X-Nico

unusual facts about Henry VIII


Henry VIII, Count of Waldeck

Henry died in 1513 and was buried in the Marienthal monastery in Netze (today part of Waldeck).


Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

The mediaeval convent of St Margaret's, abolished by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, was for centuries just 400 yards along the lane.

Archbishop's Palace, Charing

Later both Henry VII and Henry VIII stayed at the Palace, the latter on his way to the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Ardbraccan

When, in the aftermath of the crisis over Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the Irish Church was ordered to formally break its link with the Roman Catholic Church to become the Church of Ireland, the Anglican or Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath continued to live in Ardbraccan in an estate attached to the main church.

Baron Sheffield

The first creation, as Baron Sheffield of Butterwick, was in the Peerage of England in 1547 for Edmund Sheffield (1521–1549), second cousin of Henry VIII, who was murdered in Norwich during Kett's Rebellion.

Beatrice Chase

Her real name was Olive Katharine Parr, and she claimed to be directly descended from William Parr, the brother of Catherine, the sixth wife of Henry VIII.

Bernard André

A native of Toulouse, André was tutor to Prince Arthur of England, and probably had a share in the education of the future King Henry VIII.

Blackfriars Massacre

The Irish themed pub was named after Blackfriars which was mentioned in William Shakespeare's play Henry VIII.

Breech-loading weapon

Henry VIII possessed one, which he apparently used as a hunting gun to shoot birds.

Charles Calthorpe

Calthorpe married firstly Winifred Toto, daughter of the Italian-born painter Anthony Toto, Serjeant Painter to Henry VIII and Edward VI.

Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon

The Royal Shakespeare Company performed Henry VIII in the church in 2006 as part of the Complete Works Festival.

Common Quail

In 1537 Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, pregnant with the future King Edward VI, developed an insatiable craving for quail, and courtiers and diplomats abroad were ordered to find sufficient supplies for the Queen.

Crutched Friars

The Order was dissolved, along with other Catholic Orders, by Henry VIII in 1539.

Device Forts

The Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, are a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the southern coast of England by Henry VIII.

Dress to Kill

This is done with Izzard adopting a very Italian accent (and miming riding on a Vespa) to signify the Pope talking to Henry VIII ("who is Sean Connery for this film") and explaining that he can't marry as many wives as he wants to.

Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester

In 1606 he was appointed Keeper of the Great Park, a park created for hunting by Henry VIII around Nonsuch Palace, of which Worcester Park was a part.

Fire in the Abyss

Numerous, as well as humorous, notable individuals from 16th century England populate this section, including Nick Udall, headmaster of Eton College, and Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's chief minister who was beheaded.

French hood

It was also championed by Anne Boleyn's cousin and fellow ill-fated wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Howard.

George Byron, 7th Baron Byron

During this man's lifetime, he became of representative of the great Sir John Chandos, K.G., and by Sign Manual, or Deed Pole assumed the additional surname of Chandos. Elizabeth was descended from a well documented long line of the Pole family, including Cardinal Pole, who at the time of Henry VIII, was the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury.

George Russell French

The first part consisted of an identification of the dramatis personae in Shakespeare's historical plays, from King John to Henry VIII, accompanied with observations on characters in Macbeth and Hamlet, and notes on persons and places belonging to Warwickshire alluded to in several plays.

Governor of Gravesend and Tilbury

The fortifications here date from the time of Henry VIII; Tilbury Fort remained in military use until 1950, but the office of Governor was discontinued upon the death of Sir Lowry Cole in 1842.

Great Cefnyberen

He was Keeper of the Jewels to Henry VIII and was a close associate to Thomas Cromwell in the dissolution of the Monasteries and the sequestration of their property, becoming Treasurer of the Court of Augmentations.

Greeks in the United Kingdom

Some came as soldiers during the reign of Henry VIII, led by the officers Theodore Luchisi, Antonios Stesinos, and Colonel Thomas of Argos (or Thomas Buas), responsible for the garrisoning of the then-English possession of Calais.

Harbottle

In 1515 Margaret Tudor, the widowed queen of James IV of Scotland and sister of Henry VIII, having been banished by the regent, the Duke of Albany, came to the castle with her second husband, the Earl of Angus.

