Henry VIII

King of England (1491-1547)

When Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509, a visitor from Venice described him as "The handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on, above the usual height, with . . . a face so beautiful it would become a pretty woman." More than six feet tall and slim, Henry was a superb athlete. He was also a gifted musician, spoke six languages, and enjoyed conversing with scholars about astronomy, mathematics, theology. By the end of his reign, Henry had become enormously fat, close to 400 pounds and his waist had expanded to 57 inches. He had to be carried in a chair and hauled up stairs with ropes and pulleys. His legs were covered with ulcers and smelled bad. Worse, he showed a tendency to cruelty to both friend and foe. Some have suggested that his ulcerous legs and his change in personality were due to chronic syphilis. Even more consequential, syphilis may have caused many of Henry's children to be stillborn.

After 18 years of marrige to Catherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir, Henry decided to ask Pope Clement VII for an annullment. However, Catherine was a beloved relative of Charles V whose armies had occupied Rome and held the pope a virtual prisoner. When Clement refused to dissolve the marriage, Henry defied papal authority by establishing himself as head of the Christian church in England. Since that time, except for a brief period under Queen Mary (1553-1558), England has been officially Protestant.

Henry had six wives, two of whom, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, he had beheaded. Henry was father of Edward the VII and Elizabeth I.