Research Paper On King Henry Viii

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King Henry VIII
It only took the will of one man to drastically change religion and English government forever. That man was King Henry VIII of England who, throughout his reign, abused the power of the English monarchy with egotistical goals. He took power in 1509, and ruled until his death in 1547. His full name was Henry Tudor, and he strived to carry on his family name by making it his life goal to produce a son to inherit the throne. In this quest he married 6 times, broke England away from Catholicism, and contributed to the establishment of the English Protestant Reformation. King Henry VIII challenged order and initiated a period of turmoil in England with his tyrannical leadership style.
One reason many consider him …show more content…

When the Pope wouldn’t grant him a divorce for his first marriage, he broke away from Catholicism and formed the Church of England. Henry’s decision to do this changed the religion of several million people, and made him unpopular. In response to his decision, “the Pilgrimage of Grace took hold, during which 30,000 people rebelled against the king’s changes” (Bio 2). Sadly, the Pilgrimage of Grace was the only real opposition in Henry VIII’s quest for male offspring, and he silenced this opposition with large scale execution of the leaders of the pilgrimage (Trueman 5). This totalitarian style of leadership shows how terrible he was in his disregard for parliament, the papacy, and the people of England. His actions are pure disrespect for the many people who trusted him as a leader and decision maker. Between completely readjusting England’s religion while challenging the Pope, one of the most powerful men in the world, Henry overexerted the authority that comes with being the King of …show more content…

This reformation movement “produced dangerous Protestant-Catholic differences in the kingdom” (Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) 3). The Catholic vs. Protestant debate weakened Christianity by splitting it into two disputing pieces. Even today in the 21st century, Catholics and Protestants cannot agree on certain aspects of Christianity. The shift of Christianity in England from Catholic to Protestant upset the equilibrium of a majority of people’s lives. Religion was very important in Europe in the 16th century and was a part of everyday life. For many people, it was as important as their job or their family, so Henry’s decisions to alter the religious course of England also affected the economy and overall well-being of England in a negative way. After he died in 1547, England was left in a state of

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