Henry V111 the good the bad and the ugly

The GOOD

Expanded Royal Navy

Henry increased the number of ships from 5 ships to 53. This number included The Great Harry and his flagship – The Mary Rose.

Negotiated truce with France

Henry met the French King Francis I in a meeting called “The Field of the Cloth of Gold.” They made a truce but the peace only lasted for two years.

Made England strong and powerful

Henry made England a much more secure and safe country and increased its power in Europe.

Henry supported the “Renaissance” in England

This was a period in Europe when lots of people were painting pictures and writing books. Henry enjoyed music and art and encouraged people to come and work in England.

Allowed the printing of the bible in English

The bible used to be written in Latin which meant only rich people could read it. Writing the bible in English meant poorer people could read it too. This upset many Catholics.

Established “King’s schools” for poor children

Henry built schools so that more children could be educated. These were called King’s Schools.Lots of them are still around today and still have the same name. There is a King’s School in Canterbury.

The BAD

Spent lots of money on wars and palaces leaving England poor

Henry wanted England to be powerful. He fought expensive wars and bought lots of ships and weapons.

He spent thousands of pounds on fancy palaces he hardly ever used. This is Hampton Court Palace – originally built by former advisor Cardinal Wolsey.

Dissolved the monasteries during The Reformation

Henry realised that the monasteries were very rich. He passed laws to close them down / dissolve them. Henry stole the treasure and some of the buildings were burnt down. Monks who refused to leave were executed. This is what’s left of St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury.

Mean to people he didn’t like

If you were Henry’s friend you were safe. When he went off you though you were in trouble…! Thomas Cromwell was Henry’s closest friend until Henry had him executed in 1540.

He did anything to have a son

Henry believed (wrongly) that Kings made better monarchs than Queens. He was desperate to have a son and married 6 times to get one. He blamed his wives when they gave birth to girls or when they had a baby boy which died.

The ugly

70,000 executions

Henry ordered around 70,000 executions during his reign. This included lots of close friends, advisors, Protestants who refused to become Catholics, Catholics who refused to become Protestants (when Henry changed his mind during the Reformation) as well as two wives.

Disinherited Mary and Elizabeth

Henry made sure that his daughters

Mary and Elizabeth would not be Queen. This decision wasreversed after Henry’s death.

Became obese later in life

Henry loved hunting, throwing parties and eating. In later life he was able to hunt less and his leg which he’d injured in a fall when he was younger got worse. It developed ulcers and started to smell! He became very obese as he could no longer exercise.

Anne of Cleves

Henry called Anne a “Flanders Mare”. A horse in other words! He married her having seen a painting by Hans Holbein. This was the final straw for Henry’s relationship with Thomas Cromwell.

I can create a poster showing my opinion of Henry VIII

What I’m looking for…

•Decide whether you think Henry VIII was a good King or a bad King.

•Create a poster giving your point of view.

•Support your opinion with historical evidence.

•Decorate your poster.

•Check that your work is brilliant!