definite or zero article

[Hela]

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me why the definite is not used in the following sentence even though the noun is followed by a prepositional phrase ?

King Henry VIII declared himself Ø head of the Church.
F. Mitterand was elected Ø president of France in 1981.

Should "head" and "president" be capitalized ?

Thank you for your help.
Hela

[Alan]

After factitive verbs such such as 'declare' and 'elect', the article is normally omitted.
No, capitalization is not obligatory.