Hi, I really wanted to do Henry VIII/Tudor era as well but my teacher said there was a problem with syllabus overlaps, as the Extension course has an Elizabeth I topic that deals heavily with the religious reforms of her father. You may have already addressed this issue but I am letting you know just in case.
Umm, I would say my knowledge is adequate, that's why I wanted to do the topic in the first place. It would take too long to recount his life so I'll just write some stuff about his wives, since that is what your question is about. I cannot prove to you that I am not using google, so I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word for it.
In my view Henry VIII is given a pretty bad rep mostly for the treatment of his wives. Yes, he killed 2 of his 6 wives but 1 of those, by all accounts, was truly guilty of adultery. The other he BELIEVED to be guilty (however this is arguable). His advisers, as well as Henry himself believed he had every right to punish them. While I do not think such actions are justified today, they were certainly justified back then and that is what many people today fail to consider-the context. Who are we, with our modern day morals and ideals, to judge the actions of people from such a different time? The Tudor court was a pretty cut-throat place and Henry was the monarch that ran the show. Think of it like this, Ivan IV of Russia (aka 'the terrible') had 8 wives, he poised 2 of them, tortured 1, had 1 buried alive and had another one drowned. Then there were the sultans of the Ottoman empire who had hundreds of 'wives' and all except for the exceptionally clever ones, were no better than slaves. He had the right to kill them for displeasing him and no-one would raise an eyebrow. These examples make Henry look pretty normal don't they? In my opinion, he was a human being with human flaws and frailties who was desperate to secure the throne his father had fought so hard for. In the end, his own absolute power consumed him and he gradually became more and more despotic, gluttonous and paranoid. I think it is a little sad that people's opinions of him are so shallow.
I really wanted to do Henry VIII and asked my teacher to reconsider several times, but he refused to let me do it. I got my topic now and everything so it's all good...I just wish I had looked into the syllabus and tried to argue my case.