The Six Wives of Henry the 8th and SIX

King Henry the 8th by Hans Holbein the Younger

The Six Wives of Henry the 8th and SIX

If you don’t know about Henry the 8th, who in my opinion is one of the most famous British kings, you should read up on him. My very brief overview of Henry Tudor is the following; Henry the 8th became king at the age of 17 on the death of his father. He was raised as the “spare” ; he was never intended to be king as he had an older brother. His brother, Arthur, died suddenly prior to their father’s death. This gave Henry less than a month to adjust to be heir to the throne of England before suddenly becoming king. He was very well educated and very athletic. He was fluent in several languages and well read. He debated religion with clergy and wanted reform. After all of that, he is most famous for his 6 wives.

It is important to understand where England was at this point in history. Henry the 7th took his crown through conquest from killing the previous king. The previous king became king on the death of his brother who had won his crown after a civil war, known as the War of Roses. It was a mostly stable country but in recent history it was unstable. Part of Henry the 7th claim to legitimacy rested on his wife Elizabeth who was the daughter of the late Henry 4th. The claim that Henry 7th was entitled to the throne of England was questioned and it was a question if his heirs could keep the throne.

His Wives

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was the daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille. When she was 3 years old she was betrothed to Arthur, Henry’s older brother. Catherine was a devout Roman Catholic until the end. She was extremely well educated in all subjects suitable for a princess and one day queen. She spoke 5 languages fluently and was well read. She was considered a candidate who would bring legitimacy to the throne of England.

When she was 14, Catherine and Arthur were married by proxy (aka not in person) and 2 years later married in person. Catherine was married to Arthur for 6 months before his death. At that point she was left in limbo, she was a widowed bride of the heir of England, her dowry was only half paid, and she was not pregnant with Arthur’s child.

Henry the 7th did not want to spend Catherine back to Spain because he would need to repay the dowry. England at the time was not wealthy so that would have been a difficult task. It was then decided that Henry 8th would marry Catherine but they needed papal approval first as it was illegal to marry your brother’s widow. Catherine swore that her and Arthur never consummated their marriage making it an unofficial marriage. For 7 years Catherine was in limbo. She eventually did marry Henry the 8th. They were crowned King and Queen of England the same day.

Catherine was 23 at the time of their marriage and Henry was 17. They were married for a total of 24 years. One of the most notable things she did during their marriage was rid into battle in full armor, giving a rousing and inspiring speech to the British army before they defeated the Scots. She later sent the bloody coat of the defeated Scottish King to Henry who used it as a flag in his own battle.

They had 1 child together who survived infancy. She was a daughter in a time when a queen had never ruled England which led to a lot of instability in the realm. Henry was desperate for a male heir and he eventually wanted a divorce from Catherine so he could marry Anne Bolyen. Catherine opposed this greatly, she was a devout Catholic who did not believe in divorce. The Pope would not grant Henry the divorce so Henry split England from Rome and made himself the head of the Church of England. After he divorced Catherine. Catherine never acknowledged the divorce and Henry sent her away. She died never seeing her daughter again at the age of 50 in a remote castle.

Anne Boylen

I’m not sure why but I feel like Anne Boylen is the most famous of Henry’s wives. Maybe it was because she “caused” the first divorce of a king?

Anne Boylen was born to Thomas Boylen and his wife Elizabeth Howard. There is dispute over the year Anne was born either 1501 or 1507. Thomas Boylen was not a very important or wealthy person but did have some political appointments such as bringing Princess Mary to Scotland when she wed the Scottish king. Anne was well educated in several languages including French where she spent much of her youth. Anne later became a big supporter of a French-British alliance.

She was recalled to the French court by her father so she could marry her cousin due to a title dispute. She never married her cousin as her father got the title instead of the cousin. She returned to the English court in 1522 at the age of 21 (or 15).

She quickly came into a relationship with a man named Henry Percy but his father rejected the betrothal and Anne was sent from court for a time until Henry Percy married. When Anne returned, King Henry the 8th started to pursue her. Henry stopped several other men from courting Anne. He wanted her to be his mistress which she refused several times. He even offered to make her his official mistress with the title Mistress en Titre. Anne refused each time, claiming to be saving herself for marriage. As Henry’s frustrations over lack of a male heir grew, Catherine was growing older in her 40s, Henry decided to take Anne up on being his wife. This meant getting an annulment from the Pope under the grounds that Catherine and Arthur had actually consummated their marriage.

This annulment took a while to grant and during that time Henry grew impatient. This is when he broke from the church and declared his own marriage annulled. Catherine was named the Dowager Princess of Wales and sent away. Anne and Henry quickly married and Anne soon got pregnant. Henry and Anne “courted” for 6 years but their marriage only lasted 3 years. Anne had around 6 pregnancies, each ended in miscarriage but 1 which was a girl they named Elizabeth.

After 3 years of marriage and no male heir, Henry accused Anne of cheating which as a queen was considered treason. She was also accused of having incest with her brother. There was a sham hearing for Anne to prove her innocence but she was found guilty. She was executed, leaving behind her 3 year old daughter who was declared a bastard. She maintained her innocence until the end. Catherine and Anne died the same year, months from each other. Both of their daughters out of favor with the king.

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was more in 1508 to Thomas and Margery Seymour. Anne was one of their 10 children and eldest daughter. She served as a lady in waiting for both Queen Catherine and Queen Anne. She was noted for her charm and peaceful nature. She excelled at embroidery. She was not formally educated but educated in arts that women of her day would have been.

