Learn All About The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, Their Lives & Deaths | Historic Royal Palaces Find out more about the lives (and deaths) of Henry VIII's six wives Katherine of Aragon Divorced The first of Henry VIII's six wives, Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536) was a Spanish princess who was married to Henry for 18 years before he began divorce proceedings in his desperation to re-marry and produce a male heir. Katherine had been pregnant six times but only one daughter, Princess Mary, later Mary I , had survived. Dying in 1536, Katherine wrote to Henry: 'Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things. Farewell.' Anne Boleyn Beheaded The second of Henry VIII's six wives, Anne Boleyn (c1501-1536) was married to the King for only three years from 1533-1536. Instead of the sought after male heir, Anne was pregnant with another princess, Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I ). Anne was supported by religious reformers but was also hated by many at court.

After a miscarriage, her fate was sealed and she was arrested (and later executed at the Tower of London) for adultery and incest. Jane Seymour Died Jane Seymour (c1509-1537) was the third of Henry VIII's six wives and the only wife to provide the King with the much longed for son and male heir. Having married Henry in May 1536, she gave birth to Prince Edward (later Edward VI) at Hampton Court Palace in 1537 but died soon afterwards. Henry had his son but grieved: 'Providence has mingled my joy with the bitterness of the death of her who brought me this happiness.' Anne of Cleves Divorced Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) was the fourth of Henry VIII's six wives and at 24 was half Henry's age when they married in January 1540. Henry first saw Anne of Cleves in a painting by Hans Holbein but in the flesh, Henry found Anne unattractive and began pursuing one of her maids of honour, Catherine Howard. After six months the marriage was annulled yet Anne remained in England and on good terms with Henry VIII.

He commanded that she be treated as 'the king's sister' Catherine Howard Beheaded Henry VIII's fifth wife was an alluring teenager named Catherine Howard (c1522-1542). Married three weeks after his second divorce, rumours of Catherine's past and present love affairs reached a furious Henry. She was arrested at Hampton Court Palace and later taken to the Tower of London where she was beheaded in February 1542, aged about 21. Kateryn Parr The Tudors - The Six Wives of Henry VIII | HistoryOnTheNet The Tudors The Tudors - The Six Wives of Henry VIII Last Updated: 01/17/2017 - 11:37 For more information on counter-intuitive facts of ancient and medieval history, see Anthony Esolen's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization .

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Kathryn Howard, Katherine Parr Divorced, beheaded, died; Divorced beheaded survived This popular rhyme tells of the fate of Henry VIII's six wives Catherine of Aragon - Henry VIII's first wife and mother of Mary I Catherine was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and she came to England in 1501 at the age of 16 to marry Henry VII's eldest son and heir to the throne, Arthur. By 1527 Henry was having serious doubts about his marriage to Catherine. He believed that he had no sons because God was punishing him for having married his brother's wife. He had found a passage in the Bible that backed this belief. He had also fallen for Anne Boleyn, the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, who had recently returned to England from the French court. Catherine refused to grant Henry a divorce or retire to a convent . Henry therefore began the Reformation in England so that he could divorce Catherine without the Pope 's permission and marry Anne Boleyn. Catherine was divorced by Henry in 1533 and died in 1536.

Anne Boleyn - Henry VIII's second wife and mother of Elizabeth. Anne Boleyn was born in 1501. At the age of fourteen she was sent with her sister, Mary, to the French court as a maid to Queen Claude. She returned to England in 1522 and attracted many admirers. Her sister, Mary managed to attract the King's attention and became his mistress. In 1526 Henry asked Anne to become his mistress, but she refused because he was a married man. Henry was determined to win Anne Boleyn and became determined to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. The couple eventually secretly married in 1533 after Anne became pregnant. The King's second marriage was not popular. Many people believed that Anne was a witch and had cast a spell on Henry. When the baby was born in September 1533 Henry was cross that the baby was a girl. She was called Elizabeth. Henry and Anne began arguing. Although Anne became pregnant twice more each time the babies were stillborn. Henry was by now tired of Anne and wanted rid of her.

He had no intention of waiting for a divorce so his ministers invented evidence showing that Anne had been unfaithful and had plotted the death of the King. She was found guilty and was executed in May 1536. Jane Seymour - Henry VIII's third wife and mother or Edward VI. Jane Seymour was a quiet shy girl who attracted Henry because she was so different to his first two wives, Catherine and Anne. Henry married Jane Seymour just 11 days after the death of Anne Boleyn. He was 45 years old, Jane was 28. Although Henry became concerned when Jane did not become pregnant immediately, he was delighted when she gave birth to a son, Edward, in October 1538. Henry was very upset when Jane died a month later. On his deathbed, Henry requested to be buried next to Jane. Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife. She was divorced after six months. After the death of Jane, Henry remained single for two years. He had the son that he had wanted for so long and although Edward was weak and sickly, he continued to live.

Having broken free from Rome in the 1530s England was isolated from much of Europe and Henry's advisers thought it would be a good idea for him to marry a German princess and make an alliance with the other great Protestant nation in Europe - Germany. Two suitable princesses were chosen and Hans Holbein was sent to paint their portraits. The girls were sisters and daughters of the Duke of Cleves. Henry chose the older daughter, Anne, to be his fourth wife. The 24 year old German Princess arrived in England in December 1539, However, Henry was horrified when he saw her and demanded that his ministers find him a way out of the marriage. Unfortunately for Henry they could not and the marriage went ahead in January 1540. Henry was unable to consummate the marriage and the couple divorced amicably six months later. Anne was well provided for and lived out her days in England in comfort. She outlived Henry and died in 1557. Kathryn Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife. She was executed for adultery after two years of marriage. Henry had chosen his fifth wife before his divorce to Anne was finalised.

