What were Henry VIII's contributions to the development of England?
Henry VIll took his father's work in rebuilding the power of the monarch further. He tightened England's control over the remote border areas and over Ireland; he placed local government not in the hands of great aristocrats but in the hands of the gentry directly responsible and loyal to Henry himself. In foreign affairs, with the help of Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop and Lord Chancellor Henry VIll created for England new active role in Europe. England was able to ally with the then superpowers-France and the Habsburg Empire. It was a triumph in terms of prestige. Henry Vill carried out the religious reform of the Church, made a break with Rome and passed laws that made his reform possible.
