His
first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was originally married to his older
brother, Arthur, who died aged 15. Henry took on all his brother's
responsibilities, including the strategic marriage. They were
betrothed when Henry was just 11.
Before
their daughter Mary, the future Queen, was born, Catherine had a
stillborn girl, a boy that lived just 7 weeks, and a miscarriage.
Henry
did not limit himself to six wives - he had mistresses as well, and
had an illegitimate son by one of them, Henry FitzRoy, who died aged
17. He also had an affair with Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary.
The
motivation for divorcing Catherine appeared to be firstly because
she had failed to produce a male heir, and also because Anne Boleyn
was refusing to become his mistress.
It
wasn't a divorce as such, but an annulment, as Henry used Biblical
laws to argue that he should never have married his brother's wife
in the first place. Catherine was banished from court and given the
title "princess dowager" as his brother's widow.
His second marriage soon went sour as Anne was not submissive enough.
Intelligence and independence had made her attractive as a lover,
but as a royal wife, these qualities were not so desirable. Also,
the same problem as with Catherine - she didn't produce any male
children, just one girl, Elizabeth. She miscarried several male
children, though. Rather than have all the hassle of another
divorce, Anne was accused of having affairs, which amounted to treason, and she, her brother
and four other men, her supposed lovers, were executed in 1536.
Henry's
next wife, Jane Seymour, was one of Anne's ladies-in-waiting, with
whom he had been having an affair. She did produce a son, the future
Edward VI, so she might have been a keeper - but she died from
childbirth complications. Henry didn't hang about - he started
looking for another wife almost immediately.
Instead
of going for a lady-in-waiting this time, Henry went for a strategic marriage.
The Earl of Essex suggested Anne of Cleves as a suitable match. Henry asked for a portrait of her, liked the look of her in the picture
and agreed to marry her without even meeting her first. However,
reality didn't live up to his expectations. She wasn't well educated
enough for him, and it seems as if, when it came to it, he just
didn't fancy her and this marriage was annulled because it was never
consummated. Henry must have liked her, though, as rather than
execute her, he gave her a couple of houses and the title of "The
King's beloved sister." They actually remained friends and Anne
was a welcome visitor at court.
The
next wife, Catherine Howard, was Anne Boleyn's cousin and had been
her lady-in-waiting. Although Anne of Cleves had agreed to the
annulment of her marriage, she was said to have been jealous of
Catherine and disliked her intensely. Catherine was executed in 1542
for having affairs. It was suggested at the time that Henry could
re-marry Anne of Cleves, but he quickly refused.
The
final wife, Catherine Parr, was a wealthy widow and a distant cousin
to Henry. She helped bring up his children, Edward and Elizabeth,
and helped reconcile Henry with his daughters. Henry almost got rid
of her, too, though, as her religious views were different to his
and they would argue, and it was thought he already had his eye on a
potential wife number seven. He got as far as getting a warrant for
her arrest - but she talked her way out of it, saying that she only
picked arguments with Henry to take his mind off the pain caused by
the ulcers on his leg. Catherine Parr survived the experience of
being married to Henry VIII and went on to marry again after he
died.
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