Expert: Mark Smith - 8/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: Did Henry VIII change the religon for modern day?

ANSWER: Hrello Linda.
Yes, the changes that Henry VIII brought about in the 1530s turned England from a Catholic state to an Anglican one. And this change is reflected in the spread of Anglicanism in the British Empire. In the former French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies Catholicism is the main religion, but in the English speaking world it's predominantly Protestantism. All this is due to Henry's actions 470 years ago.
Mark

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QUESTION: How did Henry’s brother's (Arthur) death affect Henry?

ANSWER: Hello Linda.
There's no record of how Arthur's death affected Prince Henry on a personal level. He was 11 years old and had been brought up apart from his brother. But it greatly affected him politically as Henry became heir to the Throne. Being the only surviving son his father, Henry VII was anxious to keep him safe, so he was educated in private and very little was seen of him away from Court until he became King in 1509.
Mark

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QUESTION: Then did Henry's brother's death affect Henry VIII's thinking?

Answer
Hello Linda.
I think it made him acutely aware of the need for a male heir and two if possible. He had seen three brothers died; on elder, two younger, so he must have been more than overly anxious to produce a son, which is why his marriages occupied so much of his time and energy.
Mark