Best known of the English kings, Henry VIII has usually been portrayed as a gargantuan party boy seducing court ladies, quarreling with the church, arresting friends and beheading wives. But he brought more to the throne than that.Bright, cultured and handsome, Henry succeeded peacefully to the crown as he turned 18, securing the Tudor dynasty and making possible England's golden age.
Next year marks the 500th anniversary of that accession, and a variety of special events will be held in and around London to explore his life and reign.
A major presentation at Hampton Court, Henry's magnificent palace on the Thames, opens April 12 and runs daily through the year. It focuses on one day in the king's life: July 12, 1543, the day he married his sixth queen, Catherine Parr.
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