It has been 463 years since the most notorious and eventful life came to an end. King Henry VIII died on 28th January 1547 leaving behind a legacy of many things yet unheard or even spoken of. The man whose name has been much maligned over the centuries is today known only for his six wives. Six wives, as if they are important in any way. This article is a tribute to the man and his achievements.
Crowned at the young age of 18, Henry realised the potential to transform England into a strong presence in Europe from a small strife-filled island nation. He built the first ever gunship for England, the Mary Rose, named after his sister. Simultaneous twin wins on the French and Scottish borders led to England becoming a force in the region. He not only built the navy from scratch but in his lifetime it became a force to be dealt with. He fortified the entire coastal area with forts. Much of the money gained from the dissolution of the monasteries was poured into the Navy, and not into his pockets as is usually believed. In short, he earned his epithet of the Father of the English Navy.
Henry was a scholar and had an amazing sense of culture. Unlike his father who was a soldier through and through, he encouraged arts and literature during his reign. He himself was a great musician and his best works included ‘Greensleeves’ and ‘Pasttime with good company’, the latter reputed to have been written for his first wife. Earning the title of Defender of the Faith (which British monarchs still use, ha!), he cocked his finger at the title giver, the Pope, when he stepped beyond his limits. Henry also commissioned several artists and built numerous castles. Several of his castles still exist and though, it emptied the coffers, what a way to do it! Something that provides us with pleasure half a century later can certainly not be called a waste of money.
“As a means of marrying Anne Boleyn, Henry broke with the Church in Rome.” How simplistic! Henry went through seven years of hell, wishing to marry the woman he loved, refraining from sex and battling royalty and established religion for her sake. Touch of Galahad? He defended himself in his trials and in the end, got what he wanted along with a lot of other incentives. Did this lead to trouble? Yes. Did he have a choice? No. Were the long-term effects good? Definitely!
A sportsman of the first order, Henry was an expert jouster, archer, tennis player, hunter and wrestler. Whether he won or lost, he played the game and played it well. He popularised the game of tennis all over Europe or today it would be lost to the world. He also was into falconry and owned about a hundred albino falcons. His deer parks were teeming with deer in the season and were famous for their sport. His famous meetings with Francis I of France always included some form of sport or the other, in which he himself participated. It is not often that Kings indulge in sports rather than war.
Henry was a man, a King, and undoubtedly, the rarest that lived in his time, or ever. This is not to make him a god; he was never a saint. But he was a man, who believed in himself and his destiny, who did all he could to get what he wanted, who ruled with an iron hand and brought stability to a strife-filled nation; who in fact, made a nation. In all that I have heard or read, I have yet to find one King equal to him. His achievements were many but they are now bowed down under the weight of his few “cruel” actions, necessary for a man in his circumstance. I have simply presented the man behind the King, this man whose achievements have been set aside in order that the less informed might crib about his “cruelty” and “tyranny”.
The King is dead, long live the King - in our memories!
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