wives of henry viii a soap opera like no other. henry viii

Wives of Henry VIII

A soap opera like no other

Henry VIII

Catherine of Aragon( Wife #1 )

Catherine of Aragon’s Mary Tudor

• Lots of lost children; only survivor is daughter: Mary

• No Son: So Henry wants a divorce.

Pope rejects annulment

• Pope fears the reaction of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V - who happens to be the nephew of Catherine of Aragon

Reformation Parliament1529 -1536

• Parliament that passed and enabled the major pieces of legislation leading to the English Reformation.

1534 Act of Supremacy

• Made Henry VIII the Head of the Church of England

• Catholics that refused to accept the Act of Supremacy were executed for treason.

• Most notable: Sir Thomas More

Anne Boleyn( Wife #2 )

Anne Boleyn’s daughter: Elizabeth

• Gives birth to a daughter: Elizabeth.

• No one knows it, but Elizabeth will be the greatest ruler of all Henry VIII’s children.

Death of Anne Boleyn

• Royal marriage fell apart when Anne failed to produce an heir to the thrown.

• False charges of adultery surfaced after Catherine’s death.

• Henry VIII had her beheaded in 1536

Jane Seymour( Wife #3 )

Death of Jane Seymour

• Gives birth to Henry’s son and heir Edward!

• She dies 12 days later.

• Thank you for the son, sorry you died!

Anne of Cleves( Wife #4 )

Never met before the wedding

• Wedding was arranged as part of an alliance against Emperor Charles V

• Their first night as husband and wife was not a happy one; within a few hours he came from the room and announced: "I like her not.”

• Marriage was quickly annulled.

Catherine Howard( Wife #5 )

Catherine executed for adultery

• She was beheaded after less than two years of marriage to Henry on the grounds of treason, meaning adultery committed while married to the King.

Catherine Parr( Wife #6 )

Nurse-Maid or Respected Queen?

• Stories have it that she was a kind lady that cared for the fat and sick Henry VIII until his death in 1547.

• Historians have questioned this rumor.