Henry VIII inherited a very strong and wealthy England from his father, Henry VII, and ruled the country from 1509 to 1547 Did You Know some Amazing Facts? Henry Vlll was handsome in his youth, but became fat as he got older(he had a 54inch waist when he was 50) He was an extravagant king, wearing glorious clothes He was well-known for being very tall and sporty in his youth Henry threw the javelin and enjoyed hunting, archery, jousting and tennis He spoke French, Spanish, Latin and some Italian and was a good musician Henry played the lute and harpsichord well and could sing from sight The King liked young and pretty women around him Henry VIII is best known for his six wives and founding the Church of England Henry actually had 11 children from three of his wives Unfortunately as was common in Tudor times, most of them when they were babies Only three survived to be adults very died King Henry VIII was also the inventor of the stairlift! Injured through jousting, used a chair that was hauled up and down stairs on a block and tackle system by servants at the ancient Whitehall Palace in London During Henry VIII's thirty-eight year reign, he more than 70,000 people excuted That works out as an average of just over five every day Name: King Henry VIII Born: June 28, 1491 at Greenwich Palace Parents: Henry VII and Elizabeth of York had Relation to Elizabeth II: 12th great-granduncle House of: Tudor Ascended to the throne: April 21, 1509 aged 17 years Crowned: June 24, 1509 at Westminster Abbey Married: six times Children: Three legitimate who survived infancy; Mary, Elizabeth and Edward, and at least one illegitimate child Henry Fitzroy Died: January 28, 1547 at Whitehall Palace, London, aged 55 years, months, Buried at: Windsor Reigned for: 37 years, months, and days Succeeded by: his son Edward VI King Henry VIII's Signature