Henry VIII - Introduction by Damian Lewis

Henry VIII never expected to reign And like so many second sons He was given a freedom not given to the heir But on the death of his brother, Arthur He was thrust into kingship school By his authoritarian father, Henry VII His early years fulfilled his warrior ambitions Winning battles in France and Scotland Six marriages and the creation of the Church of England Point to a monarch who was less than conventional Succeeding to the throne in 1509 at the age of 17 He married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon The well-known split with Rome and the subsequent reformation Was a direct result of divorce from Catherine Then followed the other five wives Anne Boleyn, executed Jane Seymour, died Anne of Cleves, divorced Catherine Howard, beheaded And finally, Catherine Parr, who outlived him A man of many parts Associated with the field of the cloth of gold Music and scholarly pursuits And a strong defense of Christian piety Juxtapose this with his love of jousting, hunting, tennis And in his younger days An athletic prowess that was the talk of Europe And you understand why Henry VIII Was such a force in our island's history When Henry died, in January 1547, he was 55 years old And boasted a Falstaffian girth of 54 inches Henry VIII, reformation