THE BLOODY KING | Henry VIII (1491–1547) was King of England from 1509 until his death, the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Ascending the throne following the death of his father, Henry VII, his early reign was marked by military ventures in France and papal favour, earning the title Fidei Defensor in 1521. The absence of a surviving male heir from his marriage to Catherine of Aragon prompted his pursuit of an annulment in the late 1520s. When Pope Clement VII refused the request, Henry bro