THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII

1. Catherine of Aragon – Henry became king at age 17 in 1509.  Six weeks later, he married his brother Arthur’s widow.  She was 24.  She was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella.  She had Mary in 1516, but had several failed pregnancies which increasingly angered Henry, who was obsessed with having a male heir.  That was her only fault as she otherwise was a good wife and Henry loved her until the frustration got the best of him.  In 1519, he had an affair with Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount and she had a son named Henry Fitzroy, his only documented illegitimate child.  Henry asked for an annulment based on Catherine consummation of her marriage with Arthur, which she denied.  When the Pope denied it, preferring to offend Henry instead of Spain, Henry created the Church of England and gave himself a divorce.
2. Anne Boleyn –  Henry had a brief affair with her sister.  Anne played hard to get and insisted Henry divorce his wife before going to bed with him, she eventually relented based on the promise of a divorce.  Henry married her soon after the divorce in 1533.  She had Elizabeth the same year.  She promised Henry a son, but after several stillborns, he decided to move on.  She was beheaded for adultery in 1536.
3. Jane Seymour – Days after the death of Anne, he married Jane.  She had been a lady-in-waiting for his first two wives.  They started an affair that enraged Anne, who saw the hand-writing on the wall.  In 1537, Jane gave him the son he craved –  Edward, who was not worth the wait.  Unfortunately, this perfect son-bearer died several weeks later from complications.  She is buried next to Henry.
4. Anne of Cleves – In 1540, a bright adviser thought it would be a great idea for Henry to make a political marriage to one of the daughters of Germany’s Duke of Cleves.  He showed Henry portraits of both daughters and Henry chose Anne.  When she arrived in England, Henry discovered the portrait had been photoshopped and he very reluctantly went through with the wedding with a scowl on his face.  After six months, he divorced her, but she got a nice settlement and probably never had to sleep with the increasingly gross king.  She was by far the luckiest of his wives.
5. Catherine Howard – The vivacious 19-year-old captured the eye of the obese ex-playa when she was a lady-in-waiting for Anne of Cleves.  They married in 1540 and although 49-year-old Henry could not keep up with her, he was quite upset when she looked elsewhere for fulfillment.  She was beheaded for adultery and treason in 1542.  Unlike Anne Boleyn, she was guilty.  And incredibly naïve.
6. Catherine Parr – In 1543, Henry married for the last time.  She was a return to a Catherine of Aragon style of wife.  She put up with him in his trying later years.  She was a good stepmother and even convinced him to restore Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession.  She saw to their education.  She also was very influential in court culture, religion, and the improved role of women.  She died a year after him, in 1548.  

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