Henry the eighth was born in 1491, died in 1547. He ruled from 1509 to 1547.

Henry was a big king. He had a huge temper, he threw enormous parties and his apetite was gigantic. When he was young, he was handsome, tall and sporty and girls were always falling in love with him. He danced, wrestled, hunted and was a brilliant tennis player.

He was clever and hardworking. He wrote books, composed songs and built the first modern navy. Unfortunatelly, Henry was also a bully who wanted to be the most powerful man in the world and he executed anyone who got in his way, including some of his six wives.

But handsome young kings don't always become old kings. In later life, Henry got very fat, bloated and ugly. He was riddled with diseases, had bad breath and smelt horrible. But by the time he died, his brilliance and his appalling behaviour had changed England forever.

He loves me; he loves me not!

Henry is most famous for marrying six times. But it was probably even more dangerous to be his wife than his friend. One day he'd be madly in love with you, and the next he'd be plotting to divorce you or have your head chopped off.

Catherine of Aragon was the widow of Henry's older brother, Arthur. When Arthur died Henry married Catherine and they had a daughter Mary. When they had been married for eighteen years, Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn. So Catherine was ... Divorced.

Anne Boleyn was one of Catherine's maids of honour. She was pregnant with Henry's daughter Elizabeth when he married her. After three years Henry accused her of sleeping with other men. So Anne was ... Beheaded

Jane Seymour and Henry were married eleven days after Anne Boleyn's execution. they had a son, Edward, but soon after he was born Jane ... Died

Anne of Cleves had never met the king before she married him. She was recommended by Henry's advisor Thomas Cromwell. Henry thought she looked like a horse and from the moment he saw her he couldn't stand her and furious with Thomas. Anne was ... Divorced

Katherine Howard was the niece of the Duke of Norfolk. After eighteen months, Henry accused her of having slept with another man. He was a very jealous person. Katherine was ... Beheaded

Catherine Parr was a kindly widow. henry died before she did, so Catherine ... Survived

When Henry died, aged 55, his son, Edward, became the new king, and both his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, would become queens in their turn. The fear they had felt for their cold, angry father affected all of them throughout their reigns.