Hampton Court Palace

The grounds of Hampton Court Palace were awe-inspiring just as they would have been to visitors during the reign of Henry VIII. It was first leased by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Chief Minister to the King, and remodeled in the Tudor architecture; however, Henry VIII took over the palace after Wolsey fell out of favor and proceeded to alter the original design. Although many other Kings and Queens have lived at, added on to, and remodeled sections of Hampton Court Palace, it stands as a testament to the life and actions of Henry VIII.
Upon hearing the name of Henry VIII, everyone inevitably thinks of the saying “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” which has caused this English King to be viewed as one of the most notorious rulers. He began his long list of wives by marrying his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. However, the fact that they had 24 years of a reasonably happy marriage is often over looked by the public. The scandal began when Catherine could only provide Henry with a daughter, Mary, and not a son to take over the throne. When it became clear that Catherine could no longer have children, and Henry VIII sought an annulment from Rome.
At the same time, Henry began to desire Anne Boleyn, which only added to his notoriety. She came from a newly wealthy family and was trained in the French court. In time she gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, and a dead male son. Due to her inability to produce a son, Henry decided to behead her on account of treason, adultery, and incest. His basis was that she was a witch and used her powers to marry him. This undoubtedly shocked the people, but Henry continued to marry in hopes of an heir. He was finally successful with his third wife, Jane Seymour, who gave birth to a son, Edward. She unfortunately died in child birth, and Edward was sick throughout most of his life.
After the death of Seymour, Henry married Anne of Cleves. She was a politically motivated individual who spoke her mind; however, she was not very attractive, and this caused Henry to be disgusted by her. He called for an annulment, and she accepted it for death may have been the only other option. Henry next moved on to Catherine Howard who was a beautiful woman with several lovers before and possibly while married to Henry VIII. This resulted in her death and a final wife, Katherine Parr. She was a very intelligent woman with Protestant views who helped make Mary and Elizabeth legitimate. She tended to her husband’s needs and was the only wife to survive him. The quick change in wives combined with Henry’s deteriorating looks as he became ill caused him to be viewed as a notorious English ruler.
Henry VIII is also looked upon as one of the most important ruler in that he ushered in the modern English state. Much can be said for this as he began the English Reformation by breaking from Roman Catholicism. He is responsible for the dissolution of the monasteries, and the changing of land from the church to the gentry. This action helped him create a loyal base of people who would support him in all of his political moves. He bolstered the role of the government and wanted to be taken as seriously as the other European powers. This caused him to invite all the countries in Western Europe and even Russia to sign the Treaty of London in 1518. This stated that the nations would not attack each other and aid others if one were attacked and ultimately helped to protect England from the Ottoman Empire. He also threw lavish parties to impress the rest of Europe such as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Furthermore, he encouraged political arguments and continually sought ways to increase his country’s power through alliances, meetings, and wars. One example is the unification of England and Wales under his reign.
He also established power within England by silencing those who opposed him. Henry put many monks and other dissenters to death, and this lead to an extremely strong and fearful view of the crown for years to come. His shaky personal life can also be attributed to his desire to build a strong state as many of his marriages were arranged for political purposes. Such is so with his marriage to Anne of Cleves which was established to create an alliance with Germany even though he had a strong dislike for the woman.
However, it should be noted that he was not very interested in politics at first and was more concerned with his social life. This is because he was never intended to be King but was pushed into the role after the death of his brother. He also did not intend to start the English Reformation for purely religious reasons but instead for political reasons. Henry was obsessed with producing an heir to the throne and breaking from Rome was the only way to achieve this goal. He still kept many of his Catholic views and beliefs and never fully embraced Protestantism.
Henry VIII’s father, Henry VII, experienced a much calmer reign that has been coined a time of peace and prosperity. There were many years of civil war before he came into power which economically wiped out England. His chancellor came up with a scheme of heavy taxation that became known as “Morton’s Fork” because both the rich and the poor could not escape it. The basis was the rich had so much money that they could afford to pay taxes and the poor could pay taxes with their savings. He also supported trade with other countries and subsidized ship building for the navy to secure his power on the throne. Money was not wasted on fighting wars as Henry VIIs’ reign consisted mostly of political peace.
Apart from his personal and political life, many developments in modern science, technology, and economics can be attributed to Henry VIII as well. He encouraged exploration throughout the world, and many discoveries were made during his reign. He also surrounded himself with intelligent, scholarly people which undoubtedly influenced his actions. His dissolution of the monasteries also changed the economic structure and gave the middle class more power. In addition, he too encouraged trade which resulted in the acquisition of much money and substantial increase in the navy; however, he also spent large amounts and managed to deplete the £1.5 million treasury his father built.