The lady in question was the 15 year old daughter of Edmund Howard, Kathryn, cousin of Anne Boleyn. The marriage took place in July 1540. Henry was 49 years old, overweight and unable to walk far due to his weight and an injury to his leg that festered and refused to heal. Kathryn was young, lively and flirtatious. She was bored with having an old husband and sought out young friends among the courtiers. Unfortunately for Kathryn one of the courtiers in question was a man named Francis Dereham who had known Katherine before her marriage. He knew that she had had affairs before her marriage and used this to bribe her into giving him a good position at court. Katherine's actions led to her being accused of adultery and subsequently executed in 1542. Katherine Parr Henry VIII's sixth wife. She outlived Henry and died in 1548. Henry married for the sixth time in 1543. The lady in question was Katherine Parr who had been twice widowed. She was a kindly lady and proved a good stepmother to the King's three children.

She was also an excellent nursemaid and bathed Henry's leg wound and comforted him when he was sick. She came close to being tried for treason in 1546 when her enemies at court attempted to prove that she was a committed Protestant. However, she managed to convince Henry that she was loyal to him and his Church and was spared. After Henry's death she married Edward's uncle, Thomas Seymour. Katherine Parr died in childbirth in 1548. For more information on counter-intuitive facts of ancient and medieval history, see Anthony Esolen's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization © 2008. You can find it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can also check it out by clicking on the buttons to the left. Quiz: Anne of Cleves Buried: 4 August 1557 Westminster Abbey Henry VIII remained single for over two years after Jane Seymour's death, possibly giving some credence to the thought that he genuinely mourned for her. However, it does seem that someone, possibly Thomas Cromwell, began making inquiries shortly after Jane's death about a possible foreign bride for Henry.

Henry's first marriage had been a foreign alliance of sorts, although it is almost certain that the two were truly in love for some time. His next two brides were love matches and Henry could have had little or no monetary or political gain from them. But the events of the split from Rome left England isolated, and probably vulnerable. It was these circumstances that led Henry and his ministers to look at the possibility of a bride to secure an alliance. Henry did also want to be sure he was getting a desirable bride, so he had agents in foreign courts report to him on the appearance and other qualities of various candidates. He also sent painters to bring him images of these women. Hans Holbein, probably the most famous of the Tudor court painters, was sent to the court of the Duke of Cleves, who had two sisters: Amelia and Anne. When Holbein went in 1539, Cleves was seen as an important potential ally in the event France and the Holy Roman Empire (who had somewhat made a truce in their long history of conflict) decided to move against the countries who had thrown off the Papal authority. England then sought alliances with countries who had been supporting the reformation of the church.

Several of the Duchys and principalities along the Rhine were Lutheran. Holbein painted the sisters of the Duke of Cleves and Henry decided to have a contract drawn up for his marriage to Anne. Although the King of France and the Emperor had gone back to their usual state of animosity, Henry proceeded with the match. The marriage took place on January 6, 1540. By then, Henry was already looking for ways to get out of the marriage. Anne was ill-suited for life at the English court. Her upbringing in Cleves had concentrated on domestic skills and not the music and literature so popular at Henry's court. And, most famously, Henry did not find his new bride the least bit attractive and is said to have called her a 'Flanders Mare'. In addition to his personal feelings for wanting to end the marriage, there were now political ones as well. Tension between the Duke of Cleves and the Empire was increasing towards war and Henry had no desire to become involved. Last but not least, at some point, Henry had become attracted to young Kathryn Howard. Anne was probably smart enough to know that she would only be making trouble for herself if she raised any obstacles to Henry's attempts to annul the marriage.

She testified that the match had not been consummated and that her previous engagement to the son of the Duke of Lorraine had not been properly broken. After the marriage had been dissolved, Anne accepted the honorary title as the 'King's Sister'. She was given property, including Hever Castle, formerly the home of Anne Boleyn. Anne lived away from court quietly in the countryside until 1557 and attended the coronation of her former step-daughter, Mary I. She is buried in a somewhat hard to find tomb in Westminster Abbey. Tudor romance: Did Henry VIII love his last wife Katherine Parr? | History Extra Directory Did Henry VIII love his last wife Katherine Parr? Linda Porter looks at Henry VIII’s often misunderstood relationship with his last wife, Katherine Parr, and questions whether it was, indeed, a case of true love. Tuesday 14th February 2012 BBC History Magazine - 5 issues for £5 16th-century portrait of Katherine Parr.

(Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images) On 12 July 1543, as plague began to take hold in London, two dozen guests crammed into a small chapel at Hampton Court to see Henry VIII marry for the sixth time. The wedding, a low-key affair, took the diplomatic community in London by surprise. It was noted that “the king espoused the queen privately and without ceremony”. The bridegroom was, however, enthusiastic as he took his vows “with a joyful countenance”. Henry was 52 years old and ailing. His new wife, Katherine Parr, was not quite 31, twice-widowed and an experienced stepmother. Surely this was a marriage born of common sense, where passion would play little part? The Victorians depicted it as the union of an irascible tyrant with a worthy matron. The truth, however, was very different. Henry was looking for a wife, not a nurse or homemaker. He wanted a companion for his bed who might provide further heirs and could carry the role of queen consort impressively.

Katherine, who had given up another man to marry the king, was well aware that her duties would definitely run to more than polite conversation and soothing the royal brow. Her determination to be a success led to a deep bond of affection between the royal couple which may, in 1546, have saved her life. It is not surprising that Henry was drawn to the comely widow. She was a slim, attractive redhead whose unimpeachable reputation hid a sensual nature. Her other suitor, Sir Thomas Seymour (the king’s brother-in-law), had already realised this and probably Henry did, too. Until now, the curtains around the marriage bed of Henry VIII and his last wife have remained firmly closed. Yet theirs was undoubtedly a sexual relationship. Katherine took seriously her vows to be “bonaire and buxom in bed and in board”. She took milk baths to keep her skin soft and the day after her wedding, she ordered “fine perfumes” for her bedchamber at Hampton Court. She was clearly determined to make her body and her bedchamber as enticing as possible. Henry lumbering into view in his nightshirt must have been a daunting sight.

