Henry VIII (English: Henry VIII, June 28, 1491 - January 28, 1547) was the second King of England in the Tudor Dynasty (from April 22, 1509 to January 28, 1547) and the first King of Ireland (from 1541 to January 28, 1547). He is the second son of King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth.
After the death of Henry VII, Henry VIII succeeded to the throne on April 22, 1509.
As the second king of the Tudor dynasty, he was also the lord of Ireland and later became the king of Ireland. In order to divorce his wife and marry a new queen, Henry VIII opposed the Pope at that time, carried out religious reform, passed some important laws to allow him to marry another, and established the then British bishop as the archbishop of the Church of England, leaving the Church of England from the Holy See, and became the highest religious leader in England, and dissolved the monastery, so that the power of the British royal family reached its peak. During his reign, Wales was incorporated into England.
On January 28, 1547, Henry VIII died at Whitehall Palace and was buried at St. George's Church in Windsor Castle, where he was buried with his third wife, Jean Seymour. His only legitimate son, Edward VI, inherited his throne in accordance with the third Law on the Succession of Thrones.

Background
Henry VII, the father of Henry, is a descendant of the Lancaster royal family of England. In 1485, Henry VII defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, and immediately claimed the throne. He ruled England, Wales and Ireland and established the Tudor Dynasty. In order to ease political conflicts and strengthen the legitimacy of becoming king of England, on January 18, 1486, at Westminster Abbey in London, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV of the York Dynasty.
On June 28, 1491, Henry was born at the Palais Plassenser in Greenwich, London. He is the third child of Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth. Before his birth, Queen Elizabeth had given birth to her eldest son Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, and her eldest daughter Princess Margaret Tudor.
Adolescence
Young Henry
Young Henry [2]
Henry received a good education from his childhood. The poet Skelton was his teacher. He met and consulted Erasmus and some Renaissance celebrities in a long time. He knows Latin, French, Italian and some Spanish and Greek, likes poetry and music, and can compose and play. He also likes hunting, and is good at equestrian, archery, wrestling, and royal tennis. [1]
In 1493, Henry was appointed the head of Dover Fort and the head of the Five Ports Alliance. In 1494, Henry was made Duke of York.
In 1501, Henry VII married Catherine of Aragon, the princess of Spain, for his eldest son Arthur, to form an alliance with Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castilla.
In 1502, four months after Arthur married Catherine, Arthur died suddenly. Due to the early death of his elder brother Arthur, 12-year-old Henry became the heir to the throne and succeeded the Prince of Wales.
In order to continue to maintain the friendly relationship with Spain through marriage, Henry VII persuaded Catherine to stay and engaged Catherine to her second son Henry.
At that time, the marriage violated Catholic rules, and Catherine of Aragon claimed that she had not reconciled with Arthur. Later, Catherine's mother Isabella I asked the Pope to issue a decree allowing the marriage.
In 1505, Henry VII did not want to continue the alliance with Spain, so Henry, the Prince of Wales, announced that he did not agree to the engagement with Catherine. Spain made diplomatic mediation with Britain for this purpose, and the engagement was not dissolved. [3]
Enthrone as king
Henry VIII
Henry VIII
On April 21, 1509, Henry VII died.
On June 11, 1509, Henry and Catherine were formally married.
On June 24, 1509, Henry held the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, and inherited the throne for Henry VIII.
Henry VIII, the young king, was a big man, capable of writing and fighting. In the early years of his reign, some of his actions were influenced by the new trend of thought of the Renaissance. He has written two books, and he can also write poems and compose music. The ballad "Green Sleeve", which he wrote shortly after his accession to the throne, has become a popular song passed on from mouth to mouth.
Henry VIII personally visited Thomas Moore, the author of Utopia, and has always appointed him as a trusted minister.
He also supported the maintenance of British judicial power, opposed the interference of the Holy See, and claimed that "in Britain, except God, the king is the supreme authority."
Henry VIII founded the Royal Navy. He ordered the construction of fast and flexible new warships, loaded guns in the cabin, equipped with special combat sailors, and built several naval docks. In 1514, he issued a license to Trinity to specialize in the navigation industry, and had the right to tax and subsidize navigation and set up lighthouses.
Henry VIII was also deeply influenced by the old tradition of feudal aristocracy. He spent a lot of time competing with noble knights, hunting and playing, and was unwilling to deal with daily affairs. He issued a decree to strictly regulate the hierarchy of nobles in clothing, and prohibit civilians from overstepping in clothing. He often displayed his kingly demeanor at the grand court meetings to conquer the ministers and guests.
