England was becoming a European power beginning with the rule of King Henry VIII. One of the major reasons they were turning into a European powerhouse was their rule over the waters. The English were building their navy into their first line of defense in case of major battles or defense of their homeland. All battles were not victorious but the navy improved through trial and error. Henry VIII felt it was a necessity to possess a strong presence on the water. Elizabeth continued the tradition of a powerful navy after Henry VIII passed on. It was widely questioned haw England was able to become a major European naval power in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. This was possible because of Henry VIII need for a powerful navy after the succession of his father, the defeating of the strong Spanish Armada under Elizabeth, the contributions of Sir Francis Drake, and the battles in the Dutch War.
Painting of Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of the Eng...
Portrait of Henry VIII
Henry VIII, 1509. The Denver Art MuseumHenry VIII took over the throne as the King of England on April 22, 1509 at the young age of seventeen. He was succeeding his father Henry VII as the ruler of England. Henry VIII was a young King, full of energy and a need for power. Henry VIII father was not interested in defending his country by way of naval powers. He was a King that was interested in obtaining ultimate power by achieving financial success. He increased the lands of the Crown by way of taxation, heavy fines on lawbreakers, selling pardons to the people for a form of forgiveness, and a large amount of overseas trade. These means enabled Henry VII to increase his wealth. He felt wealth was a necessity to rule over the people so that the citizens of England could not possess enough money to overtake his...