A year before his final marriage it had been noted that he was “already very stout and daily growing heavier… three of the biggest men to be found could get inside his doublet”. Pain and the disease in his legs had left their mark on him. Between 1543 and 1545 he got through 300 pairs of hose a year. This was the man that Katherine had taken as her third husband. Very soon he doted on her – but could she possibly have loved him? At the outset, almost certainly not. She married him for the advancement of her family and because he could not be refused. She was dutiful and keen to convince herself that her fate was God’s will. Yet Katherine was also a loving and optimistic woman, as well as intelligent. She knew the opportunity that had come her way and thought hard about how to turn it to her advantage. Developing a good relationship with all three of the royal children was certainly important but at the heart of Katherine’s strategy was the king himself. Henry was not simply an overweight monster but a lonely and unhappy man after the disaster of his marriage to the foolish Katherine Howard. Katherine Parr recognised his need for love and attention.

Circumstances permitted her to establish herself swiftly as a major influence in his life, as the plague kept them continuously outside the capital and in each other’s company for six months. It was an ideal foundation for their relationship.So the king showered her with jewels and beautiful clothes, entrusted the country to her regency while he fought the French one last time in 1544, and greatly hoped for children with her. Henry and Katherine shared many interests, from hunting and archery to music, masques and books. She was a graceful dancer and they both loved the Venetian Bassano brothers, musicians patronised by Katherine. Henry, a cultured man, was delighted to have a queen who commanded respect from ambassadors and with whom he could discourse. Both husband and wife were committed to the 16th-century belief in lifelong learning. Katherine brushed up her Latin and also began to edit and write religious books, as her commitment to advancing the cause of further reform grew. In 1545 she became the first queen of England to be published when copies of her Prayers or Meditations were produced by the king’s printers. Her influence over Henry seemed unshakeable.

But in 1546, the last full year of the king’s life, Katherine’s position came under threat. Henry’s health declined alarmingly and the negative attributes of his personality, his capriciousness, cunning and imperiousness, were amplified by the reluctant acknowledgement of his own mortality. A power struggle for the future of England was fought out over his diseased frame and his loyal wife, who had felt secure in his affection and returned it with devotion, found herself at the centre of the struggle. A bitter fight The story of plots against the queen was recounted dramatically by John Foxe nearly two decades later. By the time Foxe was writing, almost all of those who had been close to Katherine Parr were dead, so the detail cannot be verified. Katherine never spoke of such things herself. But it is certain that the bitter fight between the forces of religious reform and conservatism came close to Katherine. The ladies of her bedchamber were targeted in the search for banned books, and an outspoken reformer, Anne Askew, was tortured to get her to reveal links to those who served the queen. Anne was later burned at the stake without divulging anything.

But Katherine hastily hid many items in her own book collection, changed locks on trunks and coffers and summoned her sick uncle to support her at this difficult time. Henry must have known his wife’s views and interests. If Foxe is to be believed he found them progressively irritating, not so much for their content as for the fact that she presumed to contradict him in public. Nor had she conceived, and time was passing. Henry’s tendency to become bored with his wives after a couple of years may also have been a factor. Yet whatever happened in the summer of 1546 did not destroy their marriage. Perhaps Henry did, as Foxe claimed, take a penitent Katherine on his knee and reassure her of his love. In fact, he seems to have been eager to make amends by ordering “all manner of jewels, pearls and precious stones… skins and sable furs… for our dearest wife, the queen”. She, however, knew that her position had changed. After a second honeymoon in the autumn, they parted before Christmas. Henry needed to put his kingdom in order and prepare for death. There is no evidence that Katherine ever saw him again.

Her New Year’s gift to Prince Edward was a portrait of herself with his father, a telling clue that she hoped to cling on to the influence she had once enjoyed. Henry died on 28 January 1547. Katherine’s hope that she would be made regent for the boy-king was dashed when Edward Seymour took power. In the spring of 1547 Katherine secretly wedded Edward’s younger brother, Thomas, whom she certainly loved, though the pair hoped also to regain control of the royal children through their union. The marriage was stormy. Katherine suffered considerably during a difficult pregnancy as her husband flirted with Princess Elizabeth, who lived under her care. She died of childbed fever on 5 September 1548 after giving birth to her only child, a daughter. It was a tragic end for this remarkable woman, who had found that marriage to Henry VIII was perilous but brought great rewards. She set out to win his heart and amply succeeded. Henry’s first five wives 1. Henry’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon, was an able consort. She adored him and for some years they seemed happy.

But the lack of a male heir and the temptation of Anne Boleyn made Henry decide to end their marriage. 2. Anne Boleyn waited six years for Henry but his passion for her did not long survive their wedding. Proud, sensitive and hot-tempered, Anne was a difficult spouse. By 1536 Henry could not abide her. Anne was accused of adultery and executed. 3. Henry married Jane Seymour ten days after Anne’s beheading. Her blonde submissiveness pleased the king but Jane’s true feelings for Henry are unknown. She died shortly after the birth of her son, the future Edward VI, in 1537. 4. Anne of Cleves married Henry in 1540. The king had been entranced by her portrait but was repelled by the real woman. He failed to consummate the marriage and divorced her after a mere six months. She was, however, reluctant to be cast aside. 5. Katherine Howard had already caught Henry’s eye. He was besotted by her vivacity, youth and sexuality. She wanted only to be queen. The discovery of Katherine’s steamy past and secret liaisons devastated Henry. She went to the block in 1542.

Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr by Linda Porter (Macmillan, 2010) Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey (Vintage, 2004) The Last Days of Henry VIII by Robert Hutchinson (Phoenix, 2005) Edward VI by Chris Skidmore (Phoenix, 2008) Linda Porter is the author of Mary Tudor: The First Queen and Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr. Henry's Wives - The Tudor Enthusiast The Tudor Enthusiast The Many Wives of King Henry VIII Katherine of Aragon (16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) Katherine began her life of English Royalty in 1501 as the wife of King Henry VIII's older brother, Arthur. As his wife, she was known as the Princess of Wales. However, her husband died only five months after their wedding, and she married his younger brother, Henry VIII seven years later - (She was 23 and he was almost 18).

