Henry VIII: Worst Monarch In History

“Wife-murdering tyrant”, “Gross man-child”, “Obsessive”, “self-indulgent”, and “syphilitic” are words used to describe King Henry VIII by many people. There has been a survey that was conducted by the Historical Writers Association (HWA), and 20% of authors chose Henry VIII as the worst monarch in history. Even though many authors has mentioned him as one of the worst monarch in history because of the facts that he executed two of his wives, broke with the Catholic Church, started the English Reformation, and made himself as a head of Church of England, executing many people who got in his way, that doesn’t mean that it makes him the worst monarch in history. In fact, it is true that England flourished economically during Henry’s reign. He

made England powerful by building an impressive navy which would impact the next generation. However, he was even famous for separating from Catholic Church and his six marriages. Therefore, he deserves reputation as a tyrant due to his thirst for blood, power, and a male heir to succeed him.
Henry VIII was born in 1491, and he was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. While his older brother Arthur was being prepared for the throne, Henry was focused on a church career and he received a high level of education on music, languages, poetry and sports. Because Arthur died quite unexpectedly at the young age of 15 of sweating sickness, Henry became the king at the early age of 10 in 1503. After he became the king, was betrothed to his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella.
Most of Henry’s bad reputation comes from his marital life. He annulled the marriage with Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn because Catherine of Aragon only produced a daughter when Henry needed a male heir. Henry executed Anne Boleyn as well because she also only produced a daughter then he immediately married Jane Seymour. She finally produced a son, however unfortunately, he died in childbirth. His fourth marriage was with Anne of Cleves, lasted only a few days. His fifth marriage was with Catherine Howard; however she was also executed because she also only produced a daughter as Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. His last wife, Catherine Parr, finally produced a son, Edward. Henry VIII’s six marriages made him look like a monster. Even though he kept insisting a male heir, it was Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Anne Boleyn who lasted the longest reigning Tudor dynasty.
Henry VIII constantly took his country to war even he wasn’t good at it which is another factor that he deserves reputation as a tyrant. His desperate efforts to conquer Scotland lead to worse situation. Scotland became part of the alliance with France which was against him, while his relationship with Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, became weak during Henry’s crusade to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon who was Charles V’s aunt. In 1542, the Third French War happened which is the fight between Henry and Charles against France. By that point, Henry was too fat to lead his men on horseback, so he had to be carried on a litter. Even after Charles signed a treaty with the French, Henry continued the struggle, bankrupting himself in the process. By the end of the war, the war resulted as giving even more negative impact on England. Basically, Henry’s greed to conquer other lands gave negative impact on England and on himself.
Henry’s messy separation with the Catholic Church and relentless persecution who opposed it are other factors that give him reputation as a tyrant.

After years of trying and failing to get his first marriage annulled, Henry asked Thomas Cromwell to help him. In 1532, Cromwell got Parliament to pass a law making Henry the head of the Church of England, separating from Catholic Church. Henry’s power increased exponentially over the next decade as he became the head of the Church of England as well as his wealth. All English monasteries were closed, and their assets transferred to Henry’s coffers. Opponents of the revolution, such as Thomas More who was Henry’s old friend and adviser were executed. In the late 1530s and early 1540s, Henry executed various members of the Pole and Courtenay families because they were against him, but mostly because they were competing for the throne. In 1540, Henry even executed Thomas Cromwell because he failed annulling his marriage with Anne of Cleves. It is said that about 70,000 people were executed during his reign.

There is more evidence that makes him a tyrant. Henry VIII inherited large amount of money from his father and also from taxes. However, despite with this huge amount of money, his government always seemed to going bankrupt due to his profligate spending. Henry’s court was one of the most lavish in history. During his reign, Henry devalued England’s coinage, which made inflation worse. If there was no profligate spending by him,

England could be wealthier than it was and since he used money not for right purposes but for himself, this proves that Henry VIII was a tyrant.
By the time he died in 1547, on his 56th birthday, Henry VIII became very sick and weak. He wounded his leg because of a jousting accident which gave huge effect on him as a leader of his navy. The wound ulcerated and left him unable to play sports which he loved to do. On January 28, 1547, at the age of 55, King Henry died in London. He was interred in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle alongside his deceased third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry's only surviving son, Edward, inherited the throne, becoming Edward VI.
Some people might argue that Henry VIII achieved many accomplished and made England wealthy and well living environment.

Despite Henry’s brutal actions such as killing two of his wives, it is true that he achieved many accomplishments in various areas such as religion, politics, and military. He started the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 which gradually made England wealthy. The Mary Rose which was the first English gunship was built between 1509 and 1511 and earned the title “Father of English Navy” because of his great success in France invasion. Moreover, because Henry didn’t like nobles having great power, he increased the power of Parliament and of course for himself. Even though he achieved several accomplishments, these accomplishments don’t be recognized as much because of his many brutal actions that he did to his wives and citizens in

England.
In conclusion, in his perspective, he tried hard to rule England as a powerful nation, however, in a reality, most of accomplishment he did seems like it was only for himself or for his own benefits. Now days he is frequently characterized as a lustful, egotistical, harsh, and insecure king. For all of the reasons above, King Henry VIII deserves reputation as tyrant.