Bust of a laughing boy, thought to be the future Henry VIII aged about seven, by Guido Mazzoni, c.1498. At the time it was made, Henry was the ‘spare heir’ of his father Henry VII.

Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales. The firstborn child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, he was expected to inherit the throne but died in 1502, aged just fifteen.

Henry VIII. Painted around the time of his accession in 1509, this portrait shows a striking resemblance between Henry and his elder brother Arthur.

Henry VII in later life. The first Tudor king had an increasingly difficult relationship with his younger son Henry once he was his sole heir.

Henry VII (centre) with his despised lawyers, Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley. One of his son’s first acts as king was to have them arrested and executed.

The royal procession to Parliament at Westminster, 1512. Henry VIII is under the canopy and is preceded by the Duke of Buckingham, carrying a sword. Henry ordered the Duke’s execution for treason nine years later.

Henry VIII, 1520. This was painted the same year as his famous meeting with his French rival, Francis I.

Jousting was one of Henry VIII’s favourite pastimes. Here, he jousts in front of his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to celebrate the birth of their short-lived son in 1511.

Sir Henry Guildford, 1527. Guildford served the future Henry VIII when he was a boy and became one of his most trusted courtiers.

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Howard boasted long service to Henry VIII but was never one of his favourites.

William Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton, dedicated his life to serving Henry VIII and enjoyed great esteem throughout the reign.

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Mary Tudor. Brandon had been Henry’s closest friend since his youth but fell briefly from favour when he secretly married the king’s sister in 1515.

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s chief adviser. Painted in c.1515-20, this shows Wolsey at the height of his powers.

Letter from Henry VIII to ‘Mine own good cardinal’ Wolsey, thanking him for his loyal service.

Charles V and Henry VIII. The Holy Roman Emperor was the most powerful man in Europe and one of Henry’s greatest rivals.

Francis I and Henry VIII. This detail from a treaty shows the two kings in accord, but they were fierce rivals throughout their reigns.

The Field of Cloth of Gold. This magnificent and cripplingly expensive summit meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I took place in June 1520 and was masterminded by Wolsey.

Sir Thomas Wyatt, c.1535-7. Arrested on suspicion of adultery with Anne Boleyn, the poet and courtier regained his former favour with Henry and served him for the rest of his days.

Sir Nicholas Carew, Henry VIII’s regular jousting companion and close friend.

Self portrait of Hans Holbein the Younger, 1542. The celebrated artist crafted Henry VIII’s image as a magnificent and invincible king.

Desiderius Erasmus by Holbein, 1523. Henry met the humanist scholar when he was nine years old and revered him throughout his life.

This iconic portrait by Holbein shows Henry VIII at the height of his powers, but when it was painted in 1545 the king was grossly overweight and plagued by ill health.

Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester. A religious conservative, Gardiner fell foul of Henry VIII on a number of occasions.

Thomas Cromwell succeeded his patron Wolsey as Henry VIII’s chief adviser. A religious reformer, he pushed through the king’s break with Rome and established his supremacy over the English church.

This title page of The History of the Reformation of the Church of England shows Henry with his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, a staunch reformer.

John Fisher and Thomas More. Both men had enjoyed considerable influence with Henry VIII but were executed for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy.

Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond, c.1534. Henry considered making his illegitimate son his heir, but he died in 1536, aged seventeen.

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk, he was a close companion of Henry FitzRoy and the last man to be executed by Henry VIII.

Holbein’s famous Whitehall Mural, completed in 1537, shows Henry VIII with his parents and third wife, Jane Seymour (bottom right).

Edward VI as a child, c.1538. Henry was overjoyed by the birth of a son and heir after almost thirty years of disappointment.

Henry VIII, 1542. This portrait by Holbein hints at the fifty-one-year-old king’s expanding girth and infirmity. He is shown leaning on a staff and his beard is flecked with white.

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, one of Henry VIII’s most loyal and longest serving attendants.

Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rose to power upon his sister Jane’s marriage to Henry in 1536 and was appointed Lord Protector of their son Edward VI.

An able administrator, Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, rose to become Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor and privy councilor to his son Edward VI.

Sketch of Henry VIII by Holbein, showing the king in his later years.

Will Somer, Henry VIII’s favourite jester. A ‘natural fool’, Somer was one of the king’s most cherished companions.

Henry VIII with the Guild of Barbers and Surgeons. His favourite physician, Sir William Butts, is shown on his right (centre).

Sir William Butts, c.1543. A committed humanist and reformer, Butts was physician to Henry VIII and his family for almost twenty years.

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, died two years after this portrait was painted, in 1545. He is buried at Windsor, close to his royal master.

In this illustration from the Psalter of Henry VIII, the solitary king is shown reading in his bedchamber.

Sir Anthony Denny, Henry VIII’s last chief gentleman of the bedchamber. He was among the men who attended the king on his deathbed.

John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, served Henry VIII for many years but rose to prominence under his son Edward. He orchestrated a coup to place his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey on the throne when Edward died.

Edward VI, c.1542. Henry VIII’s ‘precious jewel’ was just nine years old when he succeeded his father to the throne.

Henry VIII on his deathbed, pointing to his son and heir Edward VI. The vanquished pope is in the foreground, and to the new king’s left are Edward Seymour, John Dudley and Thomas Cranmer.