Henry VIII Novices' Chase

The event is named after Henry VIII, who commandeered Esher (the location of Sandown Park) as a royal hunting ground in the sixteenth century.

Holbein stitch

The stitch is named after Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), a 16th-century portrait painter best known for his paintings of Henry VIII and his children, almost all of whom are depicted wearing clothing decorated with blackwork embroidery.

Holbeinesque jewellery

Such designs were inspired by the art of Hans Holbein the Younger, and were often copied from jewellery depicted in Holbein's portraits of Tudor ladies from the court of Henry VIII by jewellers such as John Brogden and his fellow worker, Carlo Giuliano.

Juan de Valdés

In 1531 he removed to Rome, where his criticisms of papal policy were condoned, since in his Diálogo he had upheld the validity of Henry VIII's marriage with Catherine of Aragon.

Konrad Seusenhofer

In 1514 Maximilian I presented Henry VIII with a suit of armour which included the most unusual ‘Horned helmet’ or armet, later chosen as the symbol of the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Lancelot de Carle

Carle was an eyewitness to the trial and execution of Anne Boleyn, Queen consort of Henry VIII, and shortly afterwards, he wrote a poem detailing her life and the circumstances surrounding her death.

Lavolta

What is said to be The Volta (but is actually another dance) can be seen in the dance being performed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing Henry VIII and Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn in the second season's seventh episode of Showtime's original series The Tudors.

Llaneilian

His legacy endured in the form of his laws, which remained in active use throughout Wales until the appointed date of implementation of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 of Henry VIII of England who asserted his royal descent by blood-line from the House of Aberffraw, via Rhodri Mawr via Hywel Dda.

Payment of members

These payments could be enforced by writs issued after the dissolution of each parliament, and there were many instances of the issue of such writs down to the reign of Henry VIII; while the last known instance is that of one Thomas King, who in 1681 obtained a writ for his salary against the corporation of Harwich.

Rat Terrier

The earliest known record of a rat-catching dog is that of "Hatch", whose remains were recovered from the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII, sunk in 1545 and re-raised in 1982.

Rhys Meredith

He is notable for his appearances on stage, radio and TV, which include Charles II: The Power & the Passion (television, 2003), Henry VIII (television, 2003), 'Peace? Off!' (episode of Robin Hood, 2006) and Flash for Freedom! (radio dramatisation, title role, 2002).

Richard Nykke

There is a confused story that in 1534 he ran afoul of Henry VIII, by correspondence with the Vatican.

Rochford Hall

During the reign of King Henry VIII, it belonged to Thomas Boleyn, then viscount Rochford, and it was the marital home of his daughter Mary Boleyn, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn, and Mary's second husband, Sir William Stafford.

Sandown Castle, Kent

Sandown Castle was one of Henry VIII's Device Forts or Henrician Castles built at Sandown, North Deal, Kent as part of Henry VIII's chain of coastal fortifications to defend England against the threat of foreign invasion.

Sandra Worth

In 2007, Worth signed a two book deal with Penguin Group (USA), to produce two more books taking place during the War of the Roses, both published in 2008 as Lady of the Roses and The King’s Daughter, a novel on the life of Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII.

Sandsfoot Castle

Sandsfoot Castle is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, built around 1541 to the west of Weymouth, Dorset, England, opposite its contemporary Portland Castle.

Sarah R, Lotfi

While still in highschool during production of her first historical epic To Be Queen (2005), Lotfi's first cinematic attempt to adapt the love-story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Tanya Huff

The first book introduces Vicki Nelson, a former police officer with failing eyesight due to Retinitis Pigmentosa and Henry Fitzroy, a vampire and writer of historical romances—which is natural for him as he was Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, illegitimate son of Henry VIII before he was seduced by a vampire.

The Castle of Otranto

Both Hamlet and Otranto are literary springboards for discussion on the questions of marriage, as the question of Henry VIII's annulment of his marriage and later marriage to Anne Boleyn were still heated topics of controversy.

Thomas Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings

In the 1540s, he served King Henry VIII as Marshal of Calais and keeper of the castle at Guînes, then took an active role in the invasion of France in 1544, in particular at Montreuil and the sieges of Boulogne.

