Henry VIII
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In common parlance, the wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort of King Henry VIII of England between 1509 and his death in 1547. In legal terms ( de jure ), Henry had only three wives, because three of his marriages were annulled by the Church of England.
- Crystal Ponti
- Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536): Demoted for Bearing No Son. Catherine of Aragon. Henry took the throne in 1509, at age 17. Six weeks later, he married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain and the widow of his elder brother, Arthur.
- Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536): The Union That Sparked Reformation, Beheaded. Anne Boleyn. Anne and her sister, Mary, spent part of their childhood in the France court.
- Jane Seymour (1508-1537): Died After Giving Birth to Male Heir. Jane Seymour. Days after Anne’s execution, Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour. Jane had served as a lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.
- Anne of Cleves (1515-1557): Strategic, Six-Month Marriage. Anne of Cleves. Henry stayed a bachelor for two years, until his chief minister suggested that he seek a European alliance and marry one of the sisters (Anne and Amelia) of Germany’s Duke of Cleves.
- Catherine of Aragon. Catherine is best known today for her role in sparking the King’s excommunication from the Catholic Church and the Reformation. Married to Henry for a quarter of a century, however, there is much more to her.
- Anne Boleyn. With the extraordinary events of her life unparalleled in British history, Anne Boleyn is undoubtedly the most famous of Henry’s wives. Henry may have endured a seven-year courtship and far-reaching political and religious upheavals in order to marry his second wife, but that didn’t stop him having her executed less than three years later.
- Jane Seymour. Henry’s love for – or at least infatuation with – Anne may have sparked the Reformation, but Jane is commonly thought to have been his favourite wife.
- Anne of Cleves. Henry’s last three wives are less famous than his first three, a matter not helped by the fact that each shares their name with a predecessor.
Dec 14, 1972 · Henry VIII and His Six Wives: Directed by Waris Hussein. With Keith Michell, Donald Pleasence, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher. On his deathbed, King Henry VIII looks back over his eventful life and his six marriages.
- (1K)
- Biography, Drama, History
- Waris Hussein
- 1972-12-14
Nov 9, 2009 · Learn about Henry VIII's six wives, his quest for a male heir, and his role in the English Reformation. Find out how he broke with the Catholic Church, executed two queens, and fathered Elizabeth I.
Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement with Pope Clement VII about such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority.
Apr 28, 2020 · Learn about the six women who became Henry VIII's queens and the fates of their marriages. From Catherine of Aragon to Catherine Parr, discover their stories, children, and roles in the Tudor dynasty.
