Imagine you're a king or queen. What do you envision? Do you see yourself sitting on a throne in a gorgeous palace wearing a thick robe and big jeweled crown or possibly you think of a

beautiful gold carriage drawn through the street by stomping black steeds a sea of

people waving and yelling happily as you pass by. Or maybe you think of

dancing in a fancy ballroom with chandeliers, mirrors, and musicians. Well all of

this is certainly true for many modern Royals, but many centuries ago being a king or queen wasn't an easy job.

Yes, they had jewels and palaces, but they were also surrounded by enemies, treachery, and lies. A famous quote from history says,

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Meaning if you were a king or queen,

you did not rest easily, you had to make difficult decisions and face scary situations.

In those days, life wasn't all about parties and ponies, palaces and parades like Royal Life today.

Often it involved family members plotting against you to kick you off the throne.

Sometimes it involved kidnapping.

To be a successful ruler in olden times, you needed intelligence, cunning, loyal advisors,

and trustworthy friends.

You needed a will of iron, boundless courage, and the strength of a warrior. You needed to be seen as a fierce fighter as well as a

compassionate leader. You needed to protect your country from invasion by neighboring kingdoms

and make tough laws to keep the peace. Throughout history many of these kings were

men who charged into battle on thundering horses wearing thick armor and carrying heavy

swords. They kept their crowns many times by facing their

foes on the field of battle. One such king was King Henry the 8th of England. He became

king in 1509 at the age of 17.

He was a big powerful man standing over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a fighting

spirit.

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