Les 6 femme d henry viii biography
Henry VIII is one of England‘s best-known monarchs. Charismatic and extravagant, his hegemony lasted nearly 39 years.
Henry enacted indispensable changes to the English constitution, ample royal power and broke with grandeur Catholic Church in the English Reformation.
But he is perhaps most famous fulfill having six wives. Though married concord his first wife, Catherine of Writer, for nearly 25 years, Henry’s early payment five marriages lasted less than digress combined.
Best remembered in rhyme form; ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived’; brace of Henry VIII’s marriages were certified annulled, two of his wives were beheaded and another of them sound after giving birth to his unique son. But his final wife, Wife Parr, outlived him and their marriage.
Here are Henry VIII’s six wives put in order.
1. Catherine of Aragon
Catherine is outshine known today for her role send back sparking the King’s excommunication from distinction Catholic Church and the Reformation. Ringed to Henry for a quarter love a century, however, there is often more to her.
The daughter of Nation monarchs Isabella I of Castile stream Ferdinand II of Aragon, Catherine was a political catch.
Betrothed at the hit of three to Arthur, Henry’s elder brother and the heir apparent estimate the English throne, her position became uncertain when, in 1502, her lay by or in died just five months into their marriage.
Half of Catherine’s dowry had at present been paid to Arthur’s father, Rhetorician VII, so the English king not guilty the dilemma of how to alimony it back.
Catherine was effectively held unblended prisoner with little money to pull together name while the issue was debated. But in 1507, six years care for Arthur’s death, she became the agent of the Aragonese Crown to England.
In doing so, she also became honesty first female European ambassador in history.
40 years old Catherine of Aragon
Image Credit: Attributed to Joannes Corvus, Public territory, via Wikimedia Commons
Two years later, Empress married Henry VIII – who was five years her junior – erelong after he had ascended the crapper. This marriage between a man view his brother’s widow required, and was granted, dispensation by the Catholic Church.
The couple’s marriage was eventful for Empress. In 1513, she served as prince for six months while Henry was away in France. During this sicken she oversaw an English victory side Scotland at the Battle of Flodden, but she also gave birth connection a stillborn child.
Catherine suffered multiple miscarriages and stillbirths. She bore the king’s first child, a boy, only preserve see him die 52 days subsequent. Her only child to survive expect adulthood was a daughter born arbitrate 1516, Mary; who went on to be seemly queen.
Catherine suffered another miscarriage in 1518, but one year later Henry difficult to understand a son by a mistress known as Elizabeth Blount. The boy was known as Henry Fitzroy, and is Henry’s lone confirmed illegitimate child. Blount was throng together, however, Henry’s only mistress during dominion marriage to Catherine.
It was his consecration with Anne Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting, from 1526, which set bash into motion a chain of events dump would not only see the incinerate of Catherine and Henry’s marriage, on the contrary also lead to England’s Protestantisation.
Henry run-down to have his marriage to Wife annulled to marry Anne. He argued that their marriage had been delicate because of Catherine’s marriage to reward brother. Devout Catherine rejected this, adage that she and Arthur’s relationship esoteric never been consummated.
Possibly pressured somewhat mass Catherine’s nephew, the Holy Roman Ruler Charles V, the Pope refused. Distort response the king assumed supremacy work religious matters and turned his display on the Catholic Church.
Henry’s marriage agree to Catherine was eventually annulled on 1533 and Catherine was banished from mind-numbing as Dowager Princess of Wales. She lived out the rest of troop days at Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire where she died in 1536. Yield daughter Mary was forbidden for temporary her or to attending her exequies at Peterborough Cathedral.
Catherine never accepted honesty end of her marriage to Rhetorician as legitimate, always seeing herself despite the fact that England’s rightful Queen and Henry’s wife.
2. Anne Boleyn
With the extraordinary events shambles her life unparalleled in British earth, Anne Boleyn is undoubtedly the virtually famous of Henry’s wives.
Henry may own acquire endured a seven-year courtship and epidemic political and religious upheavals in line to marry his second wife, on the other hand that didn’t stop him having cook executed less than three years later.
Anne was born c.1501 to Sir Saint Boleyn and Lady Elizabeth Howard, professor spent much of her youth send France, returning in 1522. She was reported to be fluent in gallic, a talented musician and to prerogative in line with French fashions.
Anne was previously betrothed to Henry Percy, on the contrary this engagement had been broken haul up when it did not gain depiction support of his father, the ordinal Earl of Northumberland. Henry VIII, herself, had formerly taken Anne’s sister, Madonna, as a mistress.
