King+Henry+VIII

Henry VIII became king of England in 1509 at the young age of 18. In his later years, he became the lord and king of Ireland. In his youth and prime, he was considered attractive, as well as educated, and an accomplished king. All of this changed after a jousting accident which led to severe medical conditions that limited his physical activity, causing him to gain a lot of weight and altered his personality a bit.

When looking back at history, King Henry is best known for his six marriages. That's a lot of weddings, and it stems from his desire to have a son to take the throne. In order to fulfill his needs, he would do whatever it took to get a boy. His first wife, Catherine, had one daughter and once she became too old to have more kids, he had a choice to make. He could marry off his daughter, Mary and hope for a grandson to take the throne, but Mary was too young and by the time she would have a boy, Henry might not still be alive. His second option would be to kill Catherine. Instead, though, he chose to make a new religion that allowed him to divorce her, and he sent her away.

No one knows exactly how Henry died, but there are multiple theories as to how it might have happened. Some theories are syphilis, type II Diabetes, McLeod syndrome, and more. After his death, his only legitimate son Edward the VI took the throne until he died nine years later. Whatever the reason of his death, it's always important to remember the impact King Henry VIII made on England.

By Skye Pinnick, Sabrina Shafer, Jenny Keating, and Richie Makowski