The painting below is a portrait of Henry VIII in his forties, painted by Holbein in 1536. The painter presents to us the personality and imposing spirit of this king, whose image is in perfect harmony with all his previous and subsequent actions.
In the painting, we see a large face full of male hormones, and his unkempt clothes show off his tall figure. There was a brutal sense of violence around him, and those cold and sharp eyes added to the terrifying aura on him. He was the archetype of an absolute monarch in that barbaric era. It is precisely because he feels so terrible, both physically and mentally, that it only adds to his charm and attractiveness. Although the Tudor dynasty has not had a long history, it has produced such star-like figures as Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Jane Gray, and Elizabeth I. Historical writings, films, and TV series about them have been popping up one after another, and perhaps continue to emerge today. It's amazing how popular it is.
One of the first things Henry VIII did when he was crowned king at the age of 18 was to marry Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his dead brother, and then brutally executed all his father's henchmen. What you want must be obtained, and those who stand in my way must be eliminated - this ** way of behavior has been throughout his life.
Henry VIII's most important achievement was the impetus for the Reformation: in order to divorce his wife and marry another wife, and to solve his financial problems by seizing church property, Henry VIII challenged the authority of the church several times, until he declared his support for Protestantism and proclaimed himself the religious leader of England. After turning against the Holy See, he implemented a new religious policy, which made the Church of England separate from the Holy See and become an independent Church of England, and also made England one of the centers of the European Reformation. Henry VIII also carried out major reforms of English law with vigorous and resolute means, and he regulated social order, improved the judicial system, strengthened the power of the royal family, and made the English legal system more perfect and advanced by formulating important bills.
Henry VIII single-handedly created the first Royal Navy, ordering the construction of new ships that were fast and flexible, with guns in the cabins, specialized combat sailors, and several naval dockyards. In 1514 he granted a license to the Trinity Company, giving it the right to specialize in navigation and to levy taxes to finance navigation and to set up lighthouses. As a result, British shipbuilding and seafaring technology developed, and a large number of excellent seafaring talents were gradually cultivated, and by the time of his death, the mighty British navy had gradually taken shape.
It can be said that it was a series of important political, religious, and cultural reforms carried out during the reign of this iron-fisted ruler that laid the foundation for the later development of Britain.
Of course, what the world pays attention to is often not the exploits of an emperor, but the tragicomedy of those harem entanglements, and the more bloody the plot, the better.
After Henry's marriage, Queen Catherine had several miscarriages, one baby girl died young, three baby boys died, and the only surviving child, Mary Tudor, who would later be known as "Bloody Mary". Henry, who had always wanted a boy to inherit the throne, gradually lost his patience and took a fancy to the beautiful court maid Anne. Boleyn, determined to divorce the queen and marry Anne.
In January 1533, without the permission of the Pope, Henry VIII secretly married Anne Boleyn, and the Pope announced Henry's excommunication. In retaliation, the British Parliament immediately legislated to secede from the Holy See, and Archbishop Cranmer then declared the marriage of Henry and Catherine null and void, and Thomas More, the Speaker of the House of Commons and the first official of Henry VIII (yes, the one who wrote "Utopia"), was imprisoned in the Tower of London for opposing his union with Anne and opposing him as the head of the Church of England, and was beheaded a year and a half later, after which his head was exposed to the sun on London Bridge. This is really the prosperity of those who follow me, and the death of those who disobey me!
However, for Catherine, Henry still did not dare to execute at will, because at that time he did not have the national power to compete with the Habsburgs behind Charles V. Henry VIII imprisoned her in a small remote town, where he constantly tortured her mentally. Although Catherine died of illness in the end, it was not much different from being killed by Henry VIII.
Of course, the most remarkable of Henry's wives is the tragedy of Anne Boleyn. Her short life seemed to exist only to advance the religious system in England and to give birth to such a prominent figure as Elizabeth I. However, her death can also be said to be due to the birth of Elizabeth, because she failed to give birth to a prince.
Anne had promised Henry VIII that she would give birth to a prince, and the fortune tellers at the court said she could. A tyrant like Henry VIII was not only at once vanished, but turned into a strong hatred because the things that Anne had promised him did not come true. The union with Anne made Henry VIII suffer, so this anger and hatred became more and more intense. He fabricated adultery and ** crimes for her, and beheaded Anne and her relatives, and by the way, ministers who might become enemies.
Upon hearing the sound of Anne's final execution in the hunting grounds, Henry VIII could not contain his joy and immediately rode to the mansion of his new lover, Jane Seymour. Jane Seymour became his third queen and gave birth to a prince (later Edward VI) shortly after, but she herself died in childbirth. When the doctor told the mother and child that their lives were in danger, the king replied coldly: "There is no shortage of queens who will save the child and replace her." ”
There is indeed no shortage of people. Henry VIII wanted more princes, so he began to look for a new queen.
On the recommendation of the Chancellor, Anne of Cleves, daughter of the Duke of Germany, was selected for his candidacy, and he sent Holbein to paint her portrait. The woman in the painting was so beautiful that they were married from afar, but when he met the real person, Henry VIII realized that she was not at all the type he liked, so he divorced immediately.
Henry VIII took all his anger out on the ministers he had recommended and executed them. I don't know how Holbein was terrified at the time, but fortunately Henry VIII didn't pursue him (perhaps because he cherished his talent). It can be said that the fourth queen was the luckiest, after which she had no relationship with Henry VIII and spent the rest of her life in peace, outlived anyone else.
The fifth queen was Anne Boleyn's cousin, Catherine Howard. She was beheaded two years later because of cheating. She was only 20 years old at the time, and it is said that she broke free from her executioner on the beheading table, and she fled in all directions, which was really pitiful. At that time, the king was over 50 years old, and the symptoms of syphilis in his body were getting worse and worse, and he had lost his former appearance, and he had become fat and ugly. Again and again, he asked the surgeon to help him remove the lump from his foot. But he also believed in the flattery of the people around him, and felt that it was because of his romantic romance.
The sixth queen was widowed Catherine Parr, who cared for the king in a wheelchair for three and a half years. Surprisingly, she also offended Henry VIII (who was accused of being a heretic) and almost **. If it had been at the height of Henry VIII's energy, she might have been executed. Fortunately, the queen was born in his old age and survived.
Despite the fact that Henry VIII repeatedly slapped the church in the face throughout his life, and the whole of Europe could hear the crisp slap, the tyrant was not punished by God in the end, but was taken care of in bed until he closed his eyes forever in 1547 at the age of 55.
British History