King Henry VIII Six Wives | A Kick Of History

 Hello everyone! Welcome to A Kick Of History! In todays post we will talk about King Henry VIII's six wives. This is something that I just got into and I am very excited to share it with you all! This post was actually inspired by a song I heard from "Six The Musical". (Yes, I am very much a theater kid). I would just like to ask you to subscribe or follow my blog if you haven't already. It would be much appreciated! Now, without further a-do let's get started! All my info is from this site: https://www.history.com/news/henry-viii-wives

 

1. Catherine of Aragon (1485 - 1536):

When King Henry VIII took the throne in the year 1509, he was 17. A few weeks later, he married his first wife. Catherine of Aragon. She was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. She was actually the widow of Henry's eldest brother, Arthur. Ever since the moment King Henry got married he was eager and obsessed with continuing the Tudor family line. Over multiple births the only child that survived from Henry and Catherine, was Mary. 

Catherine remained as Henry's wife for 23 whole years. She is even said to be the only woman King Henry really loved. He is said to have thought of Catherine with every respect except one, she could not bear him a son. Henry became very frustrated at the lack of a royal heir for the Tudor line to continue. 

By the year 1520 King Henry VIII had become very close to Anne Boleyn. She was another lady-in-waiting for the queen. Soon he sought after the approval of the Pope for a divorce. But the Pope said no. This didn't stop Henry though. He still divorced Catherine without approval from the Roman Catholic Church. he this created the Church of England. Catherine of Aragon ended up dying on January 7, 1536 as a princess and not a queen.

2. Anne Boleyn (1501-1536):

Anne and her sister named Mary, spent a part of their childhood in the French Court. Mary then returned back to England in around 1520. She also had a brief affair with King Henry. But then, King Henry became smitten with Anne and she refused the king's advances on her. She had no interest in becoming his wife at all. Since Rome refused a divorce for Henry so he could marry Anne, He formed the Church Of England. 

The two ended up getting wed on the January of 1533. Anne soon gave birth to their first child together. Her name was Elizabeth. Henry was unhappy with Elizabeth being born though. He wanted a male heir to extend the Tudor line. He still remained hopeful in Anne, that she would give him a son. But after many births and stillborn deaths, Henry lost interest in his wife. When he ended up taking a mistress, Anne was fuming. King Henry was very desperate to end his relationship with Anne, so he accused her of adultery and treason to her country. He also got the marriage annulled.

On the sad day of May 19, 1536 Anne Boleyn was beheaded. She was beheaded for her alleged crimes. She is probably the most studied wife of Henry's but her life is mostly a mystery. Even the terms of her execution is not clear.

3. Jane Seymour (1508-1537):

A few days after Anne's death, Henry married the third of his six wives. Jane Seymour. Jane was a lady-in-waiting to the queens Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Anne and Jane's mothers were first cousins. So these two girls were family as well. For a time they even lived together. Anne didn't step aside when Henry's feelings for Jane became clear though. They both threw a few heavy blows at each other in court. On they day of October 12, 1537 Jane Seymour gave birth to Edward VI. But sadly she died a few weeks after giving birth. By the king's wishes, she was buried next to him in the St. George Chapel.

4. Anne Of Cleves (1515-1557):

After Jane Seymour's death, King Henry stayed unmarried for two years. He stayed like this until his chief minister gave him a suggestion to get a European Alliance and marry one of the daughters of the Duke Of Cleves. Before he decided which daughter he was going to marry, he asked for pictures of both of them. He found Anne the more prettier of the two girls. However, when she arrived to England in 1540, Henry was surprised to see that she looked nothing like the picture. So, King Henry tried to stop the wedding from happening. But, to his dismay since the arrangements had already gone so far, they had to be wed. They were married on January 6, 1540. Then, Anne was called the "ugly wife" and she soon accepted to have a divorce with Henry  and a very generous settlement agreement a few months later. She lived the rest of her days in peace as the "King's Sister." This was until her death in July of 1557.

5. Catherine Howard (1523-1542):

After King Henry VIII's short marriage with Anne Of Cleves, he married 19 year old Catherine Howard. She was a lady-in-waiting to Anne in fact, in 1540. At this time, King Henry had become very overweight and unable to walk. Even with this problem, Henry was apparently very happy with his new wife. He showered he with gifts and treasures. He apparently even called her his "rose without a thorn." However, less than a year into their marriage, rumors started spreading about Catherine. Unfortunately, with enough evidence to prove her guilty, Catherine Howard was beheaded. She was beheaded for treason and adultery. She was beheaded at Tower Green on February the 13 of 1542. 

6. Catherine Parr (1512-1548):

Finally, King Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife. Her name is Catherine Parr and they were wed in July 1543. Parr was a very spirited and educated widow. Although when Catherine showed some interest in Protestantism, Henry got her arrested. She barely escaped the fate of he predecessors. She brought some stability and peace to the court. She was also a very kind and caring stepmother to Henry's kids from previous marriages. 

Of all the women that King Henry VIII married, Catherine Parr is said to be the most influential in the huge variety of area there is. This included the court, religion, and the role of women and the education of all of Henry's children. She was actually the one who convinced Henry to bring back his daughters Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession for the throne. As well as acting as the Regent when Henry was gone in France because of war. This amazing woman died in 1548, outliving Henry by a year.

Well that is it my friends! I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new! I have put the video that inspired me to make this post down below. It is from "Six The Musical."