Walden Abbey

After the dissolution of Walden during the reign of Henry VIII, the abbey property was purchased by Sir Thomas Audley, who built his house Audley End there.

Westenhanger Castle

Westenhanger has a rich history with royalty and nobility, being connected with Henry II, Rosamund de Clifford, Edward Poynings, Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Customer Smythe and Lord Strangford.

When You See Me You Know Me

When You See Me You Know Me is an early Jacobean history play about Henry VIII, written by Samuel Rowley and first published in 1605.

William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton

Upon letters from Guînes, however, the king, Henry VIII, ordered Grey to remain in command of his army, while Surrey was sent to Boulogne.


see also

Abbey House Gardens

In 1539, Malmesbury Abbey was sold by Henry VIII to a local clothier William Stumpe, who also bought the site and lived in it himself.

Anna of Cleves

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557), daughter of John III of Cleves, married to Henry VIII of England

Anne de Montmorency

He worked with Cardinal Wolsey to form an alliance between Francis I and Henry VIII in 1527.

Anne Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon

In two 2007 episodes of the Showtime television series, The Tudors, Anne Stafford, portrayed by Anna Brewster, is presented as the 3rd Duke of Buckingham's daughter (she was his sister), and is involved not with Henry VIII but with a fictionalized version of the King's future brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.

Anne Herbert

Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, née Anne Parr, sister to Henry VIII's sixth wife, Katherine Parr, c.1514–1552

Anne Savage

Anne Savage, maiden name of Anne Berkeley, Baroness Berkeley (c. 1496–before 1546), lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England

Battle of Solway Moss

However, a modern historian Marcus Merriman sees the battle and hostage-taking more as the culmination of James V's war rather than the beginning of Henry VIII's Rough Wooing.

Bessie Blount

Elizabeth Blount, mistress of Henry VIII of England and mother of his son, Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset

Charles Somerset

Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester (1460 – 1526), 1st Earl of Worcester and husband of Henry VIII's mistress, Elizabeth Browne

Cuddington, Surrey

The palace was never fully completed by Henry VIII but was sufficient under Mary I of England to be used by Keeper of the Banqueting House, Sir Thomas Cawarden to entertain Gilles de Noailles, the French Ambassador.

David Alpay

He later appeared in some chapters of the second season of The Tudors playing Mark Smeaton, a musician of Henry VIII's court, and narrated the 2008 short film Ten for Grandpa by director Doug Karr.

Edward Bayntun

Sir Edward was reinstated as to his post as vice-chamberlain when he was named to serve the next royal consort in time for the arrival of the suite of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's next wife.

Edward Bushel

Edward Bushel, allegedly husband of Mary Seymour, daughter of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth wife

Edward Fiennes

Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, Edward Fiennes, Lord Clinton, husband of Bessie Blount, Henry VIII's long-term mistress

Elizabeth Brooke

Elizabeth Brooke, Lady Wyatt (died 1560), alleged mistress of Henry VIII and estranged wife of the poet Thomas Wyatt

Elizabeth Clinton

Elizabeth Blount, married name Elizabeth Clinton, mistress of Henry VIII, first wife of Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln

Elizabeth Tailboys

Elizabeth Blount, married name Elizabeth Tailboys, Henry VIII's mistress

European numerals

Roman numerals, the numeral system devised and formerly used by the Romans and still used today to write names such as Elizabeth II or Henry VIII, etc.

Francis Huntingdon

Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon (1514–1561), eldest son of the 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Anne Stafford, mistress of Henry VIII

Henry Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire

At the accession of Henry VIII on 21 April 1509 Stafford was imprisoned in the Tower on suspicion of treason, but was released without charge.

Henry VIII of Legnica

In 1388, Henry VIII, in exchange for his resignation of the administration of the diocese of Wroclaw, received from Pope Urban VI the Bishopric of the remote Cambrai in Flanders.

Ipswich Cardinals

The name comes from one of Ipswich's most famous sons, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was Henry VIII's Lord chancellor (Chief advisor to the king).

James Basset

When James was two years old in 1528 his father died and shortly thereafter his mother re-married to Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, an illegitimate son of King Edward IV, half-brother of Queen Elizabeth of York, and uncle of King Henry VIII, who was appointed by the latter Lord Deputy of Calais (1533-40).

