Henry VIII - Introduction by Damian Lewis

[Spoken: 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 seventeen, 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 defence 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 fifty-five years old and boasted a Falstaffian girth of fifty-four inches
Henry VIII, reformation