King Henry VIII

Henry VIII was born in 1491 and he died in 1547.

He had special tutors to teach him when he was a boy.

He had a fool to amuse him when he was bored with his books.

He also had to learn jousting, archery, hunting and other military arts.

In 1509 Henry was crowned King and he married Catherine of Aragon.

Henry VIII had 6 wives:

1. Catherine of Aragon (divorced)

2. Anne Boleyn (beheaded)

3. Jane Seymour (died)

4. Anne of Cleeves (divorced)

5. Kathryn Howard (beheaded)

6. Katherine Parr (survived)

In the brackets next to Henry's wives is a little rhyme to help you remember whether they were divorced, beheaded, died or survived ;-)

From his marriages, Henry had three children who lived: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward.

As an older man, Henry became quite overweight as he ate very rich food. There were big differences between rich and poor people in Henry VIII's time. Henry wore very rich, expensive clothes. Some even had jewels sewn into them.

As King of England, it was important that Henry was seen as rich and powerful. He lived in grand palaces like Hampton Court.

The kitchens at Hampton Court were huge.

You can visit some of the places where Henry VIII lived like Hampton Court Palace.