CURSO INGLÉS EN GANDIA – A FAMOUS ENGLISHMAN (UN INGLÉS FAMOSO)

KING HENRY VIII OF ENGLAND

King Henry came to the throne of England in 1509 and reigned for 38 years until his death at the age of 55 in 1547. As a young man, he was very popular because he was handsome, educated and athletic. Indeed, he was a fine sportsman and liked jousting, real tennis and gambling. He received an excellent education and was fluent in Spanish, French and Latin whilst also being a good musician, composer of music and author of books. He was interested in architecture and was responsible for the construction of several exceptional buildings.

In many ways, King Henry VIII was a prime example of a Renaissance man – someone who was very well educated and cultured. He was also lucky because he inherited a fortune from his father King Henry VII – the equivalent of about £350 million in today’s money.

GLOSSARY

King Henry VIII was obsessed with having a son who would become king after him. Indeed, the strength of this desire was what made his long reign so exceptional. Although, his third wife (Jane Seymour) did provide him with a son – she died after having given birth. However, the baby was sickly and although he became King he died when he was only 15 years old.

Desperate to have further sons (as the life expectancy of children in those days was not good), King Henry VIII married a further three times. However, he had no success in having a further son. Of his six wives – he had two beheaded and the marriages of a further three anulled. His last wife, amazingly, survived him!

King Henry VIII’s first wife was Spanish. She was called ‘Catherine of Aragon’ and was the daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile – who are famous (even in the UK!) as the first modern monarchs to unite Spain after the Reconquista. Sadly, Queen Catherine was unable to give King Henry the son he wanted – although she gave birth to a girl who later became Queen Mary 1 (also known as ‘Bloody Mary’).

GLOSSARY

Apart from having so many wives, Henry VIII is most famous for changing England from a Catholic state to a Protestant one in which the king or queen (even now) is the head of the national church. This defined the future of the UK, its foreign policy and its politics. Sadly, it also made the UK a natural enemy of Catholic Spain for many generations!

GLOSSARY