In 1517, Henry VIII held a cavalry competition in Greenwich. When he appeared, he wore gold armor, a purple satin robe inlaid with various colors of jewelry, and the horses under his crotch also wore gold and silver. A foreign envoy exclaimed: "The wealth and civilization of the world are all here. Some people regard Britain as a place of barbarism. In my opinion, they are barbarians

Six marriages
First marriage
Henry VIII's six wives
Henry VIII's six wives
Catherine of Aragon was the first queen of Henry VIII, and Catherine was the widow of Henry VIII's brother, who was also Henry VIII's sister-in-law.
Queen Catherine has miscarried many times. One baby girl died early and three baby boys died early. The only surviving child, Mary Tudor, was born at Prestia Palace in London on February 18, 1516, that is, Mary I, later known as "Bloody Mary".
In 1525, Henry VIII decided that Catherine could not give birth to a male heir for him, and had an affair with the waitress Anne Bolin (also known as Ann Bolin). Henry VIII asked for divorce on the grounds that the Bible said that his brother and sister-in-law would have no offspring. But Catherine insisted that she was the queen and refused to divorce Henry VIII. Because Catherine is a Spanish princess, the Pope did not approve Henry's divorce. So Henry VIII asked Judge Walsh to negotiate with the Pope, hoping to obtain the Pope's consent. Walsey, who failed to negotiate with the Pope, was exiled, and his successor, Thomas Moore, was soon removed from office, and Thomas Kramer was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
In January 1533, without the permission of the Pope, Henry VIII secretly married Anne Bolin, and the Pope announced that Henry would be expelled from the church. In retaliation, the British Parliament immediately legislated to break away from the Holy See. Archbishop Cramer then declared Henry's marriage to Catherine null and void, and his marriage to Anne Bolin legal. [5]
Second marriage
Anne Bolin, Henry VIII's second queen, according to the BBC's British history, Anne Bolin's sister Mary Bolin is Henry VIII's mistress. After Annie returned from studying in France, she entered the British court and Henry VIII fell in love with her.
On June 1, 1533, Anne Bolling was crowned Queen of England. Catherine was deprived of the title of Queen and imprisoned in a lower manor. Mary Tudor was also demoted as an illegitimate daughter and was not allowed to meet her mother.
In September 1533, Anne Bolin gave birth to her daughter Elizabeth, the later "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I. Also because Annie did not give birth to a son, Henry VIII shifted his mind to Jane Seymour, Anne's waitress.
In 1536, Henry VIII ordered the arrest of Anne Bolin and her brother Viscount George. George was accused of having an affair with three of his friends, Anne Bolin, and planned to assassinate the king. George and his friend were executed, while Anne Bolin was convicted of adultery with her brother and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Annie was beheaded on May 19, 1536. Henry VIII declared his marriage to Anne Bolin null and void.
Third marriage
On May 30, 1536, Henry VIII and Jean Seymour held his third wedding.
On June 4, 1536, she was publicly declared Queen, but she was not officially crowned because of the plague in London at that time.
Edward Tudor (later Edward VI), the son of Jean Seymour, was born in the room of Hampton Palace in Midsex on October 12, 1537. He was the male heir of King Henry VIII and the royal family of England. Jean Seymour recovered rapidly after childbirth, and sent out the second Law on the Inheritance of the Throne signed in 1536, officially announcing the birth of the "prince born from the legal marriage between His Majesty and me". The whole country in England was jubilant, the "Ode to Praise" was sung in the church, and a bonfire was lit in the city to celebrate the birth of Edward.
However, on October 23, 1537, Jean Seymour had a sudden puerperal fever and died the next night. In his letter to Francois I, King of France, Henry VIII said, "... She brings me joy, but God mixed it with the pain of her death. [6-8]
Fourth marriage
In order to escape the religious war in Europe, Hans Holby came to England in 1532 and was employed as a court painter. He recommended Anne of Clevis, a small country between France and Netherland, to Henry VIII. Although Henry VIII did not like Princess Anne's appearance, the two married on January 6, 1540. Because Henry VIII hated Queen Anne and didn't want to touch her, he turned to Catherine Howard, Queen Anne's waitress (Anne Bolin's cousin).
