500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne

by James

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Tomorrow is the 500th anniversary of the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of England. He was later crowned King on June 24th 1509 and turned 18 just a few days afterwards. Although famed for his six wives, the Reformation and end of Roman Catholicism in England, war-mongering, and huge appetite and obesity in later life, it seems as if there are many aspects to Henry’s life and personality that go far beyond the things that usually spring to mind when we hear his name.Here are a few suggestions for web resources that you might find useful when looking at the famous king in the classroom. As you might expect of such a well-known historical figure, there are many different accounts and resources of Henry available:

• The BBC is always a good place to start and this slideshow provides a great introduction for students to view themselves. There is also an interactive activity where the children are asked to help put Henry’s armour on, but should be careful not to make him angry! For a more detailed biography from the BBC see here.
• This is perhaps the most detailed biography that I came across. Alternatively, the Woodlands Junior School homework help page is another that students could use themselves.
• This Brims page is a great website for KS2 students, and has a range of resources and information on Henry and all of the Tudors. Some interesting facts from the page:  Henry VIII had over 78,000 people executed while he was King (that equals about 5 people every day for 38 years!), and at one time had a gambling bill for £3242, when the average weekly wage was about 5p!
• By the end of his reign, Henry had accumulated 55 palaces – you can see images of them, and the things that Henry liked to fill them with, here.
• According to many accounts, Henry was intelligent and extremely well-read. You can read some of his works here, and also listen to poems and songs that he composed.
• The National Archives website has a range of original documents from Henry’s reign, and a special tool that can be used to hover over and magnify them.
• Henry’s favourite warship was the Mary Rose. The website of the ship’s museum has several interactive resources and a movie for KS2 students to explore the warship and what life on board was like.
• This article gives an insight into Henry’s diet (‘he may have eaten up to 13 dishes a day … and he may have drunk 10 pints of ale a day as well as wine … a 28 stone man-mountain’), and suggests that it was possibly a jousting accident that turned the king into the tyrant often portrayed in historical accounts.

There are several whole units (QCA History Units 7, 8 and 19) of Henry VIII and Tudor-related clips in the gallery, which you can see for free by taking out a 30-day trial. They cover the great Tudor explorers and their discoveries, Tudor kings and queens, and Tudor houses, clothes, and leisure activities. Here are two examples:

Title of clip	The Tudor Kings and Queens
Curriculum location	Primary Module A  >  History  >  Key stage 2  >  Unit 7: Why did Henry VIII marry six times?  >  Section 1: How many times did Henry VIII marry?  >  Learning Objective: to locate the Tudors within the context of the history of Britain
Description	An animated timeline showing the Tudor Kings and Queens: King Henry VII 1485-1509, King Henry VIII 1509-1547, King Edward VI 1547-1553, Queen Mary I 1553-1558, Queen Elizabeth I 1558-1603.
Duration	40 seconds

 

Title of clip	Life on board the Mary Rose
Curriculum location	Primary Module A  >  History  >  Key stage 2  >  Unit 19: What were the effects of Tudor exploration?  >  Section 3: How did people explore the world in Tudor times?  >  Learning Objective: to collect information from a range of sources and draw conclusions about life at sea
Description	The story of the Tudor warship the Mary Rose, complete with re-enactments of what conditions were like on board, plus information about the historical finds yielded after its sunken remains were excavated and raised: almost half of the many finds excavated have now been either restored or conserved; it is a true example of a time capsule as many of the artefacts would not have survived anywhere else; a number of dice and coins were found indicating that gambling was a popular pastime for the crew; the longbows recovered are probably the only surviving examples of the weaponry used to such devastating effect against the French in many of the battles of the time; animal bones excavated from the wreck suggest the food consumed by the crew – beef, pork, fish and venison were all eaten; a gallon of watered-down beer per day was given to each crew member; the officers had music as an extra with their meals.
Duration	4 minutes 38 seconds

 

Please note that these are example clips provided through our YouTube channel and do not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery