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Detail
from a painting of the Mary Rose at Portsmouth by William
Bishop.
(The
reflection is a Java applet - click on the picture to stop
and start the animation.)
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Henry
VIII came to the throne in 1509. He was only 19 years old
when he became King of England.
One of the first things he did as King was to build up his
navy. Both the French and the Scots had powerful navies and
England was open to attack from both the North and the
South.
During the Middle Ages, England owned large parts of France,
but by Henry's reign they only held on to the land around
Calais.
Henry VIII still had a claim to the crown of France, and he
wanted to go to war with the French, perhaps mostly to show
that he should be taken seriously as King.
First though, he had to strengthen his navy.
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