Henry VIII once again claimed that his marriage with Queen Anne was invalid and demanded a divorce. He gave Annie the title of "sister of the king" and gave her a large sum of money to let her live in seclusion in England. In July 1540, Queen Anne and Henry VIII divorced and lived in London until their death in 1557. [5]
Fifth marriage
On July 28, 1540, Henry VIII married Catherine Howard. But after her marriage, Catherine had an extramarital affair with Thomas Carpper, the minister, and appointed her former lover Francis Durham as the secretary. Someone secretly told Thomas Cramer, then the Archbishop of Canterbury, about Catherine's association with others. Cramer then secretly reported the Queen's adultery to Henry.
Henry VIII arrested all Catherine's lovers. In 1543, Catherine was hanged. [3]
Sixth marriage
In 1543, old Henry finally married Catherine Parr, who served at the court, as his sixth wife. Catherine Parr is a widow who has been married twice. Her religious views are radical, but Henry is conservative. They often argued and nearly killed her several times, but she always gave in time.
Influenced by the queen, Henry reconciled with his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Catherine Parr took good care of Henry's children Mary, Elizabeth and Edward, and gave them a good education. She also took good care of Henry, who was ill and easily angered in his later years. [9]
Suspicion of old age
Whitehall Palace
Whitehall Palace
Henry VIII was overweight in his later years. Once he was injured while riding a horse, and then he never recovered. He was suspicious and irritable.
He arrested the anti-reformist leader, Duke Norfolk, and so on. He was ready to be executed, but it was not executed. Henry VIII died of illness at Whitehall Palace in Windsor Castle on January 28, 1547. Sixteen new nobles, mainly reformists, were appointed by the will to form the Privy Council, and the 9-year-old Edward VI was assisted to succeed him. [1]
Henry VIII was buried in St. George's Church in Windsor Castle, where he was buried with his third wife, Jean Seymour.
For more than ten years after the death of Henry VIII, his three legitimate children all sat on the British throne, but none of them had children.

Politics
king
Kings (3)
At the beginning of Henry VIII's accession to the throne, the upper house of the British Parliament was composed of dozens of nobles, bishops and abbots. Since the power to appoint and convene its members was vested in the king, it was easier to be controlled by the royal power. The members of the House of Commons are elected by the squires with an annual land income of more than 40 shillings in each county of the country. In principle, two people are elected from each county. Some are elected by the cities and towns with a charter granted by the king according to their own practices. There are more than 300 people in total. Most of them are small nobles, squires, businessmen and lawyers, representing the interests of the squires and the bourgeoisie to a large extent.
Henry VIII used Thomas Walsey, a clergyman who was born as a businessman. Since 1515, Walsey has also served as the Chief Justice, the Archbishop of York, the Cardinal of the United States and the representative of the Pope, taking over the power of domestic and foreign affairs.
Henry VIII also began to use the reformers to take charge of various important positions. He discovered Thomas Cromwell, a businessman and lawyer. From 1532 to 1540, he was concurrently appointed as the treasurer of the royal family, the minister of the treasury, the secretary of state, the minister in charge of the seal, the representative of the head of the church and other important positions, so that Cromwell mastered the power of administration, justice, finance, diplomacy and religion.
Since 1522, Henry VIII has sent troops to invade France year after year and provided military expenditure to Charles V for support. The huge expenditure exhausted the national treasury reserves, and Henry VIII had to convene a parliament to levy taxes and demand donations. This infringed on the interests of the gentry and the bourgeoisie, and the whole country was full of opposition. Henry VIII had to give in.
At that time, not only was Britain's diplomacy frustrated, but its internal affairs also fell into chaos. Thomas Walsey ignored the interests and requirements of the gentry and the bourgeoisie, which led to the neglect of many urgent internal issues. With the introduction of the idea of religious reform into Britain, the general public's anti-Catholic sentiment has increased. Many more radical and reformist people have emerged from the gentry and the bourgeoisie, demanding the destruction of the Catholic Church and the exclusion of the interference of the Holy See. At this time, the divorce of Henry VIII became the fuse of the outbreak of the British reform movement.
With the increasing complexity of internal affairs, diplomacy, finance, justice, military affairs and religious affairs, the old institutions such as the court and the aristocratic advisory house can no longer meet the needs. The reformers such as Cromwell carried out government reform. The Privy Council is composed of more than ten major full-time ministers, including the Chancellor of Justice, the Minister of Finance, the Privy President, the Minister in charge of the seal, the Secretary of State, the Minister of Police, the Accountant, and the former Minister of the Crown, and becomes the core of the central government. Henry VIII, as the king, has the full power to appoint and remove the Privy Council ministers, and is the nominal chair of the Privy Council.
