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Henry VIII of England

1491 CE – 1547 CE

Retrace Henry VIII of England's life across the map — 7 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. War of the League of Cambrai1508 CE
   The War of the League of Cambrai, also known by its second stage as the War of the Holy League, was fought from December 1508 to December 1516, as part of the wider Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fought for its entire duration, were France, the Holy Roman Empire, the Papal States, and the Republic of Venice; they were joined at various times by nearly every significant power in Western Europe, including Spain, England, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, the Duchy of Ferrara, and the Swiss.
2. coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon1509 CE
   The coronation of Henry VIII and his wife Catherine as King and Queen of England took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 24 June 1509. Henry acceded to the throne two months prior, following the death of King Henry VII on 21 April, and Catherine became his wife and queen on 11 June. The ceremony was presided over by William Warham, the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury, and organized by Lady Margaret Beaufort, the King's grandmother who died 5 days later.
3. Siege of Venlo1511 CE
   The siege of Venlo occurred in 1511 when a combined Habsburg and English force besieged Venlo in an attempt to capture the city and bring the Duchy of Guelders to its knees.
4. Battle of Guinegate1513 CE
   The Battle of the Spurs or (Second) Battle of Guinegate took place on 16 August 1513. It formed a part of the War of the League of Cambrai of 1508 to 1516, during the Italian Wars. King Henry VIII of England and Emperor Maximilian I were besieging the French town of Thérouanne in Artois. Henry's camp was at Guinegate. A large body of French heavy cavalry under Jacques de La Palice was covering an attempt by light cavalry to bring supplies to the besieged garrison. English and Imperial troops surprised and routed the French cavalry. The battle resulted in the precipitate flight and extensive pursuit of the French. During the pursuit, a number of notable French leaders and knights were captured. After the fall of Thérouanne, Henry VIII besieged and took Tournai.
5. Pilgrimage of Grace1536 CE
   The Pilgrimage of Grace was an English Catholic popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536 before spreading to other parts of Northern England, including Cumberland, Northumberland, Durham and north Lancashire. The protests occurred under the leadership of Robert Aske. The "most serious of all Tudor period rebellions", the Pilgrimage was a revolt against King Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church, the dissolution of the lesser monasteries, and the policies of the King's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, as well as other specific political, social, and economic grievances.
6. Bigod's Rebellion1537 CE
   Bigod's rebellion of January 1537 was an armed rebellion by English Catholics in Cumberland and Westmorland against King Henry VIII and the English Reformation Parliament. It was led by Sir Francis Bigod, of Settrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
7. Sieges of Boulogne1544 CE
   The sieges of Boulogne were two sieges which took place between England and France during the Rough Wooing and Italian War of 1542–1546. The first took place from 19 July to 14 September 1544 and the second from September 1544 to 16 May 1550. An earlier siege of Boulogne had taken place in 1492 when the English Tudor King Henry VII laid siege to the lightly defended lower town of Boulogne in the Pas-de-Calais, France. Fifty years later as allies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, during the war against the French, the English returned led by Henry VII's son and heir, Henry VIII. Boulogne was fortified and defended as an English possession on the French mainland between 14 September 1544 and March 1550.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].