The lovemaking life ofKing Henry VIII , whoruledEngland from 1509 to 1547 , quite literally change the course of history . Though the news report of his six married woman has been told in countless books , show , and other media , the most memorable interpretation just might be the shortest : “ divorced , behead , pass , divorced , beheaded , survived . ”
Catchy as it is , that slant - rhymed sum-up leaves more than a few question unanswered . For example : What were their names ? So here ’s a slightly more elaborate rundown of the infamous Tudor top executive ’s three Catherines , two Annes , and one Jane .
King Henry VIII’s Wives in Order
1.Catherine of Aragon (Divorced)
2.Anne Boleyn (Beheaded)
Anne Boleyn’sbirth year is obscure : Some historiographer see it to 1501 or thereabouts , though others have argued for1507 . Her father , Thomas Boleyn , was an influential earl and a knight in Henry VIII ’s court ; her female parent , Elizabeth Howard , was one of Catherine of Aragon ’s ladies - in - wait . Anne waseducatedunder royalty in present - daylight Belgium and then France , and by the time shejoinedher family unit back in English court in 1522 , her baby , Mary , had already become a schoolmarm of Henry VIII . The sisters were both dame - in - wait to Catherine of Aragon , and Anne — a skilled dancer with an beguiling Gallic atmosphere about her — presently caught the Billie Jean Moffitt King ’s eye . They protrude court around 1526 , kicking off Henry VIII ’s storied engagement to make her his 2nd married woman . They married in mystery in January 1533 , before Henry VIII ’s first marriage had even formally been void . That ultimately happened in May , and Anne was crowned queen regnant the following week . She and Henry VIII welcomed their first nipper , the futureQueen Elizabeth I , in September . But Anne ’s two subsequent pregnanciesendedin tragedy : She had a miscarriage in 1534 and a stillborn baby boy in 1536 . With Henry VIII develop ever heroic for a male successor , his faithful advisor , Thomas Cromwell , begin mounting an adultery pillowcase against Anne . She was incarcerate in the Tower of London in earlyMay 1536 , and convict of fornication , treason , and even incest ( one of her aim paramours was her own brother ) during a run thatlacked any evidenceof her aver crimes . On May 19 , Anne was beheaded .
3.Jane Seymour (Died)
Theday after Anne ’s destruction , Henry VIII got engaged toJane Seymour , who had serve as a lady - in - waiting to Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon before her . Jane was devout , gentle , and very virtuous , once even turn down money from Henryon the groundsthat “ she had no expectant rich in the earthly concern than her honour , which she would not offend for a thousand deaths . ” Her moralistic run appealed to Henry , and they married on May 30 , 1536.Jane’smottowas “ reverberate to obey and serve up , ” which she carry out in a big fashion by giving Henry his much - coveted male person heritor : the next Edward VI , bear on October 12 , 1537 . She ’s also credit withconvincing Henryto reconcile with Mary Tudor , who had been ousted from motor inn along with her mother . Jane and Mary , only about eight year aside in years , continue close throughout Jane ’s tenure as pouf . Jane Seymour is often cited as Henry’sfavorite married woman , and he definitely did love her . But we have no way of knowing whether their family relationship would have soured in some way had she lived longer : She conk from childbirth complication less than two weeks after Edward was assume .
