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Henry VIII of England

Also known as Bluff Harry (nickname) · Bluff Hal (nickname)

Palace of Placentia, 7 Jul 1491 – Palace of Whitehall, 7 Feb 1547

25 facts3 sources

Animated by AI

About Henry VIII

Henry VIII: two crowns and a changing royal household

AI-assisted · edited

The collection records Henry VIII’s birth in 1491 at the Palace of Placentia. He was the son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. It also records his death in 1547 at the Palace of Whitehall. 1234

Henry’s reign as monarch of England lasted from 1509 to 1547. He was also Lord of Ireland from 1509 to 1542, when the title King of Ireland is recorded until 1547, giving him two royal titles across his reign. 5678

The family records link Henry to Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves. A separate event records his coronation with Catherine of Aragon. Read together, these entries connect the offices he held with the people named alongside him in the royal household. 91011

Drafted with AI and edited against the collection. Open a citation to see the record, its sources and how certain it is.

Facts and their sources

  • Born7 Jul 1491, Palace of Placentianot verified1 source
  • MarriedAnne of Clevesnot verified1 source
  • MarriedAnne Boleynnot verified1 source
  • TitleLord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509or Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleDuke of York, 1494–1504or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleLord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleLord Warden of the Marches, 1494or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleEarl Marshal, 1494–1509or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleDuke of Cornwall, 1502–1509or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitlePrince of Wales, 1503–1509or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleEarl of Chester, 1503–1509or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleLord of Ireland, 1509–1542or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleMonarch of England, 1509–1547or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · King of Ireland, 1542–1547not verified1 source
  • TitleKing of Ireland, 1542–1547or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1493–1509 · Duke of York, 1494–1504 · Earl Marshal, 1494–1509 · Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1494 · Lord Warden of the Marches, 1494 · Duke of Cornwall, 1502–1509 · Prince of Wales, 1503–1509 · Earl of Chester, 1503–1509 · Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542 · Monarch of England, 1509–1547not verified1 source
  • EventField of the Cloth of Goldor coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragonnot verified1 source
  • EventCoronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragonor Field of the Cloth of Goldnot verified1 source
  • Died7 Feb 1547, Palace of Whitehallnot verified1 source
  • MotherElizabeth of Yorknot verified1 source
  • FatherHenry VII of Englandnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 7 Jul 1491

    Born in Palace of Placentia

  2. 1493–1509

    Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

  3. 1494–1504

    Duke of York

  4. 1494

    Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

  5. 1494

    Lord Warden of the Marches

  6. 1494–1509

    Earl Marshal

  7. 1502–1509

    Duke of Cornwall

  8. 1503–1509

    Prince of Wales

  9. 1503–1509

    Earl of Chester

  10. 1509–1542

    Lord of Ireland

  11. 1509–1547

    Monarch of England

  12. 1511–1537

    10 children are born

  13. 1542–1547

    King of Ireland

  14. 7 Feb 1547

    Dies in Palace of Whitehall, aged 55

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partners

Children · 10

During his lifetime

He lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Palace of Placentia.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1490s · Henry VIII is born in Palace of Placentia

What people wore

Around 1500–1524

Limited wardrobes for the commoners

Many ordinary people owned only one set of clothes for daytime wear and lacked dedicated sleepwear, opting to sleep in their smocks and nightcaps.

Daily life

Around 1500–1524

Open fire cooking and cookshops

Cooking usually took place over an open fire, often involving stews in a cauldron or roasting meat on a spit. Many poorer people lacked cooking facilities at home and relied on cookshops for takeaway food.

Work

Around 1500–1524

Farming was the most common job

Farming was the primary occupation, with nine out of ten people living in rural villages or small towns.

Music

Around 1500–1524

Paying Minstrels for Parish Festivals

Parish records show that minstrel hire for Whitsuntide festivities was common, with payments reaching up to 8s 4d for a single minstrel in 1533.

At the table

Around 1500–1524

Pottage was the staple daily dish

Pottage was the main daily dish for ordinary people, a thick soup made of cereals, pulses, vegetables, and occasionally meat that was cooked in a cauldron over an open fire.

Getting around

Around 1500–1524

Walking was the primary way to travel

Most ordinary people traveled on foot, as walking was the standard mode of transport and carriages were exclusive to the elite. A trip to the local market town often required an entire day to walk there and back.

What it cost

Around 1500–1524

Cost of Basic Food Items

A loaf of bread (24 oz) cost 1 penny, and 1 pound of cheese cost 1 1/2 pence. A skilled worker could buy a dozen eggs for 4d and a pound of cheese for 1 1/2d with their daily wage.