The various financial courts in the form of organization stipulated by the bill of parliament are in charge of various revenues and expenditures, and the king's court has become a government department in charge of the king's personal affairs. The judicial system has also been reformed. Privileged courts such as the Star Court and the Petition Court have become effective tools to implement government policies and implement repression, making up for the decadent and inefficient situation of the old ordinary courts. These reforms resulted in a strong centralization of power, which enabled Henry VIII to have autocratic power that previous kings had never obtained.
Henry VIII made no achievements in domestic and foreign policies in his later years. He failed in his attempt to control Scotland, and then returned to war with France between 1542 and 1546. Relying on large-scale taxation and borrowing to maintain the war, the result was nothing, but financial bankruptcy, soaring prices, devaluation of the currency, the royal family confiscated the property acquired by the monastery, most of which were sold to the new aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. [11]
International Relations
In his early years, Henry VIII continued to carry out the foreign policy of opposing France and uniting Spain left by Henry VII. After he succeeded to the throne, he married Catherine of Aragon, the princess of Spain and the widow of his elder brother Arthur. [12]
The policy carried out since 1515 is to take advantage of the contradiction between Spain and France, to support the Pope as a call, and try to expand the territory occupied in France and promote trade interests in the Western Flanders region. In his capacity as king, Henry VIII often went out to engage in diplomatic activities in person. His opponents were French King Francois I and Spanish King Carlos I. Several kings have conducted many visits and meetings, negotiated alliances, concluded peace agreements and intermarriages.
However, Henry VIII expelled Catherine and broke with the Pope, which caused a rift in the relationship between Britain and Spain. After Henry VIII broke with the Holy See, he made enemies on all sides, and Britain became the target of the European powers.

military
Arms
The giant battleship "Lord Henry"
The giant battleship "Lord Henry"
Henry VIII inherited a royal fleet: a total of 15 ships of all kinds, but only two were warships with a displacement of more than 500 tons. Henry VIII invested heavily in the expansion of Portsmouth Royal Shipyard, and the construction of Depford Dockyard, which was started in 1517, has a total area of 8 acres, and the water depth can carry thousands of tons of ships. During the 38 years of Henry VIII's reign, the Royal Fleet expanded to 53, including 13 warships with more than 500 tons. The huge warship Henry Grace a Dieu, launched in 1514, has a displacement of 1000 tons and is equipped with 43 bronze heavy guns and 141 small guns of all kinds.
Before Henry VIII's accession to the throne, the British artillery was completely dependent on imports. In 1496, the British King's arms director counted the inventory and obtained 63 artillery of all kinds, 406 barrels of gunpowder, 9253 longbows and 27804 pouches of feather arrows. After Henry VIII succeeded to the throne, he hired French and Italian experts to teach the casting process. In 1529, the Owen brothers in London began to cast bronze cannons for the royal family. In the middle of Henry VIII's reign, the royal arsenal had 2250 large and small guns and 6500 guns. [13-14]
Warfare
There was no standing army during the reign of Henry VIII, and the country implemented the system of recruiting mercenaries.
At the beginning of Henry VIII's accession to the throne, Europe entered a period of hegemony between the two great powers. France and the Holy Roman Empire fought for Italy. Both countries tried to win British assistance. In November 1511, Henry VIII formally allied with the Holy Roman Empire and declared war on France.
In June 1513, Henry VIII, in the name of protecting the Pope, joined Spain in the war against France and led 25000 British troops to invade France. This is the first time that British troops have set foot in French territory since the end of the Hundred Years War. At this time, the main force of the French army was fighting in Italy. Henry VIII's army met with weak resistance, and drove straight into the small city of Truen for more than 100 kilometers, defeated the French cavalry who came to rescue, defeated the French army in Guinegat (the Battle of the Spurs), and captured the French general Paris and the famous knight Bayar alive. In the autumn of 1513, Henry VIII returned with honor.
In the Battle of Froden in September 1513, the Earl of Surrey (the second Duke of Norfolk) defeated the French ally Scotland and killed its King James IV, and the good news spread again.