Their marriage started out happily, and it is said that they were very much in love for the first years. However, Katherine proved unable to produce a male heir for her husband. She was pregnant six times, and only one of those pregnancies resulted in a child that survived infancy - Mary Tudor, later known as Queen Mary I, or "Bloody Mary." In 1525, King Henry took an interest in one of Queen Katherine's ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. The King believed his marriage to Katherine was "cursed" and they would never be given a son, because he had married his brother's wife. When the Catholic church refused to annul the marriage, Henry broke with the church, dissolved the marriage, and sent Katherine to Kimbolton Castle, where she died. She was buried in Peterborough Cathedral - King Henry VIII did not attend the funeral, and he did not allow their daughter, Mary, to either.

Anne Boleyn (1501/1507 - 19 May 1536) Referred to by many as a "witch" and "concubine," Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII, and many consider her to be his one true love. She spent much of her childhood being educated in France, spending time as a maid of honor for Claude of France. She came to the English court as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Katherine as a young teenager, but soon caught the eye of the King. After her sister, Mary, acted as mistress for Henry (and had his child), he turned his attention to Anne. She resisted his attempts at seducing her, refusing to become his mistress. At his time, Henry made it his goal to annul his marriage to Katherine, so that he could marry Anne. It is said that Anne helped convince Henry that breaking with the Catholic church would be the best for him, and once it was done, they married on 25 January 1533. She was the only wife (other than Katherine) to be crowned Queen of England in an official coronation ceremony.

She gave birth to their only child, a daughter - Elizabeth, (later known as Queen Elizabeth I), but she, too, failed to produce a male heir. After three miscarriages, Henry was already courting his next wife, and had Anne investigated for treason, arresting her and sending her to the Tower of London. She was beheaded on Tower Green on 19 May 1536 under convictions of incest and adultery, which is still controversial. Jane Seymour (1508 – 24 October 1537) Jane Seymour was being courted by King Henry VIII while his marriage to Anne Boleyn was proving to be a failure. As with Anne, it is rumored that Jane was Henry's only true love. (Well, which one is it?!) Jane proved to be a faithful and simple wife, without causing Henry any reason to doubt her. She is the only one of his wives to provide him with a male heir - She gave birth to their son and future King, Edward, on 12 October 1537. After her difficult labor (two days and three nights long, to be exact), Jane became very ill, possibly suffering from an infection due to Edward's birth.

Jane died on 24 October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace, and she is the only one of Henry's wives that received a proper Queen's funeral. She is also buried next to her husband in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. After her death, Henry wore black for three months to show his mourning, and did not remarry for three years. Anne of Cleves (22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) A German noblewoman, Anne of Cleves proved to be less appealing than King Henry's first three wives. Upon seeing a painting of Anne of Cleves, Henry became interested in making her his wife, but was made disappointed when he met her. She was not as educated and sophisticated as Henry liked, and she could only read and write in her native German language.However, she was docile and and virtuous, which made her a fine candidate for Henry. The marriage was never consummated, as the King is said to have not been attracted to her. She was asked to leave court only months after their wedding, and the marriage was annulled.

However, she did receive a generous settlement and she and the King remained good friends for the rest of her life - being considered his honorary "beloved sister." Anne died just after her forty-second birthday, most likely as a result of cancer, and was buried at Westminster Abbey. Catherine Howard (1518-1524 – 13 February 1542) Known as his "rose without a thorn" and "Kitty Howard," she is the fifth wife of the notorious ladies man. She married Henry almost immediately after his annulment with Anne of Cleves (for whom she served as lady-in-waiting). The nearly fifty-year-old King showered his teenage bride with lavish gifts and jewels. At this point, Henry was roughly 300 pounds and had a "foul-smelling, festering ulcer in his thigh that had to be drained daily." In 1541, Catherine embarked on a fresh and risky romance with a courtier, Thomas Culpeper, which led to her being charged with treason, and consequently being arrested and sent to the Tower of London. The night before her execution, Catherine apparently spent several hours practicing how to lay her head on the block.

She and her lover, Culpeper, were both beheaded, and she was buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, where the bodies of her cousins, Anne and George Boleyn also rest. Katherine Parr (1512 - 5 September 1548) King Henry's third "Katherine," she is his final wife, the only one to survive him. She married the King on 12 July 1543, and took an interest in his three children, becoming very involved in their education and care. When King Henry died in 1547, she became Princess Elizabeth's primary guardian. Katherine married four times during her life, and her final marriage took place six months after the King's death, to Sir Thomas Seymour. She passed away soon after, in 1548, probably due to complications in childbirth. She was buried at St. Mary's Chapel at Sudeley Castle.

Create a free website King Henry VIII and His Six Wives—Love, Marriage, and Children | Owlcation King Henry VIII and His Six Wives—Love, Marriage, and Children King Henry VIII and His Six Wives—Love, Marriage, and Children Updated on July 22, 2016 Joined: 8 years agoFollowers: 1,006Articles: 47 Henry VIII of England, King 1509-1547 King Henry VIII was, quite probably, the most significant English political and religious figure since William the Conqueror set sail from Normandy in 1066 AD. This article is about Henry the man - his loves, his wives, his children. Famous for having six wives, Henry VIII is said to be the only English King to have had more wives than mistresses. Every English schoolchild knows the rhyme, "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived", about, in turn, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr.

