a king or king?

[Student33]

Hello,
which is the correct article in the following please:

In History yesterday we learnt about Henry VIII of England. He was .... (a/no article) king in the 16th century, from 1509to 1547.

[Mister Micawber]

.
No indefinite article, as he has already been previously mentioned and made specific. The or no article, but I certainly prefer the latter.
.

[Student33]

Hello,
Does this mean that the following are correct without any article?:
1.Abdullah II is king of Jordan. (without the)
2.Sam is chairman of our party.
3.Bill Klinton was president of America.
4.She is queen of Denmark.:confused:

[Mister Micawber]

.
Yes, but most of them would look better (and are probably more acceptable) capitalized:

1.Abdullah II is King of Jordan.
2.Sam is chairman of our party.
3.Bill Clinton was President of the United States.
4.She is Queen of Denmark.
.

[SomeOne]

Those articles are always confusing me. For example, that's what I've found about "the king" in Google:

"A poor man wants the oyster
A rich man wants the pearl
But the man who can sing when he hasn't got a thing
He's the king of the whole wide world
Come on let's sing, sing brother sing
'Cos the man who can sing when he hasn't got a thing
He's the king of the whole wide world.."

And this:

"You know he's not the king of bedside manor
He's not the Tom Jones who lives next door
He's not the king of bedside manor
He hardly even lives there any more.."

I just can't get this clear. When am I supposed to say "the" before "king" and when I'm not?

[Mister Micawber]

.
It's not easy, and it's not clear-- and I don't say that these are wrong:

1.Abdullah II is the King of Jordan.
2.Sam is the chairman of our party.
3.Bill Clinton was the President of the United States.
4.She is the Queen of Denmark.

I just don't think we need to use the article when referring to a single unique position/title. There's usually only one king (unless there is some kind of biarchy or triarchy instituted), whether it is of England or of bedside manners.

But we definitely don't use an article when the person is named: President Clinton, Queen Margrethe II.

In your song lyrics, the serves to keep the meter as much as any other purpose; in prose, He's king of the whole wide world would suit me fine.
.

[SomeOne]

Thank you, Mister Micawber. I think too that song lyrics differ from common language very much. In addition I suppose that people add "the" to some words to amphasize that they're talking exactly about something or someone. I mean:
He was the King of Jordan that time.
for me sounds similar to:
It was him who ruled Jordan that time.

Can it be so?