We are going to find out
why;
Henry VIII had six wives and what
happened to them all!
Contents
Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Kathryn Howard
Katherine Parr
The six wives overview
Time line
Henry VIII
Henry was born on 28th June 1491.
Henry became King on 21st April 1509.
Henry died on 28th January 1547.
How Henry VIII became King.
Henry’s brother Arthur married Catherine of Aragon in 1501.
Arthur died very suddenly in 1502, so, he never got the chance to
become king.
Instead Henry became King when he was 18 years old in
1509.
He married Catherine of Aragon, his brothers widow, in the same
year he became king.
Henry VIII personality.
Henry was;
Intelligent
A Powerful
bully
Demanding
Popular
Generous
Hard
to please
Tough
Ruthless
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Catherine of Aragon
Catherine was born 16 December 1485 in Spain.
Catherine married Henry VIII on 11th June 1509. Catherine
was Henry’s 1st wife.
Henry divorced Catherine in1533 because he
wanted a male heir and she could no longer
have children.
She died on 7th January 1536.
Catherine and Arthur
Catherine was promised as Arthur’s wife when she was three years
old.
The marriage would be good for both countries, she was from Spain
and if she married Arthur it would bring the 2 countries closer. (A
good political match)
Catherine married Arthur on November 14th 1501.
Arthur died less than six months later.
Catherine of Aragon
and Henry VIII
Catherine now a widow was still young enough to marry.
She married Henry and was crowned Queen of England in a joint
ceremony with her husband.
Shortly after the marriage, Catherine was pregnant, this first child
was still born.
The second child Prince Henry died after 52 days of life.
Catherine of Aragon
and her children.
Next Catherine miscarried and lost another son.
In February 1516 she gave birth to Mary who lived!
Henry was not happy, he wanted a son to be his heir.
By this time Catherine was 42 could no longer have children.
How Catherine of Aragon
died.
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Henry was desperate to have a son, Catherine could not have one, so,
he asked the Pope to annul their marriage so he could marry another
wife.
The Pope said no, Henry was furious.
Henry set up the Protestant Church and divorced Catherine in 1533.
Catherine and her daughter Mary were forced to leave the court.
Catherine died in 1536.
Anne Boleyn
Anne was born some time between 1501 and 1507 but nobody
knows the exact date.
Anne married Henry VIII in January 1533, she was his 2nd wife.
Henry VIII had Anne executed on19
May 1536.
Anne Boleyn
and Henry VIII.
Henry had met and fallen in love with Anne before he had
divorced Catherine of Aragon.
When Anne and Henry got married in 1533 Anne was already
pregnant.
Anne was not popular with the people, they all loved Catherine.
Legend says that Anne had six fingers on her left hand, a large
mole on her neck and a fiery temper.
Anne Boleyn
and her children.
Anne gave birth to a daughter Elizabeth on August 16th 1533.
By 1534, Anne was pregnant again but the child was either still born
or miscarried.
She miscarried a boy in 1535.
Henry still desperately wanted a son but Anne had not given
him one.
How Catherine of Aragon
died.
Anne knew that her failure to produce a living male heir was a
threat to her own life.
Anne’s enemies at court began to plot against her.
The King was asked to sign a document calling for an investigation
into Anne's treason.
Anne was arrested and charged with plotting to murder the king.
How Catherine of Aragon
died.
On the 19th May 1536, Anne was taken to the Tower Green in
London.
Here Anne was to be given a private execution.
The swordsman cut off her head with
one swift stroke.
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Jane Seymour
Jane was born some time in 1509.
Jane married Henry VIII on 30 May 1536 and became his
3rd wife.
Jane died on the 24th October 1537.
Jane Seymour
and Henry VIII
Jane Seymour first came to the King’s notice while she waited on
his second wife Anne.
Jane was very calm and gentle, Henry liked this because his last
wife was very bad tempered.
They were married on May 30th 1536.
Henry truly loved Jane Seymour.
Jane Seymour
and her children.
Early in 1537 Jane became pregnant.
In October, to the delight of Henry VIII, a prince was born.
He was christened Edward.
Jane attended her son’s christening but died two weeks after her
son was born.
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Anne of Cleves
Anne was born in 1515.
Henry married Anne on 6 January 1540, she was his 4th wife.
Anne was divorced from Henry in
July 1540.
On 16 July 1557 Anne of Cleves died.
Anne of Cleves
and Henry VIII.
Henry did not marry for over two years after Jane Seymour
died.
Henry started to look for a Bride to help England, he turned to
Germany.
Henry sent painters to Cleves to paint two sisters, he chose to marry
Anne. When Anne arrived she did not look like her painting and
Henry did not want to marry her, but he had to because he did not
want to upset the Germans.
How Anne of Cleves
died.
Anne was not happy being married to Henry so they decided to get
divorced.
Anne accepted the title as the ‘King’s Sister’ and lived away from
the court in the countryside.
Anne died in 1557.
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Kathryn Howard
Kathryn was born some time in 1521.
Kathryn married Henry VIII on 28th July 1540 and became his 5th
wife.
Kathryn was executed on 13th
February 1542.
Kathryn Howard
and Henry VIII.
Henry met Kathryn when came to court when she was 19.
Henry was 49.
Kathryn’s uncle was The Duke of Norfolk. Henry married her so he
could gain more power and get rid of his enemy Thomas Cromwell.
Henry married Kathryn only 16 days after Anne of Cleaves left.
How Kathryn Howard
died.
Less than a year after they were married, Kathryn was found to
be meeting other men.
This was against the law.
Kathryn was executed on the Tower
Green on February 13th 1542.
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Katherine Parr
Katherine Parr was born in 1512.
She married Henry on 12 July 1543, she was his 6th wife.
Katherine was widowed on 28 January
1547.
On 5 September 1548, Katherine
died.
Kathryn Howard
and Henry VIII.
Katherine was a widow whose 1st and 2nd husbands had died before
she married Henry.
Katherine was well known for her learning and overall sensitive and
caring nature. She was more like Henry’s nurse because he was very
ill, he married her to be his companion.
She brought Henry’s family closer together. Mary, Elizabeth and
Edward were encouraged to become scholars.
How Kathryn Howard
died.
Katherine was quick thinking which she needed on many
occasions to stay alive.
She outlived Henry who died 28th January 1547.
Katherine herself died in 1548.
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Click on a portrait of a wife to find out
about them.
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Catherine of Aragon
Wife number: 1
Married for: Love, political
reasons and for an
heir.
Children:
Mary
Marriage ended:Divorced /
Annulment
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Anne Boleyn
Wife number: 2
Married for: Love and for an
heir.
Children:
Elizabeth
Marriage ended:Executed
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Jane Seymour
Wife number: 3
Married for: Love and for an
heir.
Children:
Edward
Marriage ended: Died during child
birth
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Anne of Cleves
Wife number: 4
Married for: Political reasons
Children:
None
Marriage ended: Divorced
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Kathryn Howard
Wife number: 5
Married for: Love
Children:
None
Marriage ended: Executed
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Katherine Parr
Wife number: 6
Married for: Companionship
Children:
None
Marriage ended: Henry VIII died
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Time Line
Edward VI
Henry VII
1480 1490
Mary I
Henry VIII
1500
1510 1520
1530 1540
1550
House of
Stewart
Elizabeth I
1560
1570
1580 1590
1600