What Are The Six Wives Of Henry VIII?

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

The English king Henry VIII is famous for many things: the Reformation, when he separated the English Church from Roman Catholic Church; the closing of the monasteries and persecution of non-conformists; being a great jouster and general sportsman of his time; and in later years feasting himself to humongous proportions. However, he is probably best remembered for having six wives. Each was very different, and each made her own indelible mark on English history.

The first was Catherine of Aragon who was queen from 1509 until 1533. Of Spanish descent, she was a strict Catholic and by all accounts a determined and formidable woman. For example, she took a leading role in politics, acting as regent while Henry was
This time his advisors suggested a political marriage to form a closer alliance with the protestant German states. The German aristocrat Anne of Cleves was considered most suitable, but Henry insisted on knowing what she looked like before agreeing. He distatched the court portrait artist Hans Holbein to paint a picture of Anne; when Henry saw it, he was sufficiently impressed and agreed to the wedding. Unfortunately for Anne, Holbein was a great flatterer when it came to portrait painting and the young woman was a complete disappointment to Henry. In fact, although the couple were wed on 6 January 1540, the marriage was never consummated and Henry had no problem having it annulled within six months. It was actually a blessing in disguise that Henry never fancied her; it saved him having to have her head chopped off on some spurious charge or other. In fact, after the marriage was annulled Anne received a generous settlement of wealth and
Yet another lady-in-waiting - yes, there does seem to be a pattern emerging here - Catherine was the court beauty. At only sixteen she was already known as something of a flirt amongst the courtiers. Obviously, Henry fell for her but - given her reputation - it is something of a mystery why he should have chosen her to be his queen. Perhaps it was that he thought her young age would make her most suitable for bearing children. Conversely, this should have made her an unsuitable candidate: how would he know that her children were really his? The most likely answer is that Henry was beginning to lose his wits. He was only 49, but years of good living had left him with a plethora of diseases, one of which may have been McLeod syndrome that can cause brain damage. Anyway, 28 July 1540, less than three weeks after his marriage with Anne had ended, he married Catherine Howard. Various well-meaning courtiers advised the young girl to change her ways, but she evidently took no notice. She blatantly had various affairs, in particular with the King’s favorite courtier Thomas Culpeper. Apparently she carried on with Culpeper right under Henry’s nose as she thought him too brain muddled to notice. Unfortunately, the King’s chief advisor Thomas Cranmer had all his senses intact, and when Henry was informed he flew into a rage and, on 13