Six Wives of Henry VIII

Henry VIII

Henry VII ruled England for almost four decades. His reign began in 1509 and ended with his death in 1547. This period was one of the most colorful in British history, in a large part due to Henry's matrimonial adventure. In addition, a great deal of religious, political and social change occurred during this time.

Henry VIII was a true Renaissance prince. He was intelligent, handsome, artistic, adventurous, athletic and devoted to learning. He also wanted absolute power. He was a complex man, ruled by his conscience, which he conveniently flexed to suit his needs. Henry's reign saw relative stability and prosperity. Henry's ministers guided the country through the dangerous web of European politics. With the exception of Scotland, England was never invaded by an outside force during Henry VIII's rule.

Unlike his father, Henry VIII enjoyed immense popularity with his subjects. The English people had always loved glamorous, outgoing larger-than-life characters, and preferred a ruler with those attributes that they could look up to and admire. Henry fit the bill to a tee. He created a brilliant, exciting Court. He loved elaborate tournaments and athletic competitions, and strove hard to win. To support his lifestyle, Henry depleted most of his fatjer's treasury. However, he made up for his lavish spending be confiscating the immense wealth of various English religious houses, in the name of religious reform.

Henry was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, and became an accomplished musician and songwriter. He loved to dance, and was very fond of pageants and theatrics. He particularly like to dress up in disguise and "surprise" people by pretending to be someone else. Masquerades became very popular in King henry's time.

One of the major driving forces of Henry VIII's rule was the desire for a son to succeed him. This obsession was to play a major role in the history of the world, and was largely responsible for Henry's marriages to a multitude of wives. It was not until the third marriage that Henry's dream of a son and heir came true.

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was the first of Henry VIII's six wives. She was Queen of England from 1509 until 1533, when Henry divorced her to marry Anne Boleyn.

Catherine of Aragon led a very interesting life. She had periods of great happiness, as well as times of tragedy. Her impact on the period in which she lived was considerable. Although not by design, she was a major force in the creation of the Church of England, and in the English Church's break from the Pope in Rome. Catherine's dogged refusal to give King Henry a divorce, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn and produce a male heir, was the major catalyst for these events.

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was the second of Henry's six wives. She was Queen of England from 1533 until 1536. She was one of the first non-royal women to become Queen of England, which caused quite a stir in those times. She was also the mother of Elizabeth I, one of the greatest monarchs in the history of England and of the world itself.

Anne Boleyn is one of the most unforgettable Queens of all time. She is remembered for her brilliance, glamour, elegance, and for the incredible hold she held on King Henry for such a long time. Anne also played a major role in England's split from the Roman Catholic Church, and in the creation of the Church of England.

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was Henry VIII's third wife. She was Queen of England for a very short time, from 1536 until 1537. Henry loved her very much for her gentleness, companionship and solid good sense. She gave Henry the son and heir that he had wanted for so long. Sadly, she never had a chance to enjoy her triumph and her baby son. She died of childbed fever shortly after Prince Edward was born.

Jane is remembered for being kind, industrious, pious and a good stepmother to Henry's eldest daughter Mary. She most likely would have made a very good queen if she had lived longer.

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was Henry's fourth wife. She was a member of the German royal house of Cleves, and married Henry for political reasons. The marriage, which took place in the year 1540, lasted for only a few months.

Anne was a moderately attractive German princess in her mid-twenties when she came to England. She was reportedly kind, generous and intelligent. She was not, however, musically or artistically gifted, or highly educated beyond the domestic arts.

King Henry chose to marry Anne of Cleves sight unseen. He did see her portrait, which he liked. When Anne arrived in England, Henry was disappointed in his bride's physical attributes, and the marriage was never consummated. For reasons of state, he went ahead with the marriage, but was soon looking for a way out of the union. This was tricky, as Henry did not want to alienate the German states. Anne, however, was agreeable to a divorce. She wasn't particularly thrilled with the marriage herself.

Henry was delighted that Anne was so agreeable in this matter. To show his appreciation, and to keep the German alliance in place, he let Anne stay in England, and supported her in grand style. He even made her his honorary "sister". Everyone was happy with the arrangement, and Anne lived a content life on her country estate.

Catherine Howard

Katherine Howard was the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Her story is short and tragic. She was Queen for only eighteen months before her life ended at a very early age.

Katherine Howard was in her teens when she married King Henry. He was enchanted with the pretty, good-natured young girl, and lavished love and gifts upon her. Henry thought of her as pure and innocent, which her family assured Henry she was when they brought her to Henry's notice. Unfortunately for all concerned, Katherine had had love affairs in her early teens with two men, and had even promised to marry one of them. This happened before her marriage to Henry, when no could have predicted that she would one day be Queen.

Although she had other redeeming qualities, Katherine was not noted for her good sense. Not long into her marriage, she became romantically involved with Thomas Culpeper, a member of the King's household. This was a very dangerous course of action, and amounted to High Treason. She also made the foolish move of appointing a former lover, Frances Derham, as her private secretary.

Within a year of Katherine's marriage, the Archbishop of Canterbury learned of Katherine's past relationships, and King Henry was told the truth about his bride. Henry was devastated, as predicted, and a full-scale investigation of the Queen's activities was launched. It came to light that not only did Katherine have lovers before marrying the King, but during the marriage as well.

Katherine, Culpeper and Derham were arrested, along with others who knew about her love affairs. The King refused to see Katherine and allow her to plead her case. Various attempts were made to get her to confess to a formal betrothal to Derham, which would have allowed Henry to have the marriage annulled. This could have saved her life, but, for some reason, she denied any formal betrothal. She also denied committing adultery with Culpeper. In January of 1542, she was found guilty of High Treason, and executed along with two of her lovers. She was not more than twenty years old.

Catherine Parr

Katherine Parr was the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. She was Queen of England from 1543 until Henry's death in early 1547.

Although she was widowed twice before she married Henry VIII, Katherine Parr was not an old woman, as many people think. She was only 31 when she became queen. She outlived Henry, and left her mark on history through her influence on Henry's children, particularly Elizabeth I.