Henry VIII

American  

noun

1. Defender of the Faith, 1491–1547, king of England 1509–47 (son of Henry VII).

2. (italics) a drama (1612–13?) by Shakespeare.

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Henry VIII British  

noun

1. 1491–1547, king of England (1509–47); second son of Henry VII. The declaration that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was invalid and his marriage to Anne Boleyn (1533) precipitated the Act of Supremacy, making Henry supreme head of the Church in England. Anne Boleyn was executed (1536) and Henry subsequently married Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. His reign is also noted for the fame of his succession of advisers, Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, and Thomas Cromwell

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Henry VIII Cultural  

1. A king of England in the early sixteenth century. With the support of his Parliament, Henry established himself as head of the Christian Church in England, in place of the pope, after the pope refused to allow his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to be dissolved. Since that time, except for a few years of rule under Henry's daughter Mary I, who was a Roman Catholic, England has been officially a Protestant nation. In his personal life, Henry was known for his corpulence and for his six wives. He divorced the first, Catherine of Aragon. He beheaded the second, Anne Boleyn, for allegedly being unfaithful to him. His third wife, Jane Seymour, died soon after giving birth to a son. He divorced his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, and beheaded his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, also for alleged infidelity. His sixth wife, Catherine Parr, survived him. He also had his close friend and adviser Thomas More executed because More would not support Henry's declaration that he was head of the church in England. Henry was the father of King Edward VI and of Queen Elizabeth I, as well as Mary I.

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Example Sentences

At one point I spiraled into Henry VIII, and I just watched a million videos about Henry VIII.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

The Church was established in the 16th century by Henry VIII, the king who broke with the Catholic church over its refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

SIX the Musical tells the story of the many wives of Henry VIII, as they step out of the shadow of their infamous husband and reclaim the narrative.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025

She acquired it in 1487, two years after her son was crowned king as Henry VII. He, his son Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I all walked the palace halls.

From New York Times • May 26, 2024

The new monarch’s name was Henry VIII, and he was the latest in a line of kings and queens from the House of Tudor who ruled England from 1485 to 1603.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler