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married. Jane finally gave Henry his heart's desire - a son. With Mary and Elizabeth proclaimed illegitimate Edward was now the soul heir of Henry's throne. Sadly Jane died two weeks after giving birth and a bereaved Henry would not marry again for several years.

On July 1, 1543 Henry signed the Treaty of Greenwich. In doing so he had alligned himself with the Scots by betrothing his young son Edward to the infant Scottish Queen Mary I. Scotland was a fairly weak country in terms of military defense and were therefore not in a good place to do any bargaining. However when Henry put the stipulation on Scotland that they turn Mary over to England to be raised as a Protestant English Queen the Catholic Scots rejected the offer. By December of that year Scotland had alligned themselves with France for protection and sent Mary to the French court, betrothed her to the Dauphin of France and had her raised as a proper Catholic French Queen instead. Needless to say Henry was angry at this betrayal. In April 1544 Henry sent Edward's uncle to Scotland with explicit instructions to burn or take everything in his path, and leave a permanent reminder of their disloyalty to England.

In the meantime Henry had married and divorced Anne of Cleves, married and beheaded Kathryn Howard for adultery and finally married Katherine Parr who would be Henry's widow. Years of pain from an ulcerated leg and an inability to participate in the sports that he loved, like jousting and hunting, put a lot of weight and strain on Henry's body. He spent his last years primarily sedentary. He continued to rule with an iron fist, handing out political executions rather than participating in arbitration. In Henry's kingdom you were either completely forgiven or you were dead - there were no in betweens and the King's mind was never swayed.

Katherine Parr took charge of Henry's younger children, Elizabeth and Edward, overseeing their upbringing and education. She brought all three children to Henry for Christmas in an attempt to reunite their bond. To that end Henry created the Third Act of Succession, which put Mary and Elizabeth back in line for the throne after Edward and his heirs.

What brought Henry to his death is ultimately unknown. It's speculated that he either had syphilis or even diabetes - both would be realistic due to his lifestyle. Henry VIII died January 28, 1542, leaving a nine-year old Edward VI on the throne of England. The Protestant reform he began would be carried on by Edward and eventually realized by his daughter Elizabeth. His daughter Mary would prove to be as cruel as her father in her quick decisions to execute anyone who got in her way. Henry VIII was the 2nd monarch from the House of Tudor - his three children would be the last.

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