Henry VIII becomes King of England

24 June 1509 Sunday

Henry VIII

Henry VIII, son of Henry VII, was born 28 June 1491, eight years Martin Luther's junior. He was, however, not originally intended for the throne. From a young age he was kept away from the courts. A 17th Cent work claims that his father had destined him to be the future Bishop of Canterbury, but we have no way to be certain. It was Arthur, his brother older by five years, whom his father had groomed from an early age to succeed to the throne. Henry was, as one modern author puts it, a "spare heir."¹

It was arranged as part of Arthur's preparation for the throne that he should marry Princess Katherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. The marriage would cement the ties between the two countries as they wage war against their common enemy, France, and the substantial dowry promised would enrich the royal coffer. They were married amidst one of the most lavish celebrations London had ever seen in November 1501; Arthur at 15, and his bride a year older. Then, out of the blue, disaster struck. Arthur was pronounced dead on Saturday 2 April 1502. A herald bearing the news that arrived late at night reported

a most pitiful disease and sickness that with so sore and great violence had battled and driven in the singular parts of him inwards; that cruel and fervent enemy of nature, the deadly corruption, did utterly vanquish and overcome the pure . . . blood without manner of physical help and remedy.²

Thus did circumstances force the "spare heir" into service. Catherine was thrown into limbo, ignored by the English royal household and neglected by her parents, until Henry VII thought it politically useful for her to serve as his heir's wife. Catherine had always sworn that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated. A dispensation was obtained from Pope Julius II for the new nuptial arrangement to proceed.

Katherine of Aragon, aged about 20.

On 21 April 1509 Henry VII died. For two days news of his death was kept a secret while interested officials secure their own backs. On 24 April Henry VIII's accession was proclaimed, with his grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, acting as regent until he was eighteen. On 11 June Henry married Katherine. Two weeks later, four days short of Henry's 18th birthday, they were crowned King and Consort in Westminster Abbey. Five days later Lady Margaret Beaufort passed away. No one caught in the cross-winds of celebration and grief during those few months could, of course, have perceived the wild storms of change that were soon to descend upon the nation.

Footnotes

1. Robert Hutchinson, Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII (London: Phoenix, 2012), 9. The reference to the Bishop of Canterbury is found on p.36. For more on Henry VIII, click here.

2. Ibid, 60.

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