Jane Meutas

Holbein's portrait sketch of Jane Meutas was engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi in 1795 and published by John Chamberlaine of London in Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein in the Collection of His Majesty, for the Portraits of Illustrious Persons of the Court of Henry VIII.

Jerningham

Henry Jerningham (1512–1572), English courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I

John Bourchier

John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (1467–1533), one of Henry VIII's Chancellors of the Exchequer

John Shelton

Sir John Shelton (1476/7–1539), courtier during the reign of Henry VIII of England

Kenninghall

The house served as a residence for both of Henry VIII's daughters: Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth at different times during the reign of Edward VI.

London Charterhouse

For several years after the dissolution of the priory, members of the Bassano family of instrument makers were amongst the tenants of the former monks' cells, whilst Henry VIII stored hunting equipment in the church.

Lord Thomas Howard

He is chiefly known for his affair with Lady Margaret Douglas (1515–1578), the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor, for which he was imprisoned in the Tower, where he died on 31 October 1537.

Maid of Kent

Elizabeth Barton, known as the Maid of Kent (1506? – 1534), prophetess executed during the reign of Henry VIII

Margaret Seymour

Margery Wentworth, married name Margery or Margaret Seymour, mother of Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII and muse of the poet John Skelton

Maria Stuarda

The opera is one of a number of operas by Donizetti which deal with the Tudor period in English history, including Anna Bolena (named for Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn), Roberto Devereux (named for a putative lover of Queen Elizabeth I of England) and Il castello di Kenilworth.

Mary Carey

Mary Boleyn (c. 1499/1500 – 1543), married name Mary Carey, sister to Queen Anne and mistress of Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France

Mary Howard

Mary FitzRoy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset (1519-1557), née Lady Mary Howard, lady-in-waiting, wife of Henry Fitzroy, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk and daughter-in-law of Henry VIII

Mistresses of Henry VIII

In 2013, this was followed by Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII by Elizabeth Norton.

Nun Monkton

Its first owner was John Neville, the 3rd Baron Latimer and the second husband of Katherine Parr the last wife of Henry VIII.

Pierre Alamire

Manuscripts copied by Alamire can be found in many European libraries, including the Habsburg court library in Vienna, in London (the Henry VIII manuscript), the Vatican (a manuscript for Pope Leo X), Brussels, Munich, and Jena, which has the court books for Frederick III, Elector of Saxony.

Queen Jane

Jane Seymour (1507/8–1537), the third wife and the third Queen Consort of King Henry VIII of England

Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich

Rich is a supporting character in the Shardlake crime novels by C. J. Sansom, which are set in the reign of Henry VIII.

Sleaford Castle

Henry VIII stayed at Sleaford twice (once in 1541 with his queen Catherine Howard) and held a State Council at the Castle.

The Dark Lady Players

According to the study by Peter Milward, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, Richard III, Henry VIII all include detailed Apocalypse allegories.

Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire

Thomas Boleyn has been portrayed by Sir Michael Hordern in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), by Benjamin Whitrow in Henry VIII, and by Jack Shepherd and Mark Rylance in the 2003 and 2008 film versions of The Other Boleyn Girl, respectively.

Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre

Much of these lands had been inherited through marriages to the heiresses of the Greystoke, de Multon and de Vaux families as well as grants by both Henry VII and Henry VIII.

Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton

Southampton is a character in Hilary Mantel's novels on Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, (nicknamed Call-Me Risley for the pronunciation of the family name), and in Margaret George's novel, The Autobiography of Henry VIII

Violet Vanbrugh

Back in England in 1891, she joined Henry Irving and Ellen Terry at the Lyceum Theatre as Anne Boleyn in his successful revival of King Henry VIII.

Wulfhall

At the beginning of Edward's reign, he was nine years old and his eldest uncle, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, was Lord High Protector of England, while another uncle, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, married Henry VIII's widow, Catherine Parr; both Edward and Thomas Seymour were executed for treason.

Henry VIII had stayed at Wulfhall during his progress of 1535, which may have been when he first noticed Jane Seymour and began the process of throwing over his second wife, Anne Boleyn.