The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Stuart Vine
Catherine
of Aragon (1509-1533)
Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and
Isabella of Spain and the widow of his elder brother Arthur. In
many ways she was the ideal queen, and Henry appears to have been
happy with her (she appears to have turned a blind eye to his indiscretions).
Unfortunately, despite numerous pregnancies, she only produced one
child, Mary, who survived. The lack of a male heir weighed heavily
on Henry, he needed a son to continue the Tudor dynasty, and by
the 1520s it was apparent that Catherine was unlikely to bear him
one. Henry's quest to secure a divorce and his determination to
marry Anne Boleyn led to his repudiation of the authority of the
Pope, the fall of Wolsey and the eventual triumph of Protestantism
in England. (Divorced)
Anne Boleyn (1533-1536)
Who was this girl who changed the course
of English history? Anne was a well-bred vivacious brunette, well
experienced in courtly behaviour, she had been a maid of honour
to Queen Claude at the French court. Henry is alleged to have had
affairs with both her mother and her sister. Amazingly, she resisted
the advances of the King until she was sure he would marry her.
Anne was pregnant when they married, but unfortunately for her the
only child she bore was a daughter, Elizabeth. In 1536 Anne had
a miscarriage, and Henry, probably convinced that God disapproved
of the marriage, had her tried for treason. The charges of adultery
were almost certainly trumped up, but she was inevitably found guilty
and was beheaded on the 19th of May. (Beheaded)
Jane Seymour (1536-1537)
Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn,
Henry quietly married Jane Seymour. Jane was a quiet, kindly girl
who attempted to reconcile Henry with his daughter, Mary. She also
succeeded where all his other queens failed - she bore him a son
on 12th of October 1537, the future Edward VI. Unfortunately, and
to Henry's sorrow, she died as a result. (Died)
Anne
of Cleves (1540)
Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves was a
farce that led to a tragedy. Anne was the 34 year old sister of
the Duke of Cleves, at the time a strategically important German
state. Thomas Cromwell was the instigator of this political marriage,
but Henry disliked Anne's appearance on sight. The wedding went
ahead on the 6th of January, but Henry never consummated the marriage.
Henry had parliament annul the marriage in July and Cromwell was
executed on the 28th of that month. His death may have been largely
as a result of trapping his king in an undesirable marriage. Anne
herself was far luckier, she received a decent financial settlement
and retired to a peaceful life, unafflicted by the demands of European
power politics. (Divorced)
Catherine Howard (1540-1542)
On the same day Cromwell died, Henry married
the 19 year old niece of the Duke of Norfolk, Catherine Howard.
Unfortunately for both of them, Catherine appears to have had lovers
before her marriage, and much more of a blow to the King's ego,
was accused of adultery with her cousin, Thomas Culpepper, after
her marriage. These mistakes naturally had fatal consequences for
both Culpepper and Catherine. (Beheaded)
Catherine Parr (1543-1547)
Twice widowed already, and much younger than
Henry, Catherine proved to be a good choice for the King. She is
said to have been kind and sensible, and although tending towards
Protestantism, didn't try to influence royal policy unduly. Her
experience and commonsense ensured she survived her husband, quite
an achievement in the overheated court atmosphere of Henry's last
years. (Survived)