Henry started to court Jane Seymour during his marriage to Anne Boylen. The day of Anne’s execution their marriage was declared. They married 30 days later. Jane Seymour was 28 at the time of their marriage. She was in all regards a kind woman. There is one tale of her selling her jewelry to pay for the care of Elizabeth after she had fallen from her father’s favor (remember she was 3). She was more submissive by accounts than Anne or Catherine.

Slight more than a year into their marriage, Jane gave birth to a healthy baby boy. He was the long awaited male heir and future king Henry had longed for. Sadly Jane passed 12 days later of (what we assume) childbed fever. She left behind an infant son and a husband who mourned her death. By all accounts, she was Henry’s favorite wife. He was buried next to her and she is the only one of his queens to receive a royal burial.

Anne of Cleves

While Henry had an heir, he did not have a spare. He quickly started to look for a new wife, this time one to help his political situation. Remember that having broken from the Holy Roman Church, Henry had made enemies. He started to look for a new Protestant bride, which took him to the current day Germany. He was sent the portrait of Anne of Cleves who he chose due to her beauty. Anne of Cleves was unlike each of Henry’s previous wives. She is perhaps the least educated. She could read and write but only in German. It is unknown how much English she knew when she arrived in England to marry the king.

When she arrived in court he felt very differently. He was very displeased with her appearances. Henry had agreed to pay 100,000 florins to Anne’s brother. Henry and Anne married 3 years after the passing of Jane Seymour although Henry had started marriage negotiations months after her passing. Henry tried to legally get out of his marriage to Anne Cleaves but it couldn’t be done once she was in England.

Anne and Henry were married for 6 months before their marriage was annulled due to non-consummation. Anne readily agreed to the annulment, unlike Henry’s past wives. Henry was pleased with how willing she was to agree to their marriage ending that he awarded her own land, several houses, a settlement, a salary, and the title of the King’s Beloved Sister. She was to be above all women in England aside from King Henry’s wife and daughters.

Anne of Cleaves lived out her life in England. She remained close to her stepdaughters and was the last of Henry the 8th’s wives to pass. She never married again and had no children. Out of all of Henry’s wives she definitely got the best deal.

Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard was born to Edmund and Joyce Howard. Edmund was the 3rd son of the Duke of Norfolk. He had no wealth and had a gambling problem. Catherine was his 10th child at a time when the family could afford very little. Joyce Howard passed when Catherine was 8 years old, at which time she became the ward of her step-grandmother.

During her time as a ward, she was not well looked after as her step-grandmother spent much of her time at court. Catherine received very little education and could barely read. Catherine received some music education during her time as a ward and had a relationship with one of her teachers who was in his 30s at the time compared to Catherine’s early teens.

Catherine’s uncle found her a place as Anne of Cleves lady in waiting when Anne arrived at court. Catherine was 17 at the time. She soon began a relationship with Thomas Culpeper and King Henry. King Henry would have been 49, at this point he was very overweight and had multiple health problems as well. They married in July 1540, a few weeks after Henry’s annulment from Anne of Cleaves.

By all accounts Henry adored Catherine during their marriage. Catherine, a young and naive teen, was infatuated by Thomas Culpeper while adoring her role as queen. On November 1, 1541 Henry discovered evidence of the affair between Catherine and Thomas. He also learned of other Catherine had had sexual relations with before their marriage. Catherine was stripped of her title of queen on November 7, 1541. She showed such distressed they removed everything from her room incase she committed suicide. Catherine was executed on February 13, 1542 with no trial. She practiced how to lay her head on the block the night before and her famous last words were “I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper”.

Fun fact: Catherine Howard was actually a cousin of Anne Boylen.

Catharine Parr

I always wonder if he chose another Catherine so it was easier to remember? I mean a third Catherine?

Catherine Parr was married twice before the King took interest in her. She had no children from her previous marriages so it is unlikely, in my opinion, that Henry married her for her ability to give him an heir.

Catherine was born to Sir Thomas and Maud Parr. She was well educated and spoke 4 languages, as queen she learned Spanish as well. She was well read and was the first woman in England to publish a book under her own name. She did not grow up at court unlike all of Henry’s previous wives. Her mother was a Lady in waiting for Catherine of Aragon but Catherine mostly grew up in country estates and her family’s lodging.

She was first married at 17 and was married for 4 years until her husband’s death. A year later she married again, this marriage lasted 9 years. During this marriage, her husband John Neville was a strict catholic and opposed Henry’s annulment from Catherine of Aragon. This was considered treason at the time and if John was declared a traitor he would have been killed and his lands and money seized. There seems to have been intervention on behalf of Catherine so John would need to apologize which he did. They kept their lands and wealth, he kept his life.

After her husband’s health failed, she was left a rich woman but returned to court to be a Lady-in-Waiting for Princess Mary. During this time she had a relationship with Sir Thomas Seymour. She wanted to marry him when the King proposed. She married King Henry at the age of 31. He was older and in failing health, her third husband to have failing health and older.

Catherine had a strong relationship with her step-children and was well liked in court. She outlived Henry and on his passing he left her a yearly salary of 7,000 pounds. She was to be treated as a queen as if he was alive. She quickly married Thomas Seymour, her old love. They were married in 1547 and she passed away after giving birth to her only child.