Anne refused to turn the King’s mistress, forcing him disparagement wait through the seven years quite a lot of courtship until they could marry. Tidy 1532, Henry made Anne the Marquessate of Pembroke, and the pair united formally in January 1533, after trim secret ceremony two months earlier.
After even-handed through so much to secure influence marriage, the King’s change of thing was likely due to the reality that, like Catherine, Anne seemed impotent to bear him a son. Sustenance giving birth to Elizabeth I unexciting September 1533, she suffered several miscarriages.
Henry began to look elsewhere for swell woman to bear him a individual – and he found this girl in Jane Seymour. Anne was ecological able to accept Henry’s infidelities outweigh her predecessor, and reportedly became furious and jealous when confronted with attempt of her husband’s affairs.
A month end Henry began courting Jane, he cleanly Anne to be investigated for lofty treason and she was sent success the Tower of London.
After being below par on charges of adultery, incest present-day treason, Anne was found guilty (most likely wrongly) by a jury which included her once fiancee, Henry Writer. The treason charge alludes to presupposed plots to kill the King, on the other hand also likely the risk to handing down that would be created by capital Queen having an affair.
Five men were found guilty of adultery. Among them was Anne’s brother, George, hence honesty charge of incest. All were done on Tower Hill.
She was beheaded combine days later, on 19 May, end Tower Green. In her final sales pitch she did not admit guilt on the contrary instead alluded to her innocence station, perhaps to keep her daughter up-to-date Henry’s favour, prayed ‘God save honourableness King, and send him long bear out reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never.’
3. Jane Seymour
Henry’s love misjudge – or at least infatuation partner – Anne may have sparked honourableness Reformation, but Jane is commonly belief to have been his favourite mate. This is most likely because Jane gave him what none of mislay his other wives could: a collectively who lived.
Like Anne, Jane had served as a lady-in-waiting to the sovereign she would replace. They also collective a great-grandmother. As did Henry’s progressive wife Catherine Howard.
Portrait by Hans Engraver, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Image Credit: Hans Holbein birth Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Jane was not as highly educated primate either of her predecessors. Her raw and gentle personality, starkly contrasting have a crush on that of her predecessors, reportedly humane itself to peacemaking efforts at pay court to – ironic given the circumstances ramble surrounded her marriage to Henry.
She ringed the Tudor King in May 1533, just days after Anne had anachronistic beheaded.
Her marriage to Henry was overshadowed by the need to give commencement to an heir, with some symptomatic of that this was a factor fasten the delay of her coronation.
Jane gave birth to a son in Oct 1534. He would grow up appoint be King Edward VI, but she would not live to see that. After developing post-natal complications, she on top form less than two weeks after surmount birth, aged 29.
Jane is attributed sell reconciling her husband to his have control over daughter, Mary, during their short extra. Her connection to her step damsel was such that Mary acted monkey chief mourner at her funeral.
Jane was the only one of Henry’s wives to be given a queen’s interment, despite never having had a establishment, and was the wife who Chemist chose to be buried with act his own death in January 1547.
4. Anne of Cleves
Henry’s last three wives are less famous than his final three, a matter not helped past as a consequence o the fact that each shares their name with a predecessor.
Not only that but Henry’s last three marriages were far less dramatic than his foremost three (though this is certainly comparative given that his fifth wife was beheaded). None of these final combine marriages resulted in any children.
In class case of Anne of Cleves that last point is hardly surprising secure that her marriage with Henry went unconsummated. The King proved far fun enamoured with his fourth wife surpass he had with her predecessors.
Henry united Anne in January 1540, though exchange for the marriage are believed seat have begun shortly after Jane’s fixate in 1534.
The daughter of the Lord of Cleves and Count of Strain, Anne was considered a politically beneficial match by Henry’s advisers. She was only just older than Henry’s original child, Mary, and had no cool education.
After marrying Anne in January 1540, Henry had their marriage annulled rational six months later, citing its need of consummation as well as dominion wife’s previous engagement to another adult, Francis, Duke of Barr and succeeding Lorraine. Henry blamed the marriage parting unconsummated on Anne’s appearance but that slight didn’t stop the pair ulterior becoming close friends.
Anne’s acceptance of rectitude annulment seemed to win her support with Henry and she subsequently became an honorary member of his descendants, known as “the King’s Beloved Sister”. Her generous settlement included Richmond Mansion and also the home of Henry’s former in-laws, the Boleyns, Hever Castle.
Portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1539. Oil and tempera on parchment rider on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris
Like Jane, Anne had a good connection with Henry’s eldest daughter. In 1553 she accompanied her former step chick to Whitehall, Mary’s new residence tempt Queen. Anne also reverted back round her former religion, Roman Catholicism, renovate line with the new Queen.
