Was Henry Viii Selfish

Henry VIII was, in no sense of the word, caring in any way shape or form. He not only disregarded and disrespected his wives, but he showed no regard for his people and had no sense of remorse or empathy.When pursuing a romantic life, Henry VIII was just as selfish as he was in other aspects of his life. Most of his marriages were fueled politically, however one in particular, Jane Seymour, was an exception. Henry VIII’s relationship with Jane Seymour is said to be the only one in which his love and happiness with her was lasting. The extent of his love was demonstrated by him ordering a queens’ funeral for her when she died during childbirth. The main reason this relationship is important, is because it shows that Henry VIII was capable of caring, and thus demonstrates how his
He particularly disliked Anne of Cleves however, and he insulted her and spoke to all about how she was the ugliest woman he had ever set eyes upon. Henry was infamous for falling quickly and deeply in love with other women close to his current wife, subsequently ridding himself of that very same wife by means of either execution or annulment. In the case of Katherine Parr and Jane Seymour, they respectively outlived him, and died in childbirth. There was one thing however, that these women had in common: to Henry, their fundamental purpose was to provide him a male heir. If and when they did not perform that singular task, or he had his doubts that they could, he disposed of them, whether it be brutally like Anne Boleyn or Katherine Howard, or through divorce such as Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves. Simply the fact that he had six wives is testament enough to his lack of affection towards women in general. While he may have had temporary feelings for them, his main goal was always to have a son, and he made that abundantly