In 1522, the newly enthroned Holy Roman Emperor Charles V made Henry VIII fight against France again by marriage. In 1523, Henry VIII attacked in multiple ways, and the Duke of Suffolk attacked the land and led the army to invade France; The British navy at sea competed with the French and Scottish navies at the same time. However, the British finance could not support the war on this scale, and the national treasury ran out a few months later. When the Duke of Suffolk's expedition advanced fifty miles outside Paris, it was cut off and had to withdraw. [15]
In February 1525, Charles V's imperial army decisively defeated the French army in Pavia, northern Italy, and captured French king Francois I (the Battle of Pavia). In 1526, Charles V concluded a peace treaty with France alone, ending the state of war, categorically rejected Henry VIII's request to continue the war, and abandoned his engagement with Princess Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's eldest daughter, to marry Princess Isabella of Portugal.
In 1543, the war between Britain and France resumed. Henry VIII issued a large number of pirate licenses in order to combat French shipping. The British pirates attacked in all directions and were ordered to loot. These pirates seize the ship on the pretext of banning French goods. Spain and Netherland, as neutral countries, are also not immune from it.
In 1544, Britain and France fought again. France gathered 200 warships carrying 30000 troops to invade Britain and land on the island of Vitter off the coast of Britain. The scale of the invasion far exceeded the Spanish Armada 44 years later. The navy built by Henry VIII with a large amount of money did not meet the expectations of the public. It defeated the French army in the World War I in Spiehead and forced it to return without success. However, it paid a huge price: the warship "Mary Rose" with a displacement of 800 tons sank, and 400 people were killed. [16]
Economics
During the reign of Henry VIII, Britain was still an agricultural society, and the wool textile industry was not developed. The total population of England and Wales is about 3 million, less than half of that of Spain and only one sixth of that of France. Almost all the resources needed for the war need to be purchased with heavy money from overseas. The rope, mast, asphalt and tar required for shipbuilding are from the Baltic countries; Canvas from Brittany, Spain and Netherland, France; The pig iron needed to cast the gun comes from the Basque region of Spain, and the brass comes from Central Europe; The anchor is from Flanders; Armor, firearms and swords are mostly imported from Italy and Netherland; The nitrate needed to make gunpowder is unheard of in Britain. Most British soldiers were recruited from Italy and Germany, and their military rations were purchased from Danzig and the Netherlands. In the late period of Henry VIII's dynasty, the annual military expenditure was as high as 650000 pounds, while the annual fiscal revenue was only 250000 pounds.
In the last few years of Henry VIII's reign, he sent troops to France and Scotland at the same time, and the military expenditure was as high as 3.2 million pounds. In order to solve the financial crisis, Henry VIII disbanded a large number of monasteries, confiscated the church property, auctioned two thirds of it, and obtained 1.4 million pounds, with the remaining part earning 150000 pounds a year. Despite this, Henry VIII was still unable to make ends meet and was forced to devalue his currency and borrow heavily from the financial market in Antwerp at an annual interest rate of 14%.
In 1545, British pirates plundered a Spanish treasure ship carrying American silver at the Cape of Saint Vincent. Charles V ordered all British businessmen in Spain to be imprisoned and prohibited from trading with Britain. Until the diplomatic mediation to resolve the dispute, the British overseas trade has been interrupted for more than a year, the market has been firmly occupied by the German Lufthansa merchants, the British merchants' goods have been confiscated, and after being released from prison, they are insolvent. The British wool textile industry lost its overseas market and suffered a heavy blow to the British economy. [17]
cultural education
During the reign of Henry VIII, humanism rose in England and was supported by famous British scholars and Henry VIII's court. In order to promote the spread of humanism, internalize it into the cultural character of the British people and then influence the British society, many scholars and political dignitaries introduced humanism into Oxford University and Cambridge University by setting up lectures on classical language and human literature and adjusting university courses. Due to the influence of humanism, Oxford and Cambridge universities have undergone significant changes in academic, academic organization, student family background and their relationship with politics. [18]
Religious reform
In 1533, Henry VIII promoted Thomas Kramer, the reformist priest, as the Archbishop of Canterbury, led the British Church, and appointed many reformist people to serve in the government and the church, replacing the old anti-reform aristocracy and senior priests.
The parliament held eight consecutive sessions from 1529 to 1536, and under the instigation of reformists such as Cromwell, adopted a series of parliamentary bills to implement religious reform. According to the bill of parliament, Henry VIII was successively ordered to take a large amount of fine from the church, withhold the annual tribute to the Pope, obtain the full power to formulate the canon and appoint the bishop, obtain the supreme judicial power of the church, replace the Pope as the supreme leader of the Church of England, take the bishop's first annual salary and tithes into his own possession, dissolve all monasteries, and return their huge land and property to the royal family. From then on, Britain broke away from the Roman Catholic Church system and established the Church of England controlled by the state power, with the king as the supreme ruler.
