Henry VIII in Hants and the IoW

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death in 1547

Famous for his bitter wars, splitting from the Church in Rome and his six wives, Henry VIII was one of England's most dynamic and controversial monarchs.

Evidence of his reign is all around the south coast - from the network of defensive forts to a legacy of destruction of the monastries - the impact of his Tudor dynasty is never far away.

Southsea Castle

In the 1540s Henry VIII built a series of fortifications around the English coastline to protect the country from foreign invaders.

Henry had plenty of potential enemies - France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire were all angered by his divorce from and his split from the Church of Rome.

Southsea Castle was built in just 6 months in 1544 to defend Portsmouth harbour from a feared French invasion. It was one of the first castles to have cannons as its main weapons.

Mary Rose

Raising the Mary Rose in 1982 was a huge event for nautical archaeology

Henry VIII was one of the key figures in establishing early English naval power - investing in building the 'Navy Royal' as it was known.

New ships were built to match the growing naval power of the French and Scottish fleets. Having cannons on board was an innovation at the time.

The best known of Henry's modern vessels was the Mary Rose. On the evening of 19 July 1545, Henry VIII stood on Southsea Common and watched this flagship sail out to attack the French.

As she put about to fire her broadside guns, a sudden gust of wind blew her over and she sank.

Almost all of her 415 crew drowned - it was said that Henry could hear the screams of seamen trapped on board as she went under.

She laid on the seabed for 437 years until she was famously raised in 1982 to give a unique glimpse of naval history and life at sea in the 16th Century.

Beaulieu Abbey

The remains of the 13th century abbey can still be seen by visitors today

After Henry VIII defied the Pope in Rome and established himself as the head of the Church of England, he turned on the monasteries which were centres of local power and wealth.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries saw buildings and treasures being seized by the crown.

According to Henry VIII's survey of 1535, Beaulieu Abbey's gross income was £428.

Much of Beaulieu Abbey was destroyed - it was bought by the Lisle family in 1538 and later acquired through marriage by the Montagu family in 1667, who still own the Beaulieu estate.

Hurst and Calshot Castles

Hurst Castle is at the end of a spit in the Solent

Hurst Castle is the most impressive of Henry's coastal fortifications.

Built on the tip of Hurst spit, out in the Solent, it was a strategically important defence.

Calshot Castle at the entrance to Southampton Water was also vital in guarding against any potential invasion from French or Spanish troops.

It was built between 1539 and 1540 using stones and roof lead taken from Beaulieu Abbey when it was forcibly demolished.

Both castles were developed and remained in military use long after Tudor times.

Calshot Castle defended the opening of Southampton Water

Hurst Castle was modernised during the Napoleonic wars and again in the 1870's when the enormous armoured wings were constructed for 38-ton guns to be installed.

During World War II, Hurst was manned with coastal gun batteries and searchlights.

Meanwhile Calshot has been used as a both a Navy and RAF base.

The New Forest

Henry VIII continued the royal tradition of hunting in the New Forest. New Forest ponies are part of the landscape of the now National Park, but Henry ordered all horses less than 14½ hands high to be killed.

However, local people favoured the smaller ponies as they were better suited to the New Forest landscape and the New Forest ponies survived.

Yarmouth Castle

Yarmouth Castle's original armament comprised three cannon and culverins

The square fort at Yarmouth was built after the French landed on the Isle of Wight in 1545, out of range of the defences on the mainland.

It was actually completed after Henry's death in 1547.

Like Calshot, Yarmouth Castle is now managed by English Heritage and is open to the public.