The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Who was Henry VIII? Henry Tudor, named after his father, Henry VII, was born by Elizabeth of York June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. He took the throne when he was 18 and married Catherine of Aragon (his brother’s wife). When they were married, she had a son and named him Henry. Soon after he was born, he died.

Who was Henry VIII? Cont. After Catherine had a string of miscarriages, he decided that he wanted a divorce. Catherine had one child, Mary. Henry wanted a male heir to the throne. Henry had fallen for Catherine’s lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. Thus starts the strings of wives of Henry VIII.

England’s Political/Religious Scene During this time, Henry was trying desperately to change England’s religious stance. England was affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. After Henry tried to divorce Catherine of Aragon and the church said no, he decided to form his own church – the Church of England. This is where we get protestant churches of today.

Catherine of Aragon – Wife #1 Youngest child of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. Anyone remember them? At 16, she married Arthur (Henry’s brother). Six months later, Arthur died. When Henry was 18, they married and she was crowned queen. Soon after the marriage, she had a still-born daughter. After that, she had a son named Henry that died 52 days after he was born. Catherine had 3 other miscarriages and one other child that lived – Mary.

Catherine of Aragon Cont. King Henry was upset with no male heir, but remained a “devoted” husband. When Catherine reached the age of 42, Henry began to petition for a divorce from the church. Eventually Henry won and she was demoted to Princess Dowager instead of Queen. She died in 1536.

Anne Boleyn – Wife #2 No one knows exactly when she was born. She spent most of her life attending to the Royal Court in France and England. Anne was not pretty. It was rumored that she had a sixth finger and had a large mole or goiter on her neck. Anne was very pushy when it came to being queen. When she and Henry started having their “relationship,” she pushed him to get rid of Catherine of Aragon.

Anne Boleyn Cont. Anne wasn’t popular with the people of England either. The King was starting to give her more precedence than his own sister. She was finally made queen in 1533. She had her first child in August that year. The child’s name was Elizabeth. She knew to secure her place as queen, she needed to have a boy. After Elizabeth, she had several miscarriages. She also knew she needed to have a boy because her husband’s eyes were starting to wonder.

Anne Boleyn Cont. Henry needed to way to “get rid” of Anne because of his affections to Jane Seymour. Anne was charged with treason, adultery and plotting to murder the King. Anne was executed on May 19, 1536.

Jane Seymour – Wife #3 Jane was Anne’s lady-in-waiting. Her favor grew with the King toward the end of Anne’s reign. Within 24 hours of Anne’s execution, Henry and Jane were engaged. Jane had a son, Edward, in 1537. She died two weeks after he was born. She was the only wife to be buried with King Henry.

Let’s REVIEW!

Anne of Cleves – Wife #4 After Jane died, Henry remained single for 2 years. His court wanted him to marry a foreign bride to give him an alliance. Henry sought brides who supported church reformation. He sent one of his advisors to seek brides for him. Henry married Anne of Cleves (from France) and wanted out of the marriage from the start, saying she was ugly.

Anne of Cleves Cont. Soon after, Henry fancied Anne’s lady-in-waiting, Kathryn Howard. He wanted the marriage annulled quickly. Anne knew not to fight it, considering what happened to his other wives. Anne accepted the title as “King’s Sister.” She lived away from the court the rest of her time.

Kathryn Howard – Wife #5 Kathryn was Anne Boleyn’s cousin (remember her?) She was Anne of Cleves’ lady-in-waiting. She was 19 when she met Henry. Sixteen days after Henry divorces Anne, he wed Kathryn. Less than year after their marriage, rumors spread that she was cheating on him. Enough evidence was gathered to convict her and she was executed in 1542.

Katherine Parr – Wife #6 Katherine and Henry married in 1543. Not much is known about how they met or their courtship. Since Henry was so old, she was more of his nurse than anything. Katherine was more of a mother figure to her step-children than any other wife. She made sure they had the best education. Henry died in 1547 and Prince Edward became King (Edward VI). Katherine remarried and had a son in 1548, but died soon after childbirth.

Henry VIII’s Family Tree Catherine of Aragon Anne Boleyn Jane Seymour Anne of Cleves Kathryn Howard Katherine Parr Mary Elizabeth Edward

The Children of Henry VIII

Edward VI When Henry VIII died, Edward became king at 10 years old. His uncle, Edward Seymour, became his Protector. His ulterior motive was to control England. Many in England feared that when Edward died, Mary would take over and return England back to Catholicism. Edward died from tuberculosis in 1553, when he was 16.

Mary I (aka Bloody Mary) Mary was crowned queen after the death of Edward. Mary began searching for a suitable husband. She married Prince Philip of Spain (her cousin’s son.) There were also several plots to kill Mary and put Elizabeth as queen.

Mary I Cont. Mary hung nearly 100 rebels and arrested Elizabeth. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London. After she took care of the rebels who plotted against her life, she decided that England should return back to its original religious state – Roman Catholicism. She burned, hung, imprisoned anyone who was deemed a heretic (a person who practiced Protestant faith.) In all about 275 people died.

Mary I Cont. Mary died when she was 58 from a ovarian cyst. Before she died, she named Elizabeth as her successor. Mary had hoped Elizabeth would keep England as a Catholic country, but many others rallied behind Elizabeth to return England to its Protestant state.

Elizabeth I When Elizabeth was crowned queen, she restored England to its Protestant state. She did not marry, even though the country wanted her to. There isn’t one reason why she didn’t marry and there is much speculation as to why she didn’t. During Elizabeth’s reign, the arts flourished among other things. Some call her reign a Golden Age.