Henry 8th beheaded which wives

Henry, it seemed, had his doubts. By , with his wife no longer able to bear children and with only one legitimate child — a daughter at that — Henry began to question his marriage.

Although only six words long, it is not entirely accurate — Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves did not technically divorce Henry VIII; instead their marriages were annulled. She was the first English queen to be publicly executed.

Henry had another reason for wishing to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon: he had fallen in love. The object of his affections was the quick-witted Anne Boleyn, who had returned to England in , after nearly seven years living at the French court. In his early relationship with Anne, Henry revealed a genuinely romantic side — one that few would equate with the cantankerous, suspicious and cruel tyrant of his later years.

The 17 surviving love letters from Henry to Anne are the stuff of true Tudor romance. Henry was beside himself with joy. Achieving his annulment from Catherine — who clung grimly and steadfastly to her marriage and crown — now consumed his thoughts.

It was imperative the new baby be born legitimate so, on 25 January , Henry married Anne Boleyn in secret. With the Pope still refusing to end the marriage, the monumental decision was taken to reject papal authority altogether. On 23 May, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer confirmed the annulment and Anne was crowned on 1 June in a magnificent coronation. Her seven-year wait for crown, and king, was over. Having overturned the religious and political life of England to marry Anne and conceive an heir, Henry was convinced his unborn child would be a son.

The birth of Elizabeth , on 7 September , therefore, was a bitter blow and must have caused considerable anxiety to Anne, who had seen her predecessor cast aside for the same. Anne suffered at least two miscarriages during the marriage, the second of which, in January , was a boy. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. Henry Blodget. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Her temerity earned her a stern rebuke, but any lingering resentment was swept aside when she gave birth to Prince Edward on 12 October , in the royal apartments at Hampton Court Palace.

But even in triumph came tragedy. Jane contracted puerperal fever and died shortly after the birth. Meantime court advisors — and a flattering portrait by Hans Holbein — persuaded the distraught king to take another bride, who would bring with her a German alliance.

Anne of Cleves was shipped over, taking the trouble first to study English etiquette and learn card games that Henry played, the better to please him. The wedding went ahead regardless on 6 January but Henry, overcome by impotence, never consummated the union.

She never remarried and lived until , a rather sad stranger in a foreign land in her twilight years. Henry, on the rebound, became infatuated with Catherine Howard, the flighty teenage daughter of the powerful Howard family. Her relations, spotting a superb opportunity for advancement, encouraged the match and Catherine, whatever her true feelings about marriage to a fat, year-old king with leg ulcers, acquiesced, becoming his fifth wife in July The marriage was over before it began.

She was executed on Tower Green on 13 February Primary Homework Help The Tudors. Henry divorced two of his wives Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves , he had two of his wives executed Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard and one of his wives Jane Seymour died shortly after childbirth. His last wife Catherine Parr outlived him. Monarchs in the Tudor times rarely married for love. Often they married to link up families to other rich and powerful families both from England and from other important countries.

He had the second wife because he fell in love and also needed a legitimate male heir. He had the sixth wife because he was old and sick and needed a companion and nurse who wouldn't give him too much trouble. Henry's main aim was to make sure that the Tudors would keep on ruling England after he died.

Henry believed that only a boy could inherit his kingdom. But his son Edward ruled only for six years. Who were the six wives? Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess who had previously been married to Henry's brother Prince Arthur. Henry was betrothed to Katherine by his father in and they had a daughter Mary who later become Queen Mary 1.

Catherine had six children but only Mary survived.