely the confiscation of monastic property and lands, which marked the beginningreformation in the country.
Family crisis and break with Rome
The first wife of Henry 8 was the aunt of the emperor of the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs. She was several years older than him and did not give him male offspring. This was the reason for the desire of the king to marry again: the country needed an heir to the throne. The personal factor also played an important role: the ruler fell quite in love with the queen's lady-in-waiting, who demanded legal marriage. All of the above reasons led to the fact that he asked the Pope for permission to divorce. However, the latter refused, largely due to the fact that he was under the influence of Charles V, who, of course, was not interested in the divorce of the English monarch from his blood relative. Then the king went on an open break with Rome, declaring himself the head of the church. He divorced his wife and remarried.
Second marriage
The new wife of Henry 8 Anna became queen, but this union ended tragically for her. At first, consent reigned between the spouses, but the fact is that very soon the king found himself a new favorite, whom he later married and who gave birth to his long-awaited heir. Just a few years later, the young queen was accused of adultery and executed in the Tower. Her daughter Elizabeth later became Queen of England, and it was during her reign that Anne Boleyn was fully rehabilitated.
Next marriage
The third wife of the king was Jane Seymour, who comes fromnoble noble family. The monarch was carried away by her during the years of his marriage to Anna. Even then, he began to openly court her, which caused the anger and indignation of his wife. Immediately after her execution, he married his new favorite, declaring her the new queen. The wife of Henry 8, unlike her predecessor, had a quiet and calm disposition and did not interfere in the affairs of politics and government. Only once did she intercede for participants in the Pious Pilgrimage, an uprising that occurred due to the monarch's break with the Catholic Church. She was meek, pious, and sympathetic to the disgraced Princess Mary. Everyone at court liked the young queen, and only the Protestants were unhappy, fearing that she would approve the monarch's policy of reformation. However, Jane Seymour only cared about giving birth to her husband an heir, which she succeeded in, but she herself died of puerperal fever a few days later. She remained the beloved wife of the ruler, who bequeathed to be buried next to her.
Frustrated marriage
The fourth wife of Henry 8 turned out to be the daughter of the Duke of Cleves. She was a Protestant, and so the adherents of the new religion counted on this marriage, hoping that the new queen would support them. The engagement took place in advance, and according to the descriptions of those close to the king, the new bride was his good choice. Anna of Cleves won the favor of the ambassadors, who assured their ruler that he had made a worthy choice. The monarch himself decided to find out in advance what his future wife, who had already arrived in the country, was like. Soon disguised as a private individu althe monarch also came there. He talked with the princess for several hours, but remained very dissatisfied with her. All his anger he brought down on the ambassador who arranged this marriage. After some time, the lawyers, despite the fact that the marriage contract had already been signed, managed to terminate the engagement. Anna of Klevskaya remained in the country in the position of the beloved sister of the king, who gave her a generous allowance and even visited her, managing to find a common language with her.
Next marriages
The wife of Henry 8, the fifth in a row, was a cousin of the second wife of the king. She suffered the same fate, although at first the marriage seemed successful. The young Queen Catherine Howard turned out to be a kind, but very simple-hearted woman. So, she admitted her former favorites to the court. In addition, her uncle had many enemies who sought to undermine his influence at court. Soon evidence was found against the young woman, it turned out that she had previously been engaged. She was accused of adultery, which was then equated with a state crime. She was arrested and executed in the Tower.
The last wife of the king was Catherine Parr. She turned out to be a very smart woman. She showed remarkable diplomacy, trying to enlist the support of her husband's relatives and close associates. And she succeeded. She developed a very good, almost friendly relationship with Princess Elizabeth. She also managed to win over her heir, little Edward, although he was at first extremelydisliked by his new stepmother. And only with the eldest daughter of the king, Mary, friendly relations did not work out. The monarch was still extremely suspicious and more than once tried to arrest his wife, but each time he postponed his decision. Perhaps this was also facilitated by the fact that his he alth was rapidly deteriorating. So, Catherine Parr turned out to be the only wife of the king who escaped death and survived him.
