Who they were
Denied a papal annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke with Rome in the 1530s, was declared Supreme Head of the Church of England, and dissolved the monasteries, seizing their wealth. He married six times — divorcing two wives and executing two, including Anne Boleyn — in the search for a male heir, and expanded the navy.
What they did
His reign centralized royal power and enriched the crown, but his wars and coinage debasement strained the economy.
Legacy
Henry’s break with Rome set England on a Protestant course and made the Church of England a national institution. His marriages and executions remain among the most retold stories in English history.