Click to BuyKing - Henry VIII - Kings and Queens of Europe Gicleé Collection Features

• Artist: William Verdult
• Title: King - Henry VIII
• Original apparaised for $80,000 by the National Institute of Appraisers.
• Frame: unframed
• Type: Oil on Canvas (Gicleé)
• Original Year Created 2009
• Registration Number #Assigned - Assigned/100 (Limited Edition of 100).
• Size 21 X 31 inches
• Part of Kings and Queens of Europe Gicleé Collection
• William Verdult Fine Art Canvas Giclee with corporation approved facsimile signature printed below the image.

Background

• Born: 28 June 1491
• Birthplace: Greenwich, England
• Died: 28 January 1547
• Best Known As: The king of England who had six wives

Henry VIII ruled England from 1509-1547 and remains one of that country's most famous and controversial kings. Henry's hearty appetites and fickle passions are legendary, and his demand for a male heir led him to marry six different women. (Two of those wives, Anne Boleyn and Katharine Howard, were executed on his order.) Henry's divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, led the king to split with the Catholic Church and found his own church, the Church of England, which in turn set the stage for the English Reformation and for religious battles which lasted for centuries. (It also led to his famous clash with Sir Thomas More, who was tried for treason and executed.)

Henry is also known for his great girth; his obesity probably contributed to his death at age 56. He was succeeded by Edward VI, his short-lived son with Jane Seymour. Henry's daughter with Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, eventually took the throne and became one of England's most powerful and longest-reigning monarchs.

The king's life story was told by William Shakespeare in his play Henry VIII... According to the official site of the British royal family, Henry "was an accomplished player of many instruments and a composer. 'Greensleeves,' the popular melody frequently attributed to him is, however, almost certainly not one of his compositions"... He has been played onscreen many times, by actors including Robert Shaw (A Man For All Seasons, 1966), Charlton Heston (Crossed Swords, 1977), Eric Bana (The Other Boleyn Girl, 2008), and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (the TV series Tudors, 2007.)

When Henry became king only five musicians were in permanent service to the court. When he died there were 58 resident musicians in service. He himself played upon the organ, lute and virginal. Music lived well at the court for a variety of revels, banquets, visits by heads of state, et al. Henry's leading court musician was William Cornysh. Numerous musicians visited the court and different nationalities were represented indicating Henry's love for music. Approximately 34 compositions were attributed to the king including fremen songs, songs styled in the French manner, rounds, instrumental pieces and a three part motet. Within "Henry VIII's Manuscript" are compositions by Cornysh, Fayrfax, Farthing, Hayne van Ghizeghem, Barbireau and Compere. ~ Keith Johnson, All Music Guide (b Greenwich, 28 June 1491; d Windsor, 28 Jan 1547). King of England, 1509-47. He was trained in music from an early age and music occupied a prominent place at his court. 34 compositions by him survive. Of the 20 vocal items, some are arrangements of existing music. Helas madam and Pastyme with good companye, two of his most famous works, are based on continental models. The same MS contains 13 instrumental pieces by him, in three or four parts. He also wrote a three-part motet, Quam pulchra es.

Henry VIII (1491-1547) was king of England from 1509 to 1547. As a consequence of the Pope's refusal to nullify his first marriage, Henry withdrew from the Roman Church and created the Church of England.

The second son of Henry VII, Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, at Greenwich Palace. He was a precocious student; he learned Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian and studied mathematics, music, and theology. He became an accomplished musician and played the lute, organ, and harpsichord. He composed hymns, ballads, and two Masses. He also liked to hunt, wrestle, and joust and drew "the bow with greater strength than any man in England."

On his father's death on April 21, 1509, Henry succeeded to a peaceful kingdom. He married Catherine of Aragon, widow of his brother Arthur, on June 11, and 13 days later they were crowned at Westminster Abbey. He enthused to his father-in-law, Ferdinand, that "the love he bears to Catherine is such, that if he were still free he would choose her in preference to all others."

Henry VIII...taken from information on www.answers.com Who2 Biography: Henry VIII Royalty