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Elizabethan England

On June 28, 1491, the second son and third child of Henry VII was born. He was christened Henry after his father, founder of the House of Tudor. As the second son, no crown or throne awaited him as they awaited his brother Arthur. Henry was destined for the Church. He was grounded and educated to fill high clerical office. On April 2, 1502, however, Arthur died, leaving his young wife, Catherine of Aragon, behind. Henry then became the next heir to the throne and the future husband of Catherine of Aragon.

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry VIII. She was born on December 16, 1485. Catherine was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. She was betrothed to Arthur, Henry's older brother, at age three. She was widowed less than six months into the marriage. She was then betrothed to Henry. In order to keep a political alliance with Spain, Henry was advised to marry Catherine immediately. Catherine and Henry VIII were married in 1509. To keep the family name alive and to insure a stable Tudor monarchy and line of succession, Henry needed a son. It has been noted that in the first nine years of marriage Catherine conceived six times. Twice she miscarried, one child was stillborn, and two sons died in early infancy. In 1516, Princess Mary was born. Catherine was getting older, and there was still not a male heir to the throne. A daughter was not good enough for Henry because a woman had never ruled England.

Henry was losing patience with Catherine because she could not bear a son. He had many affairs during the last years of their marriage, two of which are well-documented. One was with Elizabeth Blount, who bore him a son, and the other with Mary Boleyn, the sister of the more famous Anne. In 1527 Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn. Henry eventually tried to prove that his marriage to Catherine had never been valid, basing his claim on Old Testament scripture which says marriage to one's brother's widow constitutes incest. During this time Catherine tried to defend her name, marriage, and the legitimacy of her child. Soon after, she was banished from the kingdom. Catherine lived in seclusion from this time till the time of her death.

Anne Boleyn, the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, came to Henry's court in 1522. At first Anne was not acknowledged publicly, but she was finally acknowledged in 1532, when she and Henry were married. She was crowned queen on June 1, 1532. A year later Anne gave birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth. In 1536, she miscarried a son. Henry was not pleased with Anne's unsuccessful pregnancies. A few months later Anne's brother and other courtiers were arrested for being intimate with the Queen. These charges were also brought upon Anne. She was tried and convicted, and on May 19, 1536, she was beheaded. Ten days later Henry married again.

Jane Seymour, the daughter of Sir John Seymour, was a quiet and less spirited lady than her immediate predecessor. Henry and Jane were married on May 29, 1536. On June 4, Jane was acknowledged as Henry's wife, but she never was crowned queen. On October 12, 1537, Prince Edward was born. Henry was ecstatic with the birth of his son, but his wife Jane never recovered from giving birth. On October 24, 1537, Jane died from complications of childbirth. Jane is the only one of Henry's wives to share his grave. After Jane's death, Henry did not remarry for more than two years.

Anne of Cleves, a German princess, and Henry were married on January 6, 1540. Their marriage was arranged for political alliance only, and soon afterward Henry recognized that it would never work. He quickly became interested in another woman. In order to invalidate his marriage, Henry proved that Anne's marriage to the Duke Of Lorraine had never been formally ended. In the divorce settlement Anne received a nice sum of money, an estate, and the title of "King's Sister". Henry was now free to court other woman.

Catherine Howard was Anne Boleyn's first cousin, the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard. In her early years Catherine was raised by her step-grandmother because of her father's death in 1539. The marriage of Henry and Catherine took place on July 28, 1540, sixteen days after the nullification of the King's marriage to Anne of Cleves. Henry, now 50, worshipped Catherine with love and gifts til he was informed of his wife's extramarital activities. Her misconduct, as well as allegations of affairs before her marriage, led to her being charged with treason. On February 13, 1542, Catherine was beheaded, just as her cousin Anne Boleyn had been.

Catherine Parr was 31 years old when she married Henry. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendral. Unlike the rest of Henry's wives, Catherine had been widowed twice. Her first marriage was to Sir Edmund Burough; little is known about his death. Catherine's second marriage was to Sir John Nevill, who died of natural causes in 1542. In her marriage to Henry, Catherine was more of a nurse than a wife. At this point in time Henry was 55 years old and very ill. King Henry VIII died January of 1547, leaving one son and two daughters as heirs to the throne. After Henry's death Catherine secretly married Thomas Seymour, brother of the late queen Jane. On August 30, 1548 Catherine gave birth to Thomas Seymour's child. On September 7, Catherine died of complications from the childbirth.

Henry VIII's motive for marriage was to have a male heir to the throne. Some of Henry's actions proved that he would go to any length to have a male child. For example, the beheading of two of his wives and the inhumane treatment of Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII made a big deal about having a male child to insure the continuance of the House of Tudor.

See also "The Six Wives of Henry VIII"

Dwyer, Frank. Henry VIII. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.

This book discusses Henry VIII and his personal life as well as his political accomplishments. More of the political aspects of Henry's life are discussed, rather than Henry's multiple families.

Morrison, Bryson N. The Private Life of Henry VIII. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc, 1964.

This book gives a great overview of Henry VIII's private life. The book discusses Henry's life as a young prince up until his life as a king with many wives.

*Parker, Michael St John. Britain's Kings and Queens. London: Piktin Pictorials, 1990.

This pamphlet was used exclusively for its wonderful pictures.

Ridley, Jasper. Henry VIII. New York: Viking Penguin Inc, 1985.

This book gives great information on the House of York and the family tree of the Lancaster family. This book also touches on Henry VIII's trials and tribulations as king.

Weir, Allison. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

This book is very informative on the personal issues of Henry VIII and his wives. This book gives background information on each of the six wives. It also gives information on the children of Henry VIII.

*Woodward, G W O. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. London: Pitkin Pictorials Ltd, 1972.

This brochure had good information on each of Henry's six wives. It included many good pictures.

*Source for Visuals.