Assessing family life
Such crises of the king's family life have become the object of close attention of scientists, historians, writers and composers. Many have looked for the reason for this behavior in the character of the king. In fact, the temper of the monarch was quick-tempered and tough. However, it is also undoubted that such crises were the result of a fierce court struggle for power, when each grouping sought to maintain its influence and position. Therefore, Henry 8 and his 6 wives became the subject of close research by specialists. Undoubtedly, the cause of such problems should also be sought in the domestic political crisis, which was associated with the Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church and the change in foreign policy. Many view the family life of the king not only in the context of changes in his character, but also in a broader sense, namely as part of the confrontation between the Catholic and Protestant parties at the royal court. Thus, the reign of Henry 8, in addition to strengthening the power of the center, was marked by serious internal political complications.
Successors of the ruler
After the death of the monarch, his son Edward 6, who was distinguished by extremely poor he alth, began to rule. In fact, under him, his relatives, representatives of the Protestant party, were regents. Therefore, for some time, the positions of her adherents remained firm, but soon the young monarch died, and the throne was taken by the daughter of Henry 8 from his first wife. She was a Catholic and during the reign began to restore the position of the Roman Church. At this time, the Protestants were persecuted, many were dissatisfied with the policy of the new queen, who married the Spanish monarch of the Catholic faith. However, after her death, the Protestant nobles enthroned another daughter of the late monarch. Her mother was Anne Boleyn, but this did not prevent the choice. The fact is that Elizabeth supported the supporters of the new faith. During the years of her reign, the position of the Anglican Church was strengthened. Moreover, she passed a law according to which the new creed became state. Under her, the final formation of the socio-political system that began to take shape under her two successors took place.
Period value
In the history of England, this era played a decisive role. In these few decades, an apparatus of royal power was formed, based on the new nobility, which received the lands confiscated from the monasteries. This nobility became the backbone of the English throne. The rulers, starting with Henry 8, created the system of administrative control, which formed the basis of the socio-political system of the state. In addition, during the reign of Elizabeth Ithere was a flourishing of English culture. The queen herself patronized poets, writers, cultural figures. Under her, a national English theater was formed, which later gained worldwide fame.
During the reign of this queen, England expanded its spheres of influence. A striking example is F. Drake's round-the-world trip. Diplomatic relations with Russia were also established. The era of the reign of this queen occupies one of the leading places in the history of not only England, but also the entire early modern European time in general.
Images in culture
Henry 8, his wives and immediate successors became the object of artistic creativity of writers, composers, directors. One of the most famous novels about this time is the work of M. Twain "The Prince and the Pauper", where the main character is the son of the king, who by chance changed places with a poor boy, very similar to him. The value of the novel lies in the fact that it very vividly and expressively describes the English reality of the 16th century. The novel by the writer D. Plaidy "The Sixth Wife of Henry 8" is famous. This essay is notable for its dynamic and intriguing plot, interesting characters and original composition.
In music
In classical music, these images also found their expression. For example, the work of the Italian composer G. Donizetti “Anna Boleyn” is world famous. The same author owns an opera about Elizabeth, which is no less popular. It is significant that the plot from English history became interestedItalian composer. This indicates the great popularity of these plots in European culture.
To the movies
Dynasty time attracts contemporary directors. An example is the film "The Other Boleyn Girl", which occupies a prominent place in cinema. An English series dedicated to the years of her reign is known. All the characters in it are real; for example, the heroine of one of the first episodes is Catherine of Aragon. The Tudors has become a very famous series that clearly demonstrates the public's interest in the era in question. One of the most famous films is the picture "Elizabeth. Golden age". It very colorfully recreates the era of the reign of this queen. The reason for this interest lies in the fact that the studied time was a transitional one in the history of England and European history in general. It was then that the institution of royal power and the national identity of states and countries were formed.