Even in his own lifetime, when his revenge could be swift and cruel, his marital history was made fun of. The beautiful 16 year old Duchess Christina of Denmark is supposed to have said in 1538 that if she had had two heads, Henry was welcome to one of them. She declined to marry him. Henry himself died thinking that he had had only two marriages - to Jane Seymour, and Catherine Parr. The rest were not valid, in his view. That meant, also, that King Henry VIII only considered one of his children, the future King Edward VI, to be legitimate. He did not regard his daughters, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor, as being born within marriage. Advertisement Portraits of Catherine of Aragon Click thumbnail to view full-size Catherine of Aragon in c. 1503, as the widowed Princess of Wales Catherine of Aragon as Queen of England, in c. 1520s Advertisement Family and Childhood of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's wife 1509-1533 Catherine of Aragon was born in Spain on 16th December 1485. She was the daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Both were monarchs of their own countries. Catherine was therefore an infanta, a Spanish princess. Her title as a child was Infanta Caterina. Catherine was named after her maternal grandmother, the English daughter of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster. As you can see from the portrait to the right of this text, she looked English as well, with fair hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. Ferdinand and Isabella were important monarchs in Europe. They were relentlessly pious and Catholic, and were awarded the titles of, “the Catholic Kings”. Catherine had several older siblings. The eldest was called Isabella, then came Juan, and then Juana, Maria and then the baby of the family, Catherine. Catherine had an active childhood. Ferdinand and Isabella were busy with the reconquista. They were dedicated to expelling the last remaining Muslim Moors from Spain, and the Queen was head of her own armies. Isabella took her daughters as well as her son to the siege of Granada in 1491.

Historical Fiction on This Topic Catherine of Aragon's Marriage to Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales At the age of 3, Catherine was betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales. The couple were married before they even met, by proxy. They married firstly in Wales in May 1499, where Arthur married the Spanish Ambassador to England, De Puebla. There was a second proxy marriage in December 1500, and the Ambassador played the part of Catherine of Aragon at a wedding feast after the proxy marriage. Catherine arrived in England in October 1500, at Plymouth, Devon. Catherine and Arthur married in St Paul’s Cathedral on 14th November 1500. The young couple moved to the Welsh Marches, but their married life together was short. Prince Arthur, Prince of Wales, died on 2nd April 1502, leaving Catherine a young teenage widow. It was almost immediately proposed by Catherine’s parents, Ferdinand and Isabella, that Catherine marry Arthur’s younger brother, Prince Henry. Henry the VII was far from sure that the marriage remained to his advantage.

And Henry the VII therefore delayed it as long as possible, and in fact it was delayed until after he died in 1509. Advertisement Click thumbnail to view full-size Henry VIII in about 1520 Henry VIII in old age Advertisement Henry VIII's Marriage to Catherine of Aragon Henry VII died on 21st April 1509. Catherine married Henry VIII on 24th June 1509 in a very private ceremony. Henry appeared to want to marry Catherine. He had come to know her over the years that she lived in London as his brother’s widow, and appeared to find her attractive and interesting. Catherine was a little older than Henry. She was 24 in 1509 when they married, and Henry was 18. She was, however, universally regarded as attractive. It must have seemed like a miracle to Catherine - from impoverished, disregarded and ignored widowhood, to wife and Queen in a matter of weeks. Catherine became pregnant quickly, but miscarried in early 1510. She became pregnant again almost immediately, and on 31st December 1510 her first living child, a son, was born.

He was named Prince Henry, and was baptised and given his own royal household. Jousts and ceremonies were held all over England to celebrate. At the age of 22 days, Prince Henry died. In 1513, Henry the VIII set sail for France in order to fight, allied with the Spanish, on French soil. He appointed Catherine as Regent of the country while he was away, a signal honour and a sign of his confidence in her. While Henry fought battles abroad, encouraged by affectionate and admiring letters from Catherine back in England, the Scottish army led by James IV invaded England. Catherine organised the military defence. She marched out at the head of an army from Richmond, near London, and appears to have worn some form of armour. Obviously she didn’t exactly fight, but was nearby when the English and Scots armies clashed at the Battle of Flodden. The Scots lost badly. In the Scottish armour, the King himself was killed, there was an Archbishop, a Bishop, 2 Abbots, 12 Earls, 14 Lords and 10,000 common soldiers. Casualties on the English side were only about 1,500.

Catherine further wrote to Henry a couple of months later to inform him that she was pregnant again. This pregnancy also ended in a miscarriage. She suffered from another stillbirth in 1514. She appears to have miscarried again in early 1515. In January 1516 Catherine was once again in childbed. At the age of 31 she gave birth to the only child which would live to adulthood. Wonderful though a living child was, the celebrations were hugely muted because the child, Mary, was a girl and not the son everybody wanted. In 1518, in November, Catherine gave birth to another live daughter, who died a few days later. Advertisement A video About the Inventory Made in 1547, on the Death of Henry VIII Bessie Blount—Henry VIII's Mistress c. 1519-20 Henry the VIII’s only confirmed mistresses were Elizabeth Blount and Mary Boleyn. By Elizabeth Blount, Henry had a bastard son, Henry Fitzroy.

In 1525 he was formally recognised as the King’s son, created Earl of Nottingham, Duke of Richmond, Duke of Somerset, a Knight of the Garter, and Lord Admiral and Warden General of the Marches against Scotland. The 6 year old was given a formal household, based at Sheriff Hutton Castle, Yorkshire, and altogether set up as a royal figure. Henry died before he reached adulthood. At one stage, bizarrely, King Henry VIII appeared to be considering a marriage between Henry Fitzroy and his half-sister, Mary Tudor, daughter of Catherine of Aragon. Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn and mistress of Henry VIII Mary Boleyn—Henry VIII's Mistress c. 1520 to 1523 When Mary Boleyn, Anne’s older sister, became Henry’s mistress, she was already married to William Carey. That marriage had taken place in February 1520. Carey was bribed, and given grants of land, titles and other offices. Mary remained his mistress for some time. She had a son, Henry Carey, in 1525. It is generally thought very unlikely that this child was also Henry’s.

