The first five years of Henry VIll's reign had witnessed some celebrated events: his marriage, his coronation and a momentous victory over the Scots. For better or worse, he comprehensively destroyed his father's legacy through warfare and extravagance.
It would be a mistake to assume that Henry VIII had a consistent approach to his aims in government. Some themes recur, especially the pursuit of glory and the need to secure the succession to the throne, but for the most part he was remarkably little interested in the business of government except on an occasional and impulsive basis. He almost always gave priority to the pursuit of pleasure. Yet his reign would leave an enduring mark on English history: the broadening of the use of statute law (Acts of Parliament) to achieve his political ends, the resulting growing importance of Parliament, the destruction of much traditional religion and the plundering of much of the Church's wealth. The effects on the Church, however, were almost completely a consequence of the break with Rome, a policy decision which would have seemed inconceivable in the first 20 years of the reign.
Henry certainly exhibited ruthlessness and cynicism, as demonstrated through his treatment of Empson and Dudley. This was a trait which was present throughout his reign. His resort to execution for treason, often on the flimsiest of charges, combined tyranny and insecurity in a way which completely overshadowed those positive qualities which witnesses such as More discerned in the young king.
He had also demonstrated his impulsiveness in the speed of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, another characteristic which would come to the fore on crucial occasions later in the reign, for example with the marriages to Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard. This impulsiveness was not restricted to his marital relationships. Thus, for example, he came to regret his impulsive decision to execute Thomas Cromwell. When combined with the sort of naivety demonstrated in his approach to foreign policy, the consequences would be potentially devastating for the governing of the country.