We all know about Henry David Thoreau, and his fondness for civil disobedience. Were he alive today, he would no doubt have much to say on the subject of today's politics! Thoreau was born in 1817, and in his lifetime, he was a poet, an abolitionist, a naturalist, a tax resister, a development critic, a surveyor, an historian, a philosopher, and a transcendentalist. WHEW!! That guy was sure busy!! He died in 1862, so he never saw television, the internet, a jet plane, an automobile, and all the other fancy gadgets we have! I wonder what he would think of our world today? And just what political party would he vote for??
I could write a lot more about him, but he's not the Henry I had in mind for today's Alphabe-Thursday. My eighth grade sweetheart's name is Henry--Henry Strozier. Here we are at age 14, at Alatoona Lake just outside Atlanta.
Henry wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember, and that's what he became! He's been in many motion pictures over the years, and has had parts in many night-time t.v. dramas. He was a stage actor for a long time before he went into films.
Henry is retired, now, but he still finds time to do a little work for Ocean Spray!
He's not really the Henry I had in mind for my post, but I thought I would throw him into the mix anyway.
Finally, we come to good old Henry VIII! You know--the one who had 6 wives! Henry reigned from 1509 to 1547. He was the son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and was a pretty intelligent fellow. He wrote books and music, played several musical instruments, and was a patron of the arts.
When his father died, Henry inherited a very wealthy and stable realm. Henry had married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon, in 1509. They only had one child, Princess Mary. Mary was born in 1516. Catherine was in her forties and Henry was desperate for a son.
Henry fell in love with Anne Bolyn, the sister of one of his many mistresses. He wanted to divorce his wife and marry Anne, but the Pope at that time would have none of it. He had already granted Henry a license to marry his sister-in-law, and he thought enough was enough.
Henry was determined to have his own way--after all, he was the KING. So he dumped the Catholic Church and England became Protestant. So Henry married Anne, who also failed to produce a male heir--just another daughter. Henry accused Anne of treason and had her head cut off.
Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, finally gave Henry what he wanted most--a son!! It literally killed her, though. She died 12 days after the boy (who would later become Edward VI)was born.
Henry married two more women, Katherine Howard whom he had executed on the grounds of adultery, and Catherine Parr. Catherine Parr outlived the overweight, irascible Henry, who died in 1547.
So, tell me, just which Henry do you think is the most interesting?
Oh!! I almost forgot!! If you want to hear the music I chose to go with this post, you'll have to scroll down to my playlist and click the big triangle. I haven't had a chance to put it back on auto-play.
