While Henry VIII will always generate controversy as to the man and his achievements, I still believe that he was quite the well-rounded monarch who did much to bring the renaissance to England. Writers claim that he pursued a wide range of interests to include writing sonnets, playing musical instruments, swamming, hunting, jousting, acting as a patron of arts and scholarship, et al.- at least before he became too enamored of his power and grew increasingly frustrated over the lack of a male heir.
And yes, there was the matter of the reformation and seizure of the monasteries...truely a mix of good and bad, depending on your point of view.
Overall, I like to think of him as a "full service monarch"- he does it all: joust, hunt, wage war, sing, dance, write poetry, wrestle, swim, and just be an all-round dude. At least this was the ideal early in his reign...unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse and when he died in 1547, he left a bitterly divided kingdom with severe economic problems ruled by a weak, sickly monarch- Edward VI. Still, it could have been a lot worse...
Edward VI (reigned 1547-1553)
Thomas More- the King's First Servant and notable scholar. Unfortunately, he ultimately fell a victim to Henry VIII's ambitions.
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