Henry VIII had seen his fortunes decline over the course of his life. From a widely respected young monarch, he had broken with the church of Rome, broken his alliance with Spain, fought wars with France and Scotland, and proved, even by the standards of medieval European kings, totally unable to keep it in his pants. He had had numerous mistresses over the course of his reign, and famously, was married six times – two of those marriages ending in annulment, two ending with him executing the wives in question, one in the death of the queen shortly after she gave birth. His final queen, Catherine Parr, survived him, and her influence would prove decisive later on: it was her urging of Henry to reconcile with his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, that saw both women returned to the line of succession.
Henry’s health had also failed over the years – he had become obese after a wound taken jousting rendered him largely immobile, and at the time of his death he also suffered from boils, and possibly gout. He was succeeded by his son, Edward VI, who was only 10 years old at the time, and would himself die childless five years later. The widowed Queen would devote her time to writing devotional works and married once more a few months later. She died in September of 1548.
