Whas King Henry 8th a nice bloke?

Question

Whas King Henry 8th a nice bloke?

Answer 1

If by nice you mean a power hungary wasteful tyrant, then yes, he was a real swell bloke

Answer 2

He divorced his first wife,so that he could marry the 2nd.

On false charges,she was beheaded(the 2nd)-she'd only bore him a daughter.The third died in childbirth-he got a son,though!The 4th he divorced;the5th he had beheaded and the 6th outlived him.

He died of Syphillis.

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure, if you were to have asked Anne Boleyn, she would have said "no", as would Catherine of Aragón, after he divorced her.  So would Anne of Cleves, who was sent back home simply because Henry didn't care for her body type...I suppose, just like anyone, it would depend on who you spoke to.

My impression was that by the time Edward was born, he was pretty much a despot, more important to himself than to anyone else, in spite of his position.

Answer 4

I think he is a fascinating enigma - neither particularly nice, nor particularly evil.  

He seems to have been a typical over-privileged ruler - spoiled and domineering and self-centered.  But you must consider the way he was raised, and also that he took the throne (unexpectedly, upon the death of his older  brother) while still a teen.  He didn't have a lot of maturity under his belt to begin with.

I think it is interesting that he was apparently very educated, very smart, and talented to boot:  extremely musically inclined, with a deep appreciation of the arts.  Also, its interesting that his biographers seem to agree that he was very religiously inclined (and in fact would likely have gone into the priesthood, had the older brother lived and reigned), and genuinely concerned about his salvation.  This, given the way he molded the country's religion to his own purposes, is perhaps the greatest enigma of all.  

I think he was very hands-on and controlling as a ruler when he wanted to be, and when he was elsewhere occupied (with the latest love conquest) his "advisors" took over and did many a bad deed in his name.  For example, I think he was hammered at until he was persuaded that Anne Boleyn was traitorous/unfaithful - I don't think he would have come to that conclusion himself.   I also think he was hammered at by those around him to reject the Catholic faith - and because of that and of course because it was so convenient to his goals - he dissolved it in favor of Protestantism.  (Also at the same time his enormous ego reached its height, and Protestantism allowed him to be God and ruler in his kingdom... with no Pope to interfere)  My point is, it wasn't all his own idea or his own doing.  

In the end though, however easily he was pressured by those around him, a ruler really must be partly responsible for the evils done in his name.  Henry lived an extraordinary life, some of his own making, much not.  I hope his maker dealt kindly with him when he passed on. . . .

Answer 5

No not really. He was incredibly narcissistic. He would go to any length to get his way even if that meant lying or killing. He was very good at lying to himself about his motives for doing something. For example, he wanted to divorce Katherine of Aragon because his conscience was worried about if marrying her was against god (because she had been married to his brother)... not because she couldn't bare children anymore and he had the hots for Anne Boleyn. Nevermind the fact that they had had a happy marriage for nearly 20 years and his conscience had never worried him before. Then when Anne became a bit too much of a "strong personality" for him and didn't give him a son, he turned a blind eye to the fact that "proof" of her infidelity was manufactured in order to give him a reason to have her beheaded. She was killed because she was "unfaithful" in his mind, not because he had the hots for the quiet Jane Seymour.

Plus... all of the people he killed, the money and riches he took from the church, etc...

Nope... not a nice guy at all.

Answer 6

Historical Article retrieved regarding Henry VIII's personality:

How can one adequately describe Henry's personality?  Imagine yourself as Henry VIII, the second son suddenly yanked into the spotlight by your older brother's death. Sheltered and smothered by a father suddenly aware that he has just one heir left; handsome and intelligent and, by turns, both recklessly indulged and then denied. Any of us would have emerged as a mass of contradictions and frustrations.  

So Henry VIII, crowned king at the prime of his life, just eighteen years old and physically magnificent with more enthusiasm and energy than most of his contemporaries, became a conflicted and confused man.  But it is a shame to let the last twenty years of his life color the interpretation of his entire life.  One should not see him as simply an ogre king who beheaded two wives, divorced two others, and rejected another in one of the most humiliating ways possible.

Answer 7

I think he started out as a nice guy, but as he grew older, he became sick and bitter over his lost youth and not having a son and I think that gave him a short fuse.  Also, there is some speculation he may have had untreated syphillis, which isn't hard to believe when you consider how much fooling around he did.