Henry Viii qualities as a king
To what extent did Henry VIII possess the qualities to be a good king?
At the time Henry took the throne there were certain qualities expected from a king, these qualities would typically be a King who was strong, smart, and a decisive decision maker, determined and a man of the people. To a certain extent Henry ticked the majority of those boxes. He proved he was strong physically through his sporting achievements, he also proved he was very smart and was regarded as one of the smartest ever monarchs in Europe and the world, he also proved he was able to make decisions in difficult circumstances, so to summarise I believe Henry had the necessary qualities to be a good king however some qualities were not as developed as others and some qualities he lacked entirely.
Before Henry was King he was constantly being showered with compliments over him being an outstanding prince and that he will make a brilliant King, one of many examples of this we can see through Lord Mountjoy’s writings. He says Henry is a ‘great prince’. Another example of the monarch being spoken highly of is in the writing of a Venetian diplomat Pasqualigo, during which he not only discusses the potential Henry has as a king for example Pasqualigo describes him to be ‘a most accomplished prince’. Pasqualigo also gives us an insight on Henry’s other qualities, we discover Henry’s ability to speak multiple languages and he has a very good sense of modern fashion. Pasqualigo also briefly talks about Henry’s good looks; he even goes as far to say the Henry would make a ‘pretty women’.
These are only a few of the many shinning reports given to the young prince however it was not uncommon to have a young monarch being followed by statements declaring them to be great at such a young age. This was commonly done with new heirs mainly to show to public what to expect to see from their future King/Queen.
If we look at the position Henry was in as an heir to the throne during the time most these
At the time Henry took the throne there were certain qualities expected from a king, these qualities would typically be a King who was strong, smart, and a decisive decision maker, determined and a man of the people. To a certain extent Henry ticked the majority of those boxes. He proved he was strong physically through his sporting achievements, he also proved he was very smart and was regarded as one of the smartest ever monarchs in Europe and the world, he also proved he was able to make decisions in difficult circumstances, so to summarise I believe Henry had the necessary qualities to be a good king however some qualities were not as developed as others and some qualities he lacked entirely.
Before Henry was King he was constantly being showered with compliments over him being an outstanding prince and that he will make a brilliant King, one of many examples of this we can see through Lord Mountjoy’s writings. He says Henry is a ‘great prince’. Another example of the monarch being spoken highly of is in the writing of a Venetian diplomat Pasqualigo, during which he not only discusses the potential Henry has as a king for example Pasqualigo describes him to be ‘a most accomplished prince’. Pasqualigo also gives us an insight on Henry’s other qualities, we discover Henry’s ability to speak multiple languages and he has a very good sense of modern fashion. Pasqualigo also briefly talks about Henry’s good looks; he even goes as far to say the Henry would make a ‘pretty women’.
These are only a few of the many shinning reports given to the young prince however it was not uncommon to have a young monarch being followed by statements declaring them to be great at such a young age. This was commonly done with new heirs mainly to show to public what to expect to see from their future King/Queen.
If we look at the position Henry was in as an heir to the throne during the time most these