4.Anne of Cleves (Divorced)
Henry soon began to interest that the Holy Roman Empire and its fellow Romanist Catholic friend France were plot against England , which compel him to marry a char who could pull in him some ally of his own . Thomas Cromwellchosethe bride - to - be — Anne of Cleves , from the powerful German Protestant House of Cleves — and court painter Hans Holbein headed to Germany to paint a portrait of her . Henry agreed to the union after seeing the image , and 24 - year - previous Anne contact her 48 - yr - old future husband in England in January 1540 . Though Henry was much less impressed with her appearance in person , he went through with the marriage forpolitical reasonsanyway . But theynever consummatedtheir union , and when the menace of state of war peter out out , Henry decide to divorce her . Their annulment wasfinalizedon July 9 , 1540.Anne did n’t resist — a shrewd move that set her up to live out the rest of her life in luxury and comfort , free from all the queenly pressure level that had lead to the downfall of three wife before her . Henry VIIIgaveher a liberal annual stipend , two houses in England , and several other properties to rent out . She stay in the rural area , stayed on good terminus with her ex - husband — they even called each other “ brother ” and “ sister”—and end up becoming supporter withElizabeth I. Though Anne was only 41 eld onetime when shediedin 1557 , she had already outlived Henry by a decade , and she ’s the only wife of his to be buried atWestminster Abbey .
5.Catherine Howard (Beheaded)
For wife bit five , Henry VIII return to his M.O. of selecting from the kitty of his current queen’sladies - in - waiting . One of Anne of Cleves ’s attendants was Catherine Howard , a niece of the powerful Duke of Norfolk and afirst cousinof Anne Boleyn . Catherine ’s exact birth escort is unsung , but she may have been born as tardily as 1524 — meaning she was likely still a teenager when the middle - aged monarch married her on July 28 , 1540 , mere week after the ink had dried on his and Anne ’s annulment papers . During her ( even ) younger years , Catherine had been sexually abused by her music teacher — in her speech , she “ endure him at sundry times to handle and touch the secret parts of [ her ] body”—and later hadsexual relationshipswith her gran ’s secretary , Francis Dereham , and one of Henry ’s courtier , Thomas Culpeper . In light , Catherine had n’t entered her marriage to Henry as a virgin , and she ’s also consider to have continued her social function with Culpeper during her marriage . When the Archbishop of Canterbury , Thomas Cranmer — who generallyhad it outfor Catherine ’s Catholic family — clew Henry into his married woman ’s history in October 1541 , the B. B. King launched a full probe , and Catherine herself copped to the accusations the following month . She was stripped of her title and decollate at theTower of Londonon February 13 , 1542.Modern historiographer havepointed outthat Catherine ’s young age essentially makes it impossible to apply her accountable for her relationships , all of which were with significantly sr. and more hefty man . But at least Culpeper and Dereham did n’t live happily ever after : They were execute for treason a duet month before Catherine ’s demise .
6.Catherine Parr (Survived)
Catherine Parr , hold in 1512 , was thedaughterof one of Henry VIII ’s advisors , Sir Thomas Parr , and one of Catherine of Aragon ’s ladies - in - wait , Maud . ( In fact , she was actually name after the fairy . ) By fountain 1543 , she was double widowed , working in Mary Tudor ’s house , and looking forward to marrying Thomas Seymour ( chum of the late Jane Seymour ) . Unfortunately , Henry VIII want her for himself , and Catherine , knowing that becoming queen mole rat would benefit her loved ones , eventually concord to the union . They said “ I do ” on July 12 , 1543.Catherine was only about four years old than Mary Tudor , and the two stayed close once Catherine became a member of the family . She was also a wonderful stepmother to Henry ’s two younger small fry , Elizabeth and Edward , and an eager student of theology : In 1545 , she even published a bookcalledPrayers or speculation — England ’s first English - oral communication book plainly credited to a distaff author . Her Protestant faith skew radical , according to the standards of the era , and English conservatives did try on to get her executed for heresy in 1546 . But Catherine convinced Henry that she was barren , and he ultimately did away with the stock-purchase warrant against her . Overall , Catherine was a dedicated mate and pretty successful fairy . Henry VIIIdiedon January 28 , 1547 , following a period of deteriorating wellness , and Catherine marry Thomas Seymour later that year . Their matrimonial bliss was short - subsist . For one thing , Thomascaused a public scandalby trying and failing to solicit the teenage princess Elizabeth , who he thought would be a more strategical match for him . Then , after Catherine give parentage to their daughter in late August 1548 , shefell illwith puerperal pyrexia and died within the workweek .
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