The religious reform has aroused strong opposition from anti-reform forces at home and abroad. The Pope excommunicated Henry VIII, and the Holy Roman Empire threatened to invade and cut off trade. Henry VIII strengthened the repression in the country. In 1534, the parliament passed the "Treason Law", stipulating that anyone who slandered the king as a heretic, a heretic, a tyrant, and other notorious people by words, words, and actions, denied that the king was the leader of the church, and denied that the king's marriage was legitimate, were all treason, and should be executed for the crime. According to this bill, a large number of anti-reform missionaries were killed, and Thomas Moore was also executed for not recognizing the right of Parliament to carry out religious reform. But at the same time, some people who believe in various reformist sects were also burned as "heretics".
From 1536 to 1537, the old nobles and church forces in the north took advantage of the discontent of the peasants and set off a rebellion called the "Courtesy Patrol". They marched south, demanding that all reforms be cancelled and the reformers be punished. Henry VIII resolutely suppressed, killed and abolished a number of old northern nobles, and established the "Northern Court" presided over by the reformists to rule. In Wales and the Western Border Region, the "Welsh Border Region Court" chaired by the reformists was established to punish a large number of illegal old nobles and promote the British administrative justice system. Parliament passed bills in 1536 and 1543, formally incorporating Wales into the United Kingdom. Due to the achievements of the reformers, the Parliament Act of 1536 stipulated that all the original feudal privileged areas in Britain must be governed in the name of the king and implement a unified administrative and judicial system. Since then, the feudal separatism in Britain has been basically eliminated. From 1536 to 1537, Henry VIII also suppressed the anti-reform rebellion of the old aristocracy in the British occupied area of Ireland, and sent reformists as representatives to rule. He himself was also known as the King of Ireland in 1541.
The religious reform movement, especially the confiscation of a large number of monastery properties, brought profound social and economic changes. Due to financial needs and political support, the royal family resold or presented a large number of real estate to the new aristocracy and the industrial and commercial bourgeoisie, making these emerging forces rich and become vested interests in the religious reform. They encircled the land, raised the rent and drove out the tenants, causing a large number of farmers to be displaced and the social order to be unstable.
In 1531 and 1536, the Parliament passed bills to brutally suppress vagrants by means of corporal punishment, slave labor and execution. The power to punish the vagrants, settle the labor force, collect relief taxes, maintain public order, and manage local administrative and judicial affairs is handed over to magistrates and parishioners who are appointed by the squires, so that they can replace the secular feudal lords and become the tools for the central government to exercise local rule.
The religious reform also has a significant impact on the ideological and cultural field. Under the initiative of Cromwell and Cranmer, the English Bible was widely distributed and some Protestant doctrines were adopted in the liturgy. Superstitions such as idols, shrines and pilgrimages have been broken. The spread of the emerging bourgeois ideology and the awakening of the lower class made Henry VIII feel afraid that further reform would endanger his rule. In 1539, he personally presided over the formulation of the "six creeds law", stipulating that the Trinity, the main doctrines and rituals of Catholicism such as the doctrine of transformation, mass, repentance, and celibacy of priests must be observed, and offenders should be punished to death. In 1540, at the instigation of the anti-reformists, Henry VIII executed Cromwell, burned and persecuted the reformists, and ordered that ordinary civilians should not read the English Bible. The "Book of Kings" formulated in 1543 further affirmed the basic doctrines of Catholicism and all sacraments. However, the trend of reform was unstoppable, and the majority of reformers did not yield. Henry VIII also knew that he could not compromise with the Holy See any more, and had to swing between reformers and anti-reformers.
During the reform, more than 70000 people were executed, about 2% of the British population at that time. Since then, the Church of England has become the Anglican Church, a separate sect of Protestant Christianity.

During the reign of Henry VIII, he carried out religious reform, made the Church of England separate from the Holy See, became the highest religious leader in England, made a comprehensive reform of the national government institutions, and protected the political and economic interests of his country with military foreign policy in Europe. These have led to great changes in Britain's social and economic conditions, political system, culture, ideology and religion, and made Britain finally become a unified and centralized modern nation-state, creating favorable conditions for the further development of capitalist factors. In this process, Henry VIII played an important role as an autocratic monarch with unprecedented power.