April 21

April 21st 1509

Henry VIII ascends to the throne of England upon the death of his father Henry VII

Henry VIII ascended to the throne of England the 21st of April 1509 at the age of 17 upon the death of his father Henry VII due to tuberculosis. Henry was the complete opposite of his father - were his father like to live simply and squirrel away money into the treasury Henry enjoyed to live lavishly and extravagantly. He was handsome, intelligent, athletic . . . all the things that any good king should be, however he did have one mean temper. Two days after Henry was crowned king, he arrested two of his father's ministers, Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley and had them charged with high treason for which they were executed. This was to become Henry's trademark tactic for dealing with those who stood in his way or who defied him - too bad his future wives weren't paying attention . . .

Happy Birthday to . . .

Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II
Born 1926