King Henry VIII was born on the 28th June 1491, the second son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He became heir to the throne after his older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died in 1502, and he became King of England, the second monarch of the House of Tudor, in 1509. As a young man, he was notably intelligent, a devotee of the arts, and an accomplished sportsman, displaying skills in languages, music, archery, jousting, tennis and hunting. Henry VIII is probably best known for his having been married six times, his wives being Catherine of Aragon (his late brothers wife), Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr. He was considered a powerful monarch, and brought in the English Reformation, during which he created the Church of England and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry died on 28th January 1547, and was succeeded by his nine year old son, Edward VI. One of his many talents of the arts included poetry, and many of his poems still survive today. Here they are written in traditional English for authenticity.
