There’s a new movie coming out about Henry VIII’s last wife Katherine Parr. But on this date in 1540, Henry got his first annulment (or divorce) from Anne of Cleves. I love the Tudor Kings – I’ve read a lot of history about them but Henry VIII is particularly memorable for his 6 wives who in order were divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. And by name: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Bolelyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr.
Catherine of Aragon was actually betrothed to Henry’s older brother Arthur – who unfortunately died before taking the throne. This paved the way for some fancy politics between Henry VII and Spain over Catherine’s fate. Eventually, greed for her dowery won over Henry VII and she was married to Henry VIII. Henry VIII and Catherine were married for over 20 years although it may not have been the best of marriages. Catherine suffered through multiple miscarriages with only daughter Mary living past infancy. And Henry was not faithful – he had multiple mistresses and at least one bastard son. His fixation on a legitimate son lead to many of his troubles with wives…
The second of the wives was Anne Boleyn – and I’m betting you’ve heard of her at least! She lead Henry on a quite a chase on her way to being queen. Their “courtship” lasted more than 6 years as they tried to get Rome to agree to Henry putting Catherine aside. Anne produced a daughter, encouraged Henry to break with Rome and put himself at the head of the Church of England and was beheaded 3 years into the marriage. And you may also know that Anne’s sister Mary was one of Henry’s mistresses before he fell for Anne. Scandalous!!!
The third wife was Jane Seymour – and her marriage to Henry came a mere 11 days after Anne Boleyn’s execution! After just over a year of marriage, Jane died of childbed fever giving Henry his longed for male heir named Edward.
The fourth wife was Anne of Cleves. Anne was more or less a mail order princess who was a pawn in a game of alliances between England and Germany. Henry never took to her and although they were married according to the alliance contract, the marriage was annulled about 6 months later. Anne retired to her dower properties and was referred to as “The King’s Beloved Sister” when visiting court.
The fifth wife was Catherine Howard – and she married Henry a full 19 days after his annullment from Anne of Cleves. Henry worked FAST. Catherine was all of 17 years old to Henry’s age of 49 – so today we’d call this marriage a mid-life crisis! Catherine was by most accounts a bit flighty but very beautiful. And before the first year of the marriage was over, she was receiving love notes from men that weren’t her husband. She was convicted of a treasonous affair with Thomas Culpepper as well as other charges of adultery and beheaded barely 2 years after the wedding.
Last but not least, was Katherine Parr. She was already widowed twice before catching Henry’s attention and at 31 years old was likely not going to give Henry more heirs. But she was renowned for her kindness and skill with nursing – and by this time Henry was 52 years old and in somewhat poor health with jousting wounds on a leg that would not heal. Their marriage also had some drama over the schism in religion and at one point, the Bishop of Winchester had a warrant for her arrest drawn up. However, Katherine was warned and managed to get Henry’s protection. After 4 years of marriage, Henry died and Katherine became the wife that survived.
Want to know more? You might want to go see the Broadway musical SIX! There’s a LOT of interesting history around Henry so check out these links for a start:
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