Henry VIII, King /ˌhenri ði ˈeɪtθ/
(1491–1547) the king of England from 1509 until his death. The fact about Henry VIII which most British people know is that he had six wives. He tried to legally end his first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, because she did not produce any sons and he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn, but the Pope refused to allow this. Henry disobeyed the Pope and made himself the head of the church in England. This started the Reformation in England, in which the Protestant church was established. His other wives were: Anne Boleyn, who had her head cut off; Jane Seymour, who died while giving birth to a child; Anne of Cleves, whom Henry divorced; Catherine Howard, who had her head cut off; and Catherine Parr, who lived on after Henry's death. During Henry's time as king, many schools were established, and England became a more powerful country. He is usually thought of as a rather fat man who enjoyed eating, and there is a joke that he used to throw chicken legs over his shoulder after he had eaten the meat off them. ⇒ More, Sir Thomas

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