Firstly, the affair had probably ended by then. Secondly, Henry was all too eager to recognise Henry Fitzroy as his bastard son, in order to show that his marriage was the problem not his virility. "Greensleeves," Supposed to Have Been Written by Henry VIII for Anne Boleyn The Failing Marriage in the 1520s Catherine was very short, probably only about 4 feet 9 or 10 in height. She was pregnant 7 out of the 9 years from her marriage in 1509 to 1518, and by the age of 35 she was really very large. Henry VIII no longer found her attractive. In losing her looks, and failing to produce a male heir, Catherine also lost a great deal of her power over the King. By 1525, Henry VIII was referring to himself as childless, despite his healthy living heir, Mary. In 1525 also, Mary’s household was reorganised to be formally the heir’s household. She was given stewards and chamberlains who were barons, a Lord President of the Council, who was a Bishop, and 300 assorted servants.

Her household cost £5000 a year to run. As Princess of Wales, Mary was based in the Welsh Marches. By 1527, however, Henry VIII had decided that the solution to the problem of the succession was to obtain a new wife. The King's Great Matter Henry VIII convinced himself that the words in Leviticus Chapter 20 showed that his marriage was unlawful: If a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an impurity; he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness: they shall be childless Henry came to believe fervently that the papal disposition for the marriage was not sufficient to make it lawful, and that the Pope could not set aside the laws of nature and God. Henry was therefore determined that the marriage should be set aside. Henry thought it would be easy. Generally speaking, Popes were sympathetic to Kings who lacked sons and whose wives were unable to provide them. Ways out of marriage contracts were often found. For example, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s first marriage to Louis of France was dissolved as they had only daughters. In the King's Great Matter, however, things were different.

Amongst other problems, the Pope was under the practical and military control of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. And, of course, Charles V was not just the Holy Roman Emperor, he was Catherine of Aragon’s nephew. Woodcut showing the coronation of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, from Stephen Hawes, "A Joyfull Medytacvon to All Englande" published 1509 The End of Catherine of Aragon's Marriage, and Her Life Thereafter In May 1533, Cranmer declared that Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon had been unlawful, and declared Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn valid. In July 1533, Henry issued a proclamation stripping Catherine of Aragon of her title as Queen, and saying from thenceforth should she be known as the Princess Dowager of Wales, as Prince Arthur’s widow. She was given a greatly reduced household and sent off to the country. Catherine moved in the spring of 1534 to Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire, and lived there as a semi-prisoner. Henry had not allowed Catherine to see her daughter for some years.

In March 1534, the Pope finally declared that Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon was valid in Canon Law, and that the marriage could not be challenged. This was now, in England, an irrelevancy. Catherine died early in January 1536 at Kimbolton. She was buried as the Princess Dowager of Wales. Mary had to be dealt with. She was put under enormous pressure from after the birth of Elizabeth to swear an oath that her parents had not been married and that she was illegitimate. Anne Boleyn as Queen of England, painted about 1534. Hever Castle, Home of the Boleyn family Anne Boleyn's Family and Childhood Anne Boleyn did not come from one of the top families in the land. Her father’s family were merchants who had ascended into the landed classes. Her great-grandfather, Geoffrey Boleyn, was a London merchant who bought land in Norfolk and in Kent. Anne’s grandfather and father, Thomas Boleyn, married well, into increasingly aristocratic families. Thomas Boleyn’s wife was the daughter of the second Duke of Norfolk and sister of the third.

Thomas and Elizabeth married in about 1500, and had 3 children who lived to adulthood; Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn, and George Boleyn. The exact dates of birth of all 3 children are not known. It is likely that Mary Boleyn was the oldest (contrary to what Philippa Gregory says in the “Other Boleyn Girl”) Anne was the second, born between 1502 and 1507, and George was the youngest. Anne was well educated, attractive, and had all the courtly skills. As a child she went to live in the Archduchess Margaret’s household in Burgundy. Margaret’s court was intellectual and cultured, and Anne Boleyn received an extremely good education there. When Henry VIII’s sister, Mary Tudor, married the King of France in 1514, Anne Boleyn joined Mary’s household in Paris. Mary Tudor was quickly widowed, in 1515, but Anne Boleyn stayed at the French Court. Anne became perfectly fluent in French, had a very good singing voice and played a number of instruments. She did not look like a classic ideal of English beauty.

She was dark-haired and had very dark eyes. She was nevertheless regarded as extremely attractive, skilled, and interesting. In the early 1520s, Anne returned to England and entered the royal household as one of Catherine of Aragon’s Ladies in Waiting. It is likely Henry VIII became interested in Anne in late 1524 or 1525. Original parchment record of the trial of Anne Boleyn and her brother, George Boleyn, for incest, adultery, and treason. Anne Boleyn's Relationship With Henry VIII In 1525 and 1526, Henry VIII chased Anne Boleyn vigorously. He no doubt thought it would be easier enough to make her his mistress. But she held out. A good number of Henry’s love letters to Anne have survived. Many of them were stolen and they are now in the Vatican library. They became engaged on New Year’s Day, 1527. Anne was, by 1528, already supporting religious dissenters, Lutherans, and Protestants. She did her best to protect them against persecution by the Catholic establishment. Instead, Anne favoured her Chamberlain and Chaplain Thomas Cranmer.

He was a reformist priest from Cambridge. Anne brought Cranmer to Henry VIII’s attention, and he rose steadily in Tudor circles, eventually becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. Anne adopted a new motto from the Burgundian Court in 1531, “Thus it will be, grumble who will”. For a couple of years, bizarrely, King Henry VIII, Queen Catherine of Aragon, and Anne Boleyn had travelled together in a royal court. Henry VIII's Children Click thumbnail to view full-size Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, son of Henry VIII and Elizabeth Blount The Marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII nry VIII and Anne Boleyn became lovers in November or December 1532. They had a secret marriage at the end of 1532, although Henry was still married to Catherine of Aragon. By early December, Anne was pregnant, and the expected heir made the marriage even more urgent.

