“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” is an old English nursery rhyme that has been handed down for centuries when England’s 15th century protestant monarch is remembered.
King Henry Tudor born in Greenwich, near London, England in 1491 became one of Britain’s most famous kings, but not for the best of reasons.
While the Tudors were not the longest running line, there are still many interesting facts to learn within the short span of time that King Henry VIII was on the throne.
On TikTok, over thousands of videos have been uploaded talking about the late king, not because of his reign, but because of his wives and the treatment they endured.
So let’s dive into history and dish out some fast facts about the six wives of one of the most notorious British monarchs.
- Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon was a catholic Spanish princess who was originally wed to Henry’s older brother Arthur Tudor, a former Prince of Wales. This marriage was created to secure an alliance between Spain and England, forcing the Spanish princess to leave her home at only 15 years of age.
However, their marriage only lasted for five months, with 10-year-old Henry being one of the many guests to attend.
In 1502, Arthur passed from a mysterious illness making Catherine a teenage widow, and Henry the King of England.
In 1509, Catherine married Henry VIII, and it is said that the first ten years of their marriage was a happy one, and they shared one child, Mary Tudor, who became famously known as Bloody Mary.
By 1518, Catherine at 33 years of age had at least six pregnancies, yet only two children had survived.
The first born, Prince Hal, died only 52 days after his birth.
Unfortunately, Henry grew frustrated with the fact that Catherine could not conceive a son.
That is when Henry sought out one of Queen Catherine’s ladies in waiting, and worked to have their marriage annulled.
Henry claimed that the marriage was invalid due to Catherine’s previous marriage to his older brother Arthur, but, Catherine, her ladies in waiting, and many historians insist that the marriage was never consummated, making the annulment a very difficult battle.
Henry believed God was punishing him for marrying his brother’s widow.
Henry brought these claims to the Roman Catholic Church, and the Pope refused to annul the marriage, making an angry Henry VIII start his own church, the Church of England.
Henry wanted Catherine to accept the annulment and live at a convent.
She refused to leave or accept the end of their marriage, and had the support of the Pope.
Once Henry started the Church of England, the late queen was banned from seeing her daughter, and banished from court, yet still remained beloved by the people of England.
Catherine eventually died of what was believed to be heart cancer on January 7. 1536, in Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire, England.
2. Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn is the second and arguably one of the most popular of Henry’s wives.
After Henry broke away from the Catholic church, Anne and him went on to marry in secret in 1533.
Anne reigned from 1533-1536 and gave Henry his second daughter, Elizabeth I.
What is interesting about Anne is that she was one of the many admirers, and refused to become just another one of Henrys’ royal mistresses’.
There are 17 love letters in the Vatican library from Henry to Anne, but Anne’s letters did not survive.
Anne was struck with the sweating sickness in 1528, yet miraculously survived.
She was extremely supportive of Henry’s new religious policies.
After a series of miscarriages and the birth of Elizabeth I, Henry was once again displeased and superstitious.
Henry believed that Anne had bewitched him since he saw their marriage as only lustrous, and believed that this is why he could not have a male heir.
While this was happening, a powerful foreign alliance was about to begin with the Holy Roman Empire but the Emperor, Charles V refused to accept and ratify Henry’s marriage to Anne.
Anne ended up having a heated argument with Thomas Cromwell, a lawyer and chief minister to Henry, making him turn against her and ultimately creating accusations of adultery and treason.
Anne was arrested on May 2nd, found guilty on charges of adultery, treason, witchcraft, and incest by a sham trial full of Anne’s enemies, and beheaded on May 19th.
She protested her innocence until the very end of her life.
Her final words were,
“I am come hither to die, for according to the law and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it … I pray God save the King … for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never”.
Only 11 days after the execution, Henry married another.
3. Jane Seymour
Arguably Henry’s favorite wife, there is not much known about Jane Seymour.
We know that she produced a male heir, and that she was one of Anne Boelyn’s ladies in waiting and that unfortunately, her life with Henry was short lived as she was never officially crowned due to her passing.
She was said to be gentle and sweet-natured, and a devout Catholic.
Catherine of Aragon had described her as “of middle stature and no great beauty”, and Seymour was not known to be incredibly witty or as intelligent as her predecessors as she could barely write her own name.
However, her mother had birthed six sons, making her stand out to Henry who was in desperate need of a male heir to the Tudor dynasty.
She resisted many of Henry’s sexual advances, and when gifted gold coins, she refused them stating that they were beneath her, leaving him impressed and more keen.
Jane did manage to repair the relationship between Henry and his first daughter, Mary I, who had been bastardized along with Elizabeth I due to the circumstances surrounding Henry and their mothers.
In 1537, Jane gave birth to Henry’s first son, Prince Edward VI.
This however, led to the end of her life as she passed of what was believed to be puerperal fever, but described then as “childbed fever”.
Henry was so distraught after her death that he had entered a state of depression, locking himself in a room for three days straight.
She is buried next to King Henry at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
4. Anne of Cleves
Known as the Great Survivor, Anne of Cleves was Henry’s fourth wife for only six months.
