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Henry VIII, no talk about English (or Welsh history) would be complete without him!

Famous for marrying 6 wives, executing 2 of them and divorcing another too.

Father of Elizabeth I.

To many English & indeed foreigners, if you ask them to name a king or queen of England - Henry Viii springs to mind.

This larger than life character, who reigned for 37 years is almost a badge of England.

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And that may be it…because Henry Viii defines Englishness - a sense of independence and national identity.

And it has nothing to do with having 6 wives, and being a bloody tyrant, and a lot more to do with his break with the Roman Catholic Church and establishment of the Church of England.

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