Why was King Henry VIII important?

Answer 1

It was Henry VIII who pulled England out from under the authority of the Roman Catholic church and the Pope, and established the Church of England under the headship of the King. He did this because the Roman Catholic Church would not allow him a divorce.

Answer 2

Maybe he was the world's worst King?

In order to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, he broke with the Catholic Church and created the Church of England. He brought the Protestant Reformation to England as a result.

Answer 3

When Henry was in England he spent most of the time travelling. Henry believed that it was important that people saw their ruler as much as possible. He argued that this encouraged the people to remain loyal to their king.

Henry was full of energy. When he was not working on government business he loved hunting. Even when he arrived back home it was said he rarely sat down.

Henry, unlike most kings, cared little for appearances. He preferred hardwearing hunting clothes to royal robes. Henry also disliked the pomp and ceremony that went with being king.

Henry believed people had to earn respect. He was often rude to members of the nobility. He was quick to lose his temper and often upset important people by shouting at them. Yet, when dealing with the poor or a defeated enemy. Henry had a reputation for being polite and kind. He also had a great sense of humour and even enjoyed a joke at his own expense.

An extremely intelligent man with tremendous energy, Henry made several important legal reforms and is considered to be the founder of English common law. Henry's attempts to reform the courts controlled by the church led to conflict with Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1163, after a long spell in France, Henry arrived back in England. Henry was told that, while he had been away, there had been a dramatic increase in serious crime. The king's officials claimed that over a hundred murderers had escaped their proper punishment because they had claimed their right to be tried in church courts.

Answer 4

because hes KING!! if he was some peasant sweeping the streets trying to find work then he wouldnt be remembered!

That's seriously a bad answer...^

Some peasants are known for things you know... For example Joan of Arc, a 17-year-old peasant girl.

Okay, so Henry II made legal reform a central concern for his reign. For example, he insisted that a jury formally accuse a person a serious crime. Cases were then tried before a royal judge. Henry's reforms strengthened the power of royal courts at the expense of feudal lords. Henry's effort to strengthen royal authority led to a serious conflict with the church. In 1164, Henry issued the Constitutions of Charendon, a document that he said spelled out the king's traditional rights. Among them was the right to try clergy accused of serious crimes in royal courts rather than in church courts.

Answer 5

King Henry VIII, in order to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, he broke with the Catholic Church and created the Church of England.