[German Version]

(Jun 23, 1491, Greenwich – Jan 28, 1547, Westminster). The second son of Henry VII (1485–1509), Henry VIII became king of England on Apr 4, 1509. Throughout his life he lost neither his predilection for ceremonies nor his abhorrence of heresy. The pope awarded him the title of Defensor Fidei in 1521 as a reward for his tractate against Luther. Until 1527, when Clement VII refused to annul his first marriage, Henry entertained friendly relations with the Holy See, which granted a lifetime appointment as legatus a latere to his minister T. Wolsey. From 1529 onward, th…