Henry VIII’s Closest Friend

A portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein (Source: Flickr)

King Henry VIII of England reigned from 1509 until 1547 and was constantly preoccupied with one thing: military success. Namely, Henry was obsessed with pressing his claim to the French throne. Through success and failure, at times of prosperity and of financial ruin, there was rarely a moment when Henry wasn’t thinking about invading France or wasn’t fighting in France himself. His interest in warfare was a testament to the King’s vanity…