History assessment

Henry VIII: great monarch or a tyrant?

• B: The Renaissance Prince.• As a young prince and then monarch Henry had

many talents such as ……Sports? Music? Languages?

• Paintings show him as ……What did he look like?• As a young husband and father he was……How did

he behave as a young man?• However as he got older he changed

because……….Accidents? Illnesses?

• C: Treatment of his wives.• For each of his wives you need to do the following. Six paragraphs.• (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour. Anne of Cleves,

Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr)• Henry married her in…….• He married her because……• Their relationship was …………• His behaviour can be praised/criticised because…….• The marriage ended because…………• • We can see that his attitude changed as he grew older because……

• D: Treatment of his loyal servants.• For each of his servants you need to do the

following. Three paragraphs.• (Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell

and Thomas Cranmer)• Henry used this person to ……………• He liked this person because …….• He got rid of this person because (not Cranmer)

…………..

• E: Religious upheaval.• Henry fell out with the Pope because……Describe and

explain Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon. • He made himself Supreme Head of the Church of England

because……What was Cromwell and Cranmer’s idea?• He dissolved the monasteries because…………Monks were

(a) loyal to the Pope and (b) rich. What did Cromwell do?• He crushed the Pilgrimage of Grace because………Why

were they rebelling? What did Henry do to Robert Aske and the rebel leaders?

• F: Creating a strong kingdom.• As a king it was Henry’s duty to…………Heirs? Law and order?

Treasury? Wars?• In dealing with foreign rulers such as King Francis I of France

or the Emperor Charles V Henry tried to……diplomatic skills?• Henry did his duty/did not do his duty as a king because……

What did his father tell him?• At the end of his reign he had failed because England was

…..Failures?• At the end of his reign he had succeeded because England

was ……Successes?

History: knowledge and understanding levels• Level 4: describe how Henry treated his wives, servants and

other subjects. • Level 5: describe in detail how Henry treated his wives, servants

and other subjects. Start to explain Henry’s motives and how he did his duty as a king.

• Level 6: describe in detail how Henry treated his wives, servants and other subjects. Explain Henry’s motives and how he did his duty as a king. Explain how and why Henry’s behaviour changed during his reign.

• Level 7: describe in detail how Henry treated his wives, servants and other subjects. Explain Henry’s motives and how he did his duty as a king. Explain how and why Henry’s behaviour changed during his reign. Show understanding that Henry was a complex character and that his reign was judged differently at the time than it might be today.

Writing frame Aspect of his life Content

Introduction • Simple facts about Henry, some key dates

• Some detail about his family• His appearance• What we know about him from

other sources e.g. paintings, letters etc.

• Introduce the essay discussion: he is a controversial king; people disagree about whether he was a good monarch or a tyrant.

In groups: what content should we include?

Aspect of his life Content

Introduction

The Renaissance Prince

Treatment of his wives

Treatment of his loyal servants

Religious upheaval

Creating a strong kingdom

Review of his life

Aspect of his life Content

The Renaissance Prince Sports, music, languages, as a young man, changes in him over the years.

Treatment of his wives Married them because….their relationship was….his behaviour was….the marriage ended because…

Treatment of his loyal servants Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas MoreTheir job? Henry liked them because? Got rid of them because?

Religious upheaval Fell out with the Pope because…his role as supreme head of the church…dissolution of the monasteries…Cromwell…Pilgrimage of Grace…Robert Aske.

Creating a strong kingdom Henry’s duty was: heirs? Law and order? Treasury? War? Foreign diplomacy skills? Evaluate whether he did his duty or not.

Review of his life Conclude and decide.

Teacher notes/ideas from writing frame.

Example writing: religious upheaval

After wanting to get rid of Catherine of Aragon, Henry went to the pope for a divorce, but the pope declined, Henry was angry and fell out with the pope and burnt down over 800 monasteries. Henry had run out of money, so Cromwell suggested dissolving the monasteries and Henry had evidence that monks weren’t behaving as they should. He was also worried that the monks wouldn’t be loyal because he had broken with Rome.

Example writing: religious upheaval

After wanting to get rid of Catherine of Aragon, Henry went to the pope for a divorce, but the pope declined, Henry was angry and fell out with the pope and burnt down over 800 monasteries. The religious upheaval that Henry caused, began when he insisted on a divorce from Catherine of Aragon; this had to be approved by the Pope.

Example writing: was Henry VIII a great monarch or a tyrant?How can this be improved?

There is no doubt that Henry was dedicated to ensuring England’s kingdom was strong. He needed to fill the treasury, as he was a big spender. He also married well in order to keep money in the treasury. Henry saw his duty as making sure that England was safe and rich. This proves that he was a good monarch at times, and he really cared for his country.