Henry VIII

  • 1491: Henry VIII is born at Greenwich

    Henry Tudor was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He was born into a dynasty that was still finding its footing. Henry VII had won the throne at Bosworth in 1485, ending Richard III’s rule and placing the Tudors at the centre of English…

  • 1502: Arthur, Prince of Wales, dies at Ludlow

    Arthur, Prince of Wales, died on 2 April 1502. Was the wrong brother left in charge? Arthur was fifteen, newly married, and meant to be the Tudor future. Instead, he died at Ludlow Castle, less than five months after his wedding to Catherine of Aragon, and Henry VII’s plan for his dynasty changed at once.…

  • 1533: Cranmer declares Henry VIII’s first marriage invalid

    On 23 May 1533, Thomas Cranmer’s court at Dunstable declared Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon invalid. The judgment was brief, but it carried more weight than a private ruling about a failed royal marriage. Henry had already married Anne Boleyn. Catherine was still widely regarded as queen. Anne was pregnant. Henry’s marriage case…