Henry was still looking to solidify the Tudor dynasty after the death of his third wife, which meant he needed another wife and another son.
The split between him and Catherine of Aragon left England in a vulnerable place with Spain and France.
Now, it was up to Thomas Cromwell to find a match for Henry.
However, Henry’s reputation made this task a bit more difficult.
Henry asked for a portrait of Anne of Cleves and sent his best painter to do it.
Hans Holbein, the English court painter, captured a popular portrait of Anne during his time in Germany.
Holbein was trusted and had produced beautiful work, and the portrait of Anne allowed Henry to finally decide to move forward with the marriage.
Historians have repeatedly painted her as the ugly wife, and it is said that Henry first met her during a festival on New Year’s Day dressed in a disguise for it was said that if your future partner would see you underneath a disguise, they were a soulmate.
This didn’t go over too well.
When Henry entered her chambers, Anne refused his advances and even pushed him away, and this set a precedent for what was to come.
After they married, the pair were not able to consummate the marriage.
The next morning, Henry told Cromwell,
“I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse”.
The marriage was quickly annulled due to it being non consensual and unconsummated in July 1540, and Anne did not protest.
Historians note that diplomats stated that she was well aware of what happened to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, which may have been what helped her remain calm.
Due to her demeanor, she was presented with a great settlement, given the title of “The King’s Sister”, and large amounts of property.
The two remained great friends throughout the duration of Henry’s life.
5. Catherine Howard
The same day Thomas Cromwell was executed was the same day that Henry married his new 17-year-old bride.
Catherine was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn, and second cousin to Jane Seymour.
It is said that the two may have met during his first meeting with Anne of Cleves in Greenwich.
On August 8. 1540, Catherine was announced as the new Queen of England.
Catherine was said to have had a past that haunted her throughout her marriage to Henry, as she was far from virginal.
Only a few short months after her coronation, Catherine was met with her former lover, Francis Dereham who pestered her persistently at court.
Dereham often boasted about his relations with Catherine, talking about how much she favored him.
At the same time, her alleged affair with Thomas Culpepper, a gentleman of the King’s Privy chamber began.
Historical evidence suggests that Culpepper was a renowned sexual rapist and predator who had been accused of murder and rape but escaped charges due to Henry.
It is said that in 1541, the relationship between Catherine and Culpepper began.
A short while after King Henry’s birthday, Catherine wrote a letter to Culpepper stating,
It makes my heart die to think I cannot be always in your company”, then signing off as “Yours as long as life endures”.
Whether the affair happened or not is not known while some speculate that it was a case of a young woman trying to keep a dangerous man complacent.
Either way, the letter ultimately led to her and Culpepper’s demise.
Once the news reached Henry, he was in disbelief and seemingly heartbroken according to historical notes.
On November 8. 1541, Catherine confessed to the affairs saying that Francis Dereham had used her the same way in which a husband uses a wife, and that she also had sexual interactions with Henry Manox and Thomas Culpepper.
Culpepper and Dereham were both tried and convicted on charges of treason, while Catherine was deprived of her queenship and condemned to death.
Catherine reportedly asked for a wooden block to practice on when she heard that she would be beheaded.
The men were executed first.
It is said that on her way to her execution, it is likely that she would have seen their rotting heads.
She was allegedly so weak that she had to be supported onto the scaffold.
Her final words are not certain, but are said to have been,
“I die a Queen, but would rather die the wife of Culpepper”.
She is said to have been as young as 18 at the time of her death.
6. Katherine Parr
Katherine Parr was Henry’s final wife, and was known to be a loving stepmother and the first English queen to write and publish her own books, one of them titled Prayers or Meditations.
The texts following were books of Psalms and Prayers, and after Henry’s death, the Protestant-leaning pamphlet, “The Lamentation of a Sinner”.
By 1543, Katherine had already been married and widowed twice and in love with Thomas Seymour.
However, she gave him up to accept King Henry’s advances because God had told her to do so.
It is said that the 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth I was quite fond of Katherine and that after Henry’s death, she took custody of the Princess.
It is reported that she is partly responsible for reconciling the king with his daughters, and her own step children were even given roles at court.
She was an intense supporter of the English Reformation and every now and then challenged Henry on her views as an Evangelical.
In 1544, Henry named Katherine Queen Regent as he went off to his final war and campaign in France.
She was known to be very headstrong, politically intelligent, and had the ability to forge various royal alliances due to her flair for politics.
She was in charge of managing Henry’s finances while he was away, and even signed five different royal proclamations.
Historians believe her prowess influenced the future Queen Elizabeth, who was also known to be a politically strong monarch.
Once Henry died, Katherine sought out Thomas Seymour and they were married in secret due to the severity of marriage so soon after the King’s death.
In 1548, a year after King Henry’s death, Catherine at 35 years of age realized that she was pregnant for the first time.
She gave birth to a daughter named Mary, named after her step-daughter.
Five days later, she died of childbed fever.
It is said that she had accused Thomas Seymour of poisoning her in order to gain the affections of Princess Elizabeth I.
However, there is no proof of this.
