 In 1535 , Henry added the " supremacy phrase " to the royal style , which became " Henry the Eighth , by the Grace of God , King of England and France , Defender of the Faith , Lord of Ireland and of the Church of England in Earth Supreme Head " . In 1536 , the phrase " of the Church of England " changed to " of the Church of England and also of Ireland " . In 1541 , Henry had the Irish Parliament change the title " Lord of Ireland " to " King of Ireland " with the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 , after being advised that many Irish people regarded the Pope as the true head of their country , with the Lord acting as a mere representative . The reason the Irish regarded the Pope as their overlord was that Ireland had originally been given to King Henry II of England by Pope Adrian IV in the 12th century as a feudal territory under papal overlordship . The meeting of Irish Parliament that proclaimed Henry VIII as King of Ireland was the first meeting attended by the Gaelic Irish chieftains as well as the Anglo @-@ Irish aristocrats . The style " Henry the Eighth , by the Grace of God , King of England , France and Ireland , Defender of the Faith and of the Church of England and also of Ireland in Earth Supreme Head " remained in use until the end of Henry 's reign . 
