Round Three: Which Tudor Henry Did Most? (ep 47)

The famous 1537 portrait of the Tudor Dynasty included dynasty
founders Henry VII and Elizabeth and current leaders Henry VIII
and Jane Seymour. It also included an altar that posed the
question: who, father or son, deserves to be recognized as
preeminent?

Henry VIII definitely chooses himself. But is he right?

Returning from 14 years in exile, Henry Tudor claimed the throne,
rallied support from discontented nobles, and hired mercenaries.
Against all odds, the exile and his army of mercenaries and
malcontents defeated the brilliant warrior Richard III and his
royal forces at Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor became King of
England.

But becoming King and remaining King were two different things.
To secure his reign, Henry Tudor created a narrative that put him
on the throne the day before Bosworth and made Richard and his
followers traitors fighting against the King.  He came up
with a stunning successful emblem to symbolize all of this: the
Tudor rose. Then Henry VII stamped that Tudor rose all over
London.

He created a council of professionals rather than nobles. He
married his children into the major royal families of Europe,
creating important alliances. He embarked on building projects,
including the Lady Chapel of Westminster Abbey. He increased
royal income, creating a surplus for his successor. And at his
death, he passed along the crown in the most peaceful and
successful transition of power in nearly 100 years. He wasn't as
famous as his son, but that might be a good thing.

Henry VIII turned the Kingdom upside down and put England on the
world map with his marital misadvantures. Sometime rival Francis
I remarked "The Queen that now is?" when he heard Henry was
ending another marriage (at that point, it was Anne of Cleves).
He married more times than any other monarch, and is the only
King to behead any wives, let alone two of them. But that's not
all Henry is known for.

As part of his marriage-go-round, he found himself unable to
convince the Pope to annul his current marriage. So he broke with
Rome and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England.
His own beliefs were still primarily Catholic, but this step
opened the door to significant religious reform in the
future.

He also created the Royal Navy, forming the foundation of the
force Elizabeth I would use to fight off the Spanish Armada. He
embarked on amazing building projects such as Hampton Court
Palace, which can be visited today. He collected tapestries and
jewels and promoted English magnificence and his image in ways
that are burned into our consciousness.

So...which Henry did most?


History shows us what's possible.