The Act of Succession 1534, passed at the end of March, cited Thomas Cranmer’s verdict that the marriage to Catherine was unlawful, and affirmed the lawfulness of the marriage between Henry and Anne Boleyn. The succession to the throne was to go to Henry’s heirs male by Anne or any subsequent wife, and if no such sons were born, the throne was to pass to Elizabeth. Mary I was not mentioned at all. On 7th September 1533, Anne gave birth to a healthy child. This heir is exactly what was wanted, apart from one terrible error. The baby, Elizabeth, was a girl and not the son for which Henry had risked everything. More Acts were passed setting out the reformation, the Act of Supremacy 1534 appointed the King as Supreme Head of the Church of England, and the Act of Obedience 1534 made any attribution of power to the Pope treason. In January 1536, Anne Boleyn was pregnant again. In a jousting event, Henry had an accident and fell badly. Anne Boleyn was not there, but was badly shocked when told.

On the day of Catherine of Aragon’s funeral, 5 days after the accident in jousting, Anne miscarried a male foetus. This was the third pregnancy for Anne. She’d had the healthy Elizabeth I in 1533, a miscarriage in 1534 (or possibly a stillbirth) and a further male miscarriage in early 1536. By the time of this miscarriage, Henry’s eye already seems to have turned to Jane Seymour. In early May, Anne Boleyn was arrested and was taken to the Tower of London. Her chief prosecutor and interrogator was her Uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. Anne was accused of adultery with numerous gentlemen at the Court, and of incest with her brother. The 5 men, including George Boleyn, were executed on Tower Hill near the Tower of London on 17th May. Anne Boleyn’s marriage to the King was annulled on the 18th May, and Anne Boleyn herself was executed on the 19th May. She was buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula.

After the execution, the 2 year old Princess Elizabeth joined her sister Mary in a state of legally-proclaimed bastardy. Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII Jane Seymour Jane Seymour was a complete contrast to Anne Boleyn. She spoke very little, and when she did she was extremely meek, submissive and calm. After the exciting and rollercoaster relationship with Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII appears to have been attracted to a woman who was frankly seen as pretty dull. The day after Anne Boleyn’s execution on 19th May, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour were betrothed, and they married on 30th May at York Place, now Whitehall, in Central London. Not much is known about how Jane Seymour formed a relationship with Henry VIII. Jane was a member of Anne Boleyn’s household, just as Anne Boleyn had been a member of Catherine of Aragon’s household. The relationship appears to have started in about February 1536. Like Anne Boleyn, Jane was from a good but not top-notch aristocratic family. Jane soon became pregnant, and on the 12th October 1537, gave birth to a healthy son, named Edward.

After a long and difficult labour, Jane appeared to be recovering, but then became infected with childbed fever, and died late on the 24th October. It appears that Henry was absent. Anne of Cleves, in the portrait seen by Henry VIII before they met Anne of Cleves King Henry’s fourth marriage was an arranged marriage of State. With the reformation in full swing in England, fiercely Catholic princesses could not be considered, nor would they consider Henry. The Duchy of Cleves was in present day Northern Germany, and had its capital at Düsseldorf. The Duke had 2 unmarried younger sisters, Anne and Amelia. Anne was 25 when the marriage took place, and Henry was nearly 50. The famous portrait of Anne of Cleves was painted by Hans Holbein, in order that Henry could see what she looked like before they married. Anne was not well educated. She came from a suitably non Catholic country, but could only speak and understand her own language, a type of German, and could not speak English, French or even Latin. Anne arrived in England right at the end of December 1539, and first met Henry by surprise on New Year’s Day.

Anne of Cleves failed to recognise Henry VIII, who was offended by this. His type of humiliation set him against her from the beginning. In addition, he decided that she was unattractive and unsuitable. However, in terms of arranged royal marriages it was impossible for him to reject her now. The couple married on 6th January 1540, greatly against Henry’s will. The day after the marriage, Henry declared he’d been unable to consummate it and was not impotent but unable to rise to the occasion with Anne. By early July 1540, Henry was already talking about divorce. Anne of Cleves was distinctly upset by this, but was wise enough to realise that opposing the King in such matters was bad for her health. She therefore wrote to the King accepting that the marriage should be tried and found invalid, and signing the letter, “Your Majesty’s most humble sister and servant, Anne, daughter of Cleves.” As Anne had been so accommodating, Henry VIII was generous to her and gave her an income of £4000 a year and 2 houses, Richmond and Bletchingley, both near London. She was to be considered an honoured member of the royal court.

Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII Catherine Howard's Family and Childhood Catherine Howard was English, from the same family as Anne Boleyn. The Duke of Norfolk, the man who had prosecuted and supervised the execution of Anne Boleyn, was Catherine’s Uncle as well as Anne’s. Catherine was one of the younger children of Edmund Howard, a younger son. There was not a great deal of money. Edmund Howard married Jocasta Culpepper, who already had several children. She and Edmund Howard were married for about 15 years and had 10 more children. No-one is sure exactly when Catherine Howard was born. The earliest possible date of birth is about 1520, and the latest about 1525. When she married Henry, therefore, she was almost certainly aged between about 14 and 19. Catherine spent a lot of her childhood in the household of her step grandmother, the powerful Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. She formed a relationship as a very young teenager with a music master, but this relationship does not appear to have been consummated. Later, she formed another relationship with Francis Dereham, also a member of the Howard clan and a gentleman.

It appears very likely that they had a sexual relationship when Catherine was about 13 or 14. In late 1539 Catherine Howard was appointed as a Lady of Waiting for the future Queen Anne of Cleves. Clip of the Clash Between Henry VIII and His Chancellor, Sir Thomas More The Tower of London, showing Traitors' Gate. Copyright Viki Male St. Peter ad Vincula chapel in the Tower of London. This is the burial place of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The Marriage Between Henry VIII and Catherine Howard By spring 1540, there was a fully fledged love affair between Catherine Howard and Henry VIII. The relationship was heavily pushed and encouraged by Catherine’s Uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. Catherine appears to have had red hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. They married on 8th August 1540 at Hampton Court, Henry’s second marriage in 8 months. Henry was besotted with Catherine. He described her as his, “rose without a thorn”. In 1541, Henry VIII undertook a progress to the north of England. A progress was a royal journey around all or part of a King’s kingdom.

