Henry Viii and His Wives

Henry VIII is probably the most well known Tudor of them all. He had six wives, two who lost their pretty heads, two divorced, one who died in child-bed and another who came perilously close to losing her head but managed to hold onto it for the rest of Henry’s reign.

Henry started his reign off well, England knew him as an attractive prince who excelled at sports and had a deep appreciation for learning and stayed in contact with some of the best scholars of his time. Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, his brothers widow, after receiving permission from the church and for twenty years this marriage would last. Catherine fell pregnant many times but almost all ended in either miscarriage or still-born babies, all except a daughter, Mary Tudor.

Henry VIII hadn’t forgotten his upstart royal status and fretted endlessly for a son, and the alluring chance for such a son came in the form of the bewitching Anne Boleyn. This raven haired woman captured the Kings very romantic view of love and the reign of Catherine of Aragon as Queen of England was soon terminated.

Anne Boleyn was bold if anything, to not give Henry a son seemed a death wish and she was indeed taking a risk of producing girls.

Henry Tudor and Anne Boleyn were married when Anne was already heavily pregnant in a private ceremony. And then a princess was born, Elizabeth Tudor.

Poor Elizabeth was born nothing but a girl and her father, though he loved his children, did not want a girl, he wanted a lusty heir.

Anne was beheaded on trumped up charges of adultery, incest and high treason. The king was free to marry once again.

The lady chosen by the King was Jane Seymour, an impossibly fair noble lady. Jane indeed fulfilled her wifely duty of producing an heir for Henry, Edward Tudor, but died tragically soon after giving birth.

Grieving but knowing that a Queen was needed to produce back up heirs Henry looked internationally for a royal bride, choosing Anna of Cleeves.

Upon meeting this thick-set German princess Henry proclaimed his disgust at her smell, her Germanic dress and her lack of beauty. Henry tried to wriggle out of the marriage but could not find a suitable excuse and so married Anna.

Soon after the marriage Henry found a way out, to pay Anna off, procuring an annulment and letting the German princess refer to herself as The Kings Dearest Sister.

Yet again, the marriage market was open to Henry and this time he wanted love and beauty. The next Queen of England was to be the pretty, silly and noble Catherine Howard. This woman was younger than his first daughter Mary and much prettier, catching the unfortunate eyes of courtiers…and the king noticed. Katherine lost her head and the despairing King was once again after a wife to comfort him in his old age and grotesque obesity.

Catherine Parr was now Queen consort of England and seemed a very suitable match for an ageing king as Catherine was twice widowed of old men although she was still young.

Catherine came terribly close to losing her head when suspicion on her spiritual beliefs were brought to the attention of the tyrannical and devout King.

Luckily Catherine received and opportunity to reason with the King and kept her head.

When Henry VIII died England mourned ‘Good King Harry’ and he was succeeded by his only male heir King Edward VI who, as his Tudor predecessors, struggled with the heavy burden of being born royal.