Six Wives
Henry VIII is known as the English Monarch who had six wives and here I will tell you a little bit about each of his wives. But first, an entertaining YouTube video:-
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
 Catherine of Aragon |
 Anne Boleyn |
 Jane Seymour |
|
| Motto and Crest | “Humble and Loyal”Pomegranate with crown. | “The Most Happy”Crowned falcon on tree stump with red and white flowers. | “Bound to Obey and Serve”Crowned phoenix rising out of a castle with red and white roses. |
| Date of Birth | 16th December 1485 | Warnicke thinks 1507, but most historians think 1501 due to a letter that Anne wrote in 1513 when she was a maid of honour in Brussels – this position would be open to a 12/13 year old not a 6 year old. | Thought to be 1508 or 1509Elizabeth Norton thinks between Oct 1507 and 1508 because 29 ladies rode in her funeral procession (1 for each year). |
| Who were they? | Catalina de Aragón.Daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain.
Previously married to Prince Arthur but marriage was not consummated. |
Daughter of diplomat, Thomas Boleyn, and Elizabeth Boleyn (nee Howard) | Eldest daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth |
| Date of Marriage and Duration | 11th June 1509Nearly 24 years, annulled in May 1533. | Either November 1532 or January 1533Just over 3 years.
Betrothed for 7 years. |
30th May 153617 months |
| Death | 7th January 1536 | 19th May 1536 | 24th October 1537 |
| Cause of Death | Traditionally assumed to be cancer, although autopsy points to coronary thrombosis. | Beheaded for treason, adultery and incest by a French swordsman | Thought to be an infection following childbirth. |
| Age at Death | 50 | Either 35 or 29 | Around 29 |
| Children | Mary (later Mary I)Born 18th February 1516 | Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I)Born 7th September 1533 | Edward (later Edward VI)Born 12th October 1537 |
| Biography | “The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon: The Story as Told by the Imperial Ambassadors Resident at the Court of Henry VIII by J A Froude | Eric Ives’ “The Life and Death Of Anne Boleyn”Joanna Denny’s “Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England’s Tragic Queen”
Retha Warnicke’s “The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn” |
Elizabeth Norton’s “Jane Seymour: Henry VIII’s True Love” |
 Anne of Cleves |
 Catherine Howard |
 Catherine Parr |
|
| Motto | “God Send Me Well to Keep”A gold escarbuncle. | “No Other Will than His”Crowned red and white thornless Tudor rose | “To Be Useful in All That I Do”Crowned maiden rising from a Tudor Rose. |
| Date of Birth | 22nd September 1515 | 1518/1521 | Around August 1512 |
| Who were they? | Daughter of Johann III, Duke of Juliers-Cleves and Maria, heir of Juliers | Cousin of Anne Boleyn, daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Elizabeth Tilney. | Second child and eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal, Westmoreland and Maud Green. |
| Date of Marriage and Duration | 6th January 15406 months | 28th July 1540About 19 months | 12th July 1543 (Henry was her third husband)Until Henry VIII’s death on 28th January 1547. |
| Death | 6th July 1557 | 13th February 1542 | 5th September 1548 |
| Cause of Death | Unknown | Beheaded for adultery and treason | Illness following childbirth |
| Age at Death | 41 | Late teens/early 20s | About 36 |
| Children | None | None | Daughter Mary Seymour by her 4th husband Sir Thomas Seymour. |
| Biography | Elizabeth Norton’s “Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII’s Discarded Bride” | Lacey Baldwin Smith’s “Catherine Howard: The Queen Whose Adulteries Made a Fool of Henry VIII” | Susan James’ “Catherine Parr: Henry VIII’s Last Love” |
Thanks to members of The Anne Boleyn Files Wiki for filling in the information on the Six Wives of Henry VIII.
13 thoughts on “Six Wives”
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lol I love that video- very entertaining & the song is quite catchy (:
I loved the video, too!! Really funny!! 🙂
If Katherine Parr was born in 1512, then in 1548 she was 36. Also Katherine of Aragon’s marriage was never annulled. Henry took it upon himself because of Anne Boleyn!
Hi Kathleen,
I apologise for the typo, I’ve corrected it. Although the marriage between Henry and Catherine of Aragon was annulled by the Houses of Parliament and convocation (with the help of Cromwell and Cranmer), it was still annulled. Convocation were asked to pronounce their verdict on the validity of a dispensation to marry a brother’s widow, the dispensation which Henry had had from the Pope to marry Catherine and they found in Henry’s favour, declaring that a marriage like Henry and Catherine’s was “impeded by divine law which no pope could dispense and thus retrospectively cleared the way for the union which the king had already entered” (Scarisbrick). Parliament also declared that the marriage was invalid and that the king was free to marry again. I do know what you mean though, as Henry had made it so the English clergy and his Parliament could rule on the issue.
Hahaha, I can’t stop laughing at the song!
Hi, wasn’t Katherine Howard the daughter of Joyce Culpepper?
Catherine’s mother is sometimes referred to as Joyce and sometimes as Jocasta and yes she was a Culpeper.
Was she related to Thomas culpeper?
Yes, they were distantly related.
And Catherine Howard was convicted for adultery with Thomas Culpeper, that is just.. eww!
THE FACT THAT HE HAD SO MANY WIVES WHICH ONE OR TWO WIVES WERE BEHEADED FOR REASONS IS SOMETHING THAT I CAN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS THE MYSTIQUE WITH HENRY THE 8TH AND HE FATHERED 3 CHILDREN POSSIBLY MORE AND 2 CHILDREN THAT COULD BE HE’S AS WELL PLUS ONE MORE SON ALTHOUGH WE WILL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE BUT I WILL INDEED LOOK FOR MORE EVIDENCE ONCE FOR ALL THAT THE TWO CHILDREN OF MARY BOLEYN WERE INDEED HE’S CHILDREN FOR IT WILL REWRITE HISTORY . MARITZA
really catchy video and nice presentation of the details of all his wives
So I have a question that’s been bugging me for awhile now. Henry VIII demoted Catherine of Aragon to Princess Dowager, but she was an officially crowned monarch. How was her title forfeit when Anne kept her title until her death, even though her marriage was annulled? They were the only two Queens granted the title by official coronation, and not just by virtue of being married to the king.