When Henry inherited the throne England was a relatively minor power on the fringe of Europe, loyally part of the Catholic Church and only occasionally involved in international affairs. By the end of his reign, England was looking to increase its influence in Europe having left the control of the Pope and begun to transform its own society.

Tudor England is one of the most engaging periods of English history, and Henry is the centrepiece of those years. His policies had such a dramatic impact that historians have long argued about his methods and motives. Whilst some see Henry as driven by selfishness and a greed for power, others have seen his reign as a turning point where England laid the foundation of a modern nation.

To develop your own opinion about Henry, you need to establish the key facts about the reign. You can also examine the original documents about Henry's power and passions in the British national archives as well as seeing original portraits of Henry himself.

Henry's reputation had been examined by many historians, and you can get a flavour of that in the work of Ronald Hutton.

Susan Loughlin gives a neat summary of the different approaches to Henry here.

It is also interesting to investigate Henry's psychology as well as his image.