The Court arrived after the progress at Hampton Court at the end of October. Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had received allegations against Catherine, and told the King. Henry did not believe a single one of the allegations. He did agree that the matter should be investigated, but said it should be utterly confidential to protect Catherine’s reputation. A number of members of Catherine’s step grandmother’s household were interviewed, and confirmed Catherine’s earlier relationships. On 5th November, Henry summoned his councillors, including Catherine’s Uncle the Duke of Norfolk. He then left secretly for London and never saw Catherine again. On 7th November, the Archbishop Cranmer arrested and interrogated Catherine, who appears to have fallen apart when confronted with the evidence. She made a full written confession, and begged for the King's Mercy. The punishment for Catherine’s pre-marital relationships was, Henry decided a couple of days later, that she be banished to a former Nunnery, at Syon, but was still to be treated as a Queen. A more dangerous allegation then came about. Catherine had been unwise enough to appoint Francis Dereham to her household, and the Council suspected the love affair might have continued after she married Henry.

Dereham was tortured, but did not admit it, although he did go on to say that Thomas Culpepper and Catherine Howard had formed a relationship. Thomas Culpepper was arrested the following day. He was taken to the Tower and tortured. Catherine actually wrote to him, a letter which survived and was used against her, in which she said, I have never longed for so much for a thing as I do to see you and speak with you, the which I trust shall be shortly now … it makes my heart to die to think what fortune I have that I cannot always be in your company …Yours as long as life endures, Catherine. Catherine and Culpepper both admitted to meeting secretly late at night on the northern progress. Neither admitted actually committing adultery, but both admitted that there was an intention to do so. Dereham and Culpepper were both tried for treason. Culpepper was beheaded on 10th December, and Dereham was dragged to Tyburn, hanged, castrated, disembowelled, beheaded and quartered ,all because he had slept with a teenage girl who had that point had not even met her future husband, the King.

Catherine herself was not even tried. An Act of Parliament was passed in early 1542 with retrospective clauses saying that a loose-living woman who married the King without declaring it was guilty of treason, as were people who knew that she was not a virgin and allowed her to marry the King anyway. Catherine was executed on 13th February 1542, and buried next to her cousin, Anne Boleyn. Catherine Parr, sixth and last wife of Henry VIII Catherine Parr Future wives were going to be quite to come by. The Act of Attainment meant that any woman who had not been married was greatly at risk if she married the King. As were her relatives, in case the King later discovered something about her past that he didn’t like. Fortunately, Henry VIII’s eye lit on a widow. Catherine Parr was born as the first child of Thomas Parr and Maud Green, in 1512. Catherine of Aragon was her Godmother. In 1517, Catherine’s father died of the plague, leaving Catherine’s mother a widow at 22 and Catherine fatherless at the age of 5.

Catherine was married at some time before 1529, when she was 17. She married Sir Edward Burgh, son and heir to Lord Burgh of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. Edward died in 1533 leaving Catherine a childless 21 year old widow. Her mother had also died during her brief marriage. Within months, Catherine Parr married again, to John Neville, Lord Latimer, again a much older man, 20 years older than her, who had had 2 previous wives and 2 young adult children. Catherine, and her husband Lord Latimer, were both reformists. They did their best to encourage the reformation and the downfall of Catholicism. Lord Latimer was in increasing ill health in 1542 and 1543. He died in early March 1543, leaving his wife well provided for, and once again a widow. She was still only 31 years old. She formed a relationship with Sir Thomas Seymour, younger brother of Queen Jane Seymour and Prince Edward’s Uncle. But the King was interested in her, and offered to marry her just after her husband died.

She agreed, although she did not appear to want to be Queen. The marriage took place on 12th July 1543. Catherine Parr did her best to bring together Henry’s disparate family, and brought Mary, Elizabeth and Edward together in the royal household with herself and Henry VIII. Catherine got on particularly well with Mary I. Catherine also formed a close relationship with Elizabeth I, and Elizabeth lived with Catherine after Henry’s death. Like Henry’s first wife but unlike any of the others, Catherine Parr was appointed Regent when Henry journeyed abroad to supervise war in France. She appears to have done a good job as Regent, and was admired by Henry for it. Catherine was well-educated, pious in reformist religion, and interested in religious and social affairs. She wrote a book, published in June 1545, called, “Prayers or Meditations” For a New Year’s present, in 1546, Elizabeth decided to flatter both her parents by sending to Henry VIII a copy of Prayers or Meditations by Queen Catherine. Elizabeth translated it into Latin, French and Italian and dedicated it to her father, and impressive feat for a 12 year old.

Henry appears to have been a little bit irritated by this, and appears to have thought that Catherine Parr was getting above herself in terms of religion. Catherine narrowly escaped being arrested and executed for heresy by some clever work. After Henry VIII died, Catherine was finally able to marry Thomas Seymour, and to have Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s cousin, Lady Jane Grey, to live with her. She married Thomas Seymour very shortly after Henry VIII died on 28th January 1547, and became pregnant for the first time in 4 marriages. Catherine Parr survived Henry VIII, but not for long. Her child, a girl named Mary, was born in 1548, and Catherine Parr died of childbirth fever. Her husband was then accused of treason and executed. Sir Thomas Seymour, Catherine Parr's fourth husband. They married in 1547, and Henry VIII's death The Henry VIII exhibition presents a selection of key documents from Henry VIII’s reign to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his accession to the throne. The documents are arranged into three themes: Power, Passion and Parchment. Advertisement

Question: To which of his wives did Henry 8th have the shortest marriage?
Answer: Anne of Cleves