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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Henry_VIII
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King of England from 1509, when he succeeded
his father Henry VII and married Catherine of
Aragon, the widow of his brother. His Lord
Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, was replaced by
Thomas More 1529 for failing to persuade the
pope to grant Henry a divorce. After 1532
Henry broke with papal authority, proclaimed
himself head of the church, dissolved the
monasteries, and divorced Catherine. His
subsequent wives were Anne Boleyn, Jane
Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard,
and Catherine Parr. He was succeeded by his
son Edward VI. During the period 1513-29
Henry pursued an active foreign policy,
largely under the guidance of Wolsey. He
divorced Catherine 1533 because she was too
old to give him an heir, and married Anne
Boleyn, who was beheaded 1536, ostensibly for
adultery. Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour,
died 1537. He married Anne of Cleves 1540 in
pursuance of Thomas Cromwell's policy of
allying with the German Protestants, but
rapidly abandoned this policy, divorced Anne,
and beheaded Cromwell. His fifth wife,
Catherine Howard, was beheaded 1542, and the
following year he married Catherine Parr, who
survived him. Henry never completely lost his
popularity, but wars with France and Scotland
towards the end of his reign sapped the
economy, and in religion he not only executed
Roman Catholics, including Thomas More, for
refusing to acknowledge his supremacy in the
church, but also Protestants who maintained
his changes had not gone far enough. Wolsey
shared Henry's desire to make England a
notable nation. Henry demanded his first
divorce because his wife had become too old
to bear him a (male) heir and he was taken
with Anne Boleyn. Thomas Cromwell initiated
legislation that made Henry head of the
Church of England, allowing him to marry Anne
1533, who later that year gave birth to
Elizabeth I. (Jane Seymour was the mother of
Edward VI.) Henry's last years were devoted
to war with France and Scotland, consequent
economic problems, and attempts to hold back
the Reformation, which his own interests had
unleashed in his nation.