Henry VIII: Dominant Figure In Government

How accurate is it to say that Henry VII was the dominant figure in government from 1509-1547?
Many argue that Henry VIII was not a dominant figure in government for many reasons, however there are two sides to every story and there definitely is here. In this essay, I will take a look at some of the reasons as to why I believe Henry was and was not a dominant figure. I will start with his dominance and then go on to say why I think he was not dominant an I will then end with a small conclusion where I will sum up this essay and give my opinion on whether I think he was a dominant figure in government or not.
Henry decided twice in 1511 and 1521 that he wanted to go to war with France despite his father’s advisors telling him not to go through …show more content…
Henry VIIs reign to the throne had seen several major challenges to the Dynasty. The Duke of Buckingham had a much stronger claim to the throne as he descended from Edward III making him directly related to all the Yorkist and Lancastrian kings. Henry VIII had him executed in 1521 when he went to Henry VIII to ask permission to visit his Welsh estates with 400 armed men and had been refused, he was ordered to London, accused of threatening to kill the king and was executed. This shows Henry VIIIs dominance as despite Henrys fathers’ weak claim to the throne, Henry was able to successfully inherit the throne from his father without any challenges becoming the first king to have done this since 1422. Buckingham made his hatred for Henry quite public and was very open about everything, Henry didn’t like people mocking him and this could have been his real reason to have Buckingham executed and could have felt intimidated by him bringing 400 men with