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Henry VIII: Reign, Reformation, and Key Events - Revision Notes, Exams of History

Explore the reign of henry viii with these revision notes, covering his early life, marriages, the break with rome, and key figures like wolsey and cromwell. Understand the dissolution of monasteries, foreign policy shifts, and economic changes. A concise overview of henry viii's impact on england's transformation from a medieval catholic nation to an early modern protestant power, including a timeline and commonly tested questions with answers. It is useful for high school and university students studying the tudor period, offering a structured approach to understanding the complexities of henry viii's reign and its lasting effects on english history and religion. The document also touches on the broader context of the protestant reformation and its effects across europe.

Typology: Exams

2024/2025

Available from 05/21/2025

LennieDavis
LennieDavis 🇺🇸

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HENRY VIII REVISION NOTES AND
COMMONLY TESTED QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
2025/2026
Overview
- Reign: 1509 1547 (38 years)
- Born: 28 June 1491
- Died: 28 January 1547
- Dynasty: Tudor
- Parents: Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
- Succeeded by: Edward VI (his son)
1. Early Reign & Personality
- Second son of Henry VII; became heir after elder brother Arthur died.
- Married Catherine of Aragon, Arthur’s widow, in 1509.
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HENRY VIII REVISION NOTES AND

COMMONLY TESTED QUESTIONS

WITH CORRECT ANSWERS

Overview

  • Reign: 1509 – 1547 (38 years)
  • Born: 28 June 1491
  • Died: 28 January 1547
  • Dynasty: Tudor
  • Parents: Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
  • Succeeded by: Edward VI (his son) 1. Early Reign & Personality
  • Second son of Henry VII; became heir after elder brother Arthur died.
  • Married Catherine of Aragon, Arthur’s widow, in 1509.
  • Early years: handsome, athletic, cultured, well-educated (Renaissance prince).
  • Obsessed with having a male heir to secure the Tudor dynasty. 2. Marriages (6 Wives) Famous rhyme: Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived

| Wife | Fate | Children | Notes |

|---------------------|----------------|------------------|-------|

| Catherine of Aragon | Divorced | Mary I | Marriage annulled after 23 years. |

| Anne Boleyn | Beheaded | Elizabeth I | Executed for adultery & treason. |

| Jane Seymour | Died (in childbirth) | Edward VI | Henry’s favorite wife. |

Key Figures:

  • Thomas Wolsey – Henry’s chief minister, failed to secure annulment.
  • Thomas Cromwell – Engineered Break with Rome, later executed.
  • Thomas Cranmer – Supported Protestant reforms. 4. Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1541)
  • Led by Thomas Cromwell.
  • Monasteries dissolved, wealth seized.
  • Lands sold to nobles → increased loyalty to Henry.
  • Religious artwork destroyed; huge cultural loss.
  • Resistance: Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) – Northern uprising, brutally suppressed. 5. Foreign Policy Early Reign:
  • Sought glory in war (like King Arthur).
  • Battles against France and Scotland:
    • Battle of the Spurs (1513) – Victory over France.
    • Battle of Flodden (1513) – Scots defeated; James IV killed.

Mid Reign:

  • Relations shifted constantly – alliances with/against France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire.
  • Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520): Diplomatic meeting with Francis I of France – expensive but ineffective.

Later Reign:

  • Weaker position; wars drained finances.
  • Enclosures continued → tension with peasants. 8. Cultural Patronage
  • Renaissance monarch: supported art, music, literature.
  • Built Hampton Court Palace.
  • Encouraged humanism (e.g., Erasmus).
  • Translated Bible into English (via Cranmer’s work). 9. Legacy
  • Fathered three children who ruled: Edward VI (Protestant), Mary I (Catholic), Elizabeth I (moderate Protestant).
  • Left a religiously divided kingdom.
  • Reputation: tyrannical, egotistical, ruthless but politically significant.
  • Transformed England from medieval Catholic nation to an early modern Protestant power.

10. Death (1547)

  • Grew obese and ill (leg ulcers, possibly diabetes).
  • Died aged 55.
  • Succeeded by Edward VI, aged 9.

Quick Timeline | Year | Event |

|------|--------|

| 1509 | Becomes king; marries Catherine of Aragon |

| 1513 | Battles of Spurs and Flodden |

| 1527 | Seeks annulment |

| 1533 | Marries Anne Boleyn; Elizabeth born |

| 1534 | Act of Supremacy – Break from Rome |

| 1536–41 | Dissolution of the Monasteries |

-Henry VIII's Catherine of Aragon bears him her only child Mary

Annulment of marriage

-pope refuses because catherine's nephew was Holy Roman Emperor (he opposed it)

King's Great Matter

-Henry VIII summons parliament

-closed monasteries and distributes church land to nobles

Anne Boleyn

marries her after last marriage is null and void

-has one girl- Elizabeth

Act of Supremacy

Henry VIII is "supreme head of the church"

The Church of England

-few changes in Ritual and Doctrine

-Primary: King is now head of church

Henry VIII's heirs

-Edward VI

-Bloody Mary

-Elizabeth 1

Edward VI

takes throne at age nine

-protestantism gains ground

-dies before his 16th birthday

Mary

returns england to the catholic church

-burns protestants at the stake

elizabeth I

-supremacy act restoring split from rome

-strong queen who kept England Protestant despite attempts by catholics to overthrow her.

CC's response to protestant religion

-CC had been working on reforms prior to martin luther as well

-society of Jesus

-founded in 1534 by Ignatius of Loyola

-Gather General is the leader

-Run like a military organization

-focus on education

council of Trent

-pope paul III sees need to redefine doctrines of the CC

-Calls church leaders to the Italian city of Trent to address protestant problem

Issues adressed

-corruption of clergy

-regulate training of priests

-curb financial abuses

-abolish sale of indulgences

-reject protestant idea of self descipline

Reforming Catholics

-charles bormeo

-francis of sales

-teresa of avila

-angela merici

Angela Merici

-started company of St. Ursula, order dedicated to teaching young girls

-nuns began to take more active role in the church

Religious and Social effects

-The Inquisition

-Turmoil across the world

The Inquisitions

-focus on dealing with protestants

-index of forbidden books

Turmoil across the world

-catholics and protestants both persecute each other

-protestant persecute each other

-witch trials- Ppl. blame poor harvests on witches

-separation of church and state- church losing power

Political war and unrest

-italian wars