Henry VIII Tudor and his wives, historical facts

🙂 Greetings to new and regular readers of the site! Gentlemen, in the article “Henry VIII Tudor and his wives” – the story of the king of England and his six wives.

When it comes to the marriages of royalty, the song “Kings Can Do Everything” involuntarily comes to mind, where it is said in a joking manner about the impossibility of love either in royal hearts or in royal apartments.

And if you put jokes aside, it must be said that the church has always been on the side of legal marriages and prevented divorce, without considering whether it was a commoner or a high-ranking person.

True, many monarchs turned a blind eye to God’s laws, married and divorced when they wanted. At best, sending a tired wife to a monastery. At worst, the unhappy woman lost her life. There are many such cases in history. There are real unique ones. For example, Henry VIII Tudor.

Henry’s wives 8

Henry VIII Tudor was born at the end of the 55th century and lived for XNUMX years. This is the most famous king of England, he is remembered in history for the fact that he married six times.

Catherine of Aragon

Henry’s first marriage took place as soon as he ascended the throne, at the age of 17. His chosen one was no coincidence. Catherine, the widow of the deceased older brother, actually went to Henry as an inheritance.

Although the marriage was of convenience, for the allied relationship between England and Spain, it was considered happy for a time. The marriage lasted 24 years. But the autocrat was tired of his wife, especially the children she bore died in infancy, except for his daughter Mary.

The king wanted to have a male heir, and he asked for a divorce from the clergy, but he was refused. The desire for a divorce was so great that it led to a break with the church and the Reformation in England. The coveted divorce was finally obtained in 1533. Wife Catherine is declared the widow of Henry VIII’s brother.

Ann Bolein

The second wife, Anne Boleyn, was well known at court. The king sought her favor for many years, but the girl politely refused the monarch. Such chastity did not prevent the king three years later from accusing Anna of treason, and, together with the alleged lover, was sent to the scaffold.

It is known that four alleged lovers were tortured, so Anna’s betrayal raises many questions among historians. And, most likely, this betrayal did not happen. From this marriage, a daughter, Elizabeth, was born (the future Queen of England – Elizabeth I).

Jane Seymour

A week after the execution, the King of England married the young maid of honor of his murdered wife, Jane Seymour.

This woman was able to satisfy her husband’s greatest desire – she gave birth to his son Edward. Childbirth cost the life of a young woman. This time, Henry became a widow for real.

Wanting to have another heir, the king took care of looking for a bride, but his offers were rejected throughout the European continent. His sinister scandalous reputation was already known to everyone.

Anna Klevskaya

Still, the fourth wife was found – Anna Klevskaya. The monarch saw her only in the picture. He was extremely surprised and disappointed when he met his bride in person. But the engagement took place, followed by the wedding. Anna came to the court of everyone except the king.

She became a kind stepmother to little Prince Edward and seven-year-old Elizabeth. Even Henry’s adult daughter, Maria, who was only a year younger than her stepmother, quickly became friends with her.

The king found a reason to divorce his wife very quickly. Anna did not resist and signed all the papers, for which she received life support, on condition of living in England. After the divorce, the woman managed to build her relationship with her ex-spouse in such a way that he showed her all kinds of honors, calling her “beloved sister”.

Catherine Howard

For the fifth time, the already middle-aged autocrat married a young beauty out of great love, mixed with passion. Moreover, the marriage was politically advantageous. His chosen one, Catherine Howard, was an open, good-natured, cheerful girl.

As it turned out later, not only to her husband. The proven fact of treason led her to the scaffold.

Ekaterina Parr

The last five years of his life, Henry was married to Catherine Parr. The restless monarch was no longer looking for adventure, and for the last two years he was so sick that he retired from public affairs.

It must be said that his only son Edward, whom he so desired, loved and was proud of, died at the age of fifteen. There are two versions about the death of a teenager. According to the first, the young man died of consumption or pneumonia, according to the second he was poisoned, which is not uncommon for the 15th century. But Henry VIII did not know about it. He died on January 1547, XNUMX.

The photo shows the place of execution of Anne Boleyn. Epitaph: “Stay a little longer, noble visitor. Where you stand, death has shortened many days of life. Here the destinies of the most famous people were cut short. May they rest in peace as we dance from generation to generation, fighting and showing courage under this sky. “

It is interesting that at the same time Ivan IV Vasilievich, nicknamed the Terrible, reigned in Russia. In terms of age, King Henry VIII was 39 years older than the Terrible. Their stories with their wives are very similar. I recommend the article “Ivan the Terrible and His Wives”

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