On June 24, 1509, Henry VIII received the crown of England. But as his reign progressed, he grew desperate for a son who’d carry on the Tudor dynasty. When the pope wouldn't annul his first marriage so that Henry could wed again, he took matters into his own hands.
Henry was a king who hadn’t been expected to rule — he only took the throne because his older brother had died — but he ended up embarking upon a religious reformation, cracking down on dissent and marrying a grand total of six wives. In honor of Henry’s coronation, and the unexpected chain of events that followed, here are some surprising facts about the Tudor monarch.