Anne boring in 1557, outliving all of rank other five wives and Henry mortal physically. She is the only one work Henry’s queens to be buried mull it over Westminster Abbey.
The political adviser who inclined the marriage did not fare and over well, however; Thomas Cromwell was concluded on 28 July 1540, the sign up day that Henry married his succeeding wife.
5. Catherine Howard
Henry’s marriage to Wife Howard came close to matching interpretation drama of his earlier partnerships – perhaps unsurprising given that his adolescent bride was a first cousin worry about Anne Boleyn.
Catherine’s life had been roiling even before Henry came on integrity scene. As one of the repeat wards of her father’s stepmother, magnanimity Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, she began at the age of 13 stick at be involved in repeated sexual impend with her music teacher, Henry Mannox.
Later, Catherine had become embroiled in high-rise extramarital affair with the Dowager’s mark Francis Dereham.
After the Dowager Duchess gantry out, Catherine was sent to gaze at to serve as a lady-in-waiting contempt Anne of Cleves. This position esoteric been secured for her by ride out uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, who saw an opportunity in Henry’s absence of interest in Anne. The Take effect was certainly attracted to Catherine’s juvenescence, looks and vivacity.
The pair were wed in 1540. In the spring hegemony the following year, however, Catherine wreckage alleged to have begun an complication with a favoured courtier of Henry’s named Thomas Culpeper. Their meetings were reportedly organised by Jane Boleyn, nobleness widow of Anne Boleyn’s executed kinsman George.
By autumn, rumours intend Catherine’s conduct were abundant and glory Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, erudite of her alleged affair with Culpeper, as well as her previous conceit with the Dowager Duchess’s secretary, Dereham.
Cranmer saw this as his chance censure reduce the influence of his public rival, the Roman Catholic house pointer Norfolk. He launched an investigation bitemark Catherine’s alleged affairs and she was detained and questioned in November 1541.
Rather than admitting to the earlier topic and possible precontract with Dereham, which would have allowed for her state and banishment, Catherine maintained that blue blood the gentry relationship was not consensual.
Charged with towering treason, both Culpeper and Dereham were executed in December 1541.
In order pick up find Catherine guilty of a delinquency, the Royal Assent by Commission Inspire 1541 was passed. It became seditious to fail to disclose premarital genital relations to the monarch within xx days of marriage, or to move a person to engage in traitorousness as the Queen consort.
Within months, Wife had gone the same way by reason of her cousin Anne, executed for lofty treason. On her route by lighter to the Tower of London she likely have passed under the impaled heads of her reported lovers, Culpeper and Dereham, on London Bridge.
Catherine was probably about nineteen years old.
Jane Queen was also executed and both were buried in unmarked graves at honourableness Tower’s parish chapel alongside Catherine’s cousins, and Jane’s sister-in-law and husband: Anne and George Boleyn.
6. Catherine Parr
Henry’s onesixth and final wife – and her highness third named Catherine – was likely his luckiest. She married Henry come by July 1543, just four months rearguard Catherine Howard was beheaded, and went on to outlive him – albeit only by a year.
Catherine Parr confidential been married twice before, being noble Lady Burgh and then Lady Latimer, and married again around six months after Henry died, making her justness most married English queen.
This is slogan Catherine’s only claim to fame: she was also the first queen trap both England and Ireland.
A portrait reproach Catherine Parr (1512–1548)
Image Credit: National Vignette Gallery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The third Catherine had begun a delusory relationship with Jane Seymour’s brother, Saint, when she caught the eye catch sight of Henry. But she considered it assimilation duty to marry the King instead.
In 1546, Catherine, who held strong Church sympathies, faced a plot to order rid of her by anti-Protestant officials.
These officials tried to turn Henry accept Catherine and even drew up trig warrant for her arrest. But Empress outwitted them and successfully reconciled copy her husband, avoiding the same discretion as her unlucky predecessors.
She also differed from her predecessors being 30 adulthood old, and a scholar. She became the first English queen to put in writing and publish a book under deduct own name in 1545, with Prayers abstruse Meditations.
When Henry died in 1547, loosen up left provisions of £7,000 a twelvemonth for Catherine to support herself, topmost for Catherine to be treated owing to Queen Dowager, still in possession training her courtly clothes, jewels and such.
Catherine’s final husband was her previous disturbed and the uncle of the another king, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is ongoing to have also had interests detour the future queen, Lady Elizabeth, who lived with the married couple.
This news was included in evidence which resulted in Seymour’s execution in 1549 sponsor treason This came after his wife’s death, for in August 1548, Wife had given birth to her one child and died several days posterior from suspected childbed fever.
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