Henry Viii And His Wives

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Julie Stewart

Mrs. Kidwell

English Honors 12-1

25 February 2013

Henry VIII and His Wives

One could say many things about Henry VIII’s character. Some could say he was generous. Some could say he was rude. Above all, most would agree Henry VIII was selfish. It was this selfishness that led to his many failed marriages.

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, to King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York (Official Website of the British Monarchy). Henry was born at Greenwich Palace. He was the third of seven children to be born, but the second boy. His older brother, Arthur, was heir to the throne, having been titled as Prince of Wales on February 27, 1490, just a year before Henry’s birth. His brothers, Arthur and Edmund, as well as two of his sisters died at early ages (Pollard). Henry’s other two sisters, Margaret and Mary, lived on to marry and become queens of other countries.

Henry VII put his young children into so many political offices just to make money for himself. For instance, before Henry VIII was two years old, he was named Constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports. Later on, he became Duke of York, Warden of the Scottish Marches, Earl Marshal, a member of the Order of Bath and the Order of the Garter (Southworth 22). Even though he had so many titles, Arthur had more. Arthur was Henry VII’s favorite child.

Growing up, Henry VIII always lived in the shadow of his older brother, Arthur. Despite this, Henry was still very well educated. Henry actually loved to learn. As well as being a great scholar, Henry was also a great musician and athlete. He enjoyed singing and writing both music and poetry, some of which is still popular today. Henry, especially when he was young, enjoyed being active, doing things such as jousting, archery, hunting and tennis.

Henry’s brother, Arthur, had been betrothed to Catherine of Aragon and married her in 1501 (Bagley 16). Arthur died about six months after their marriage of a sweating sickness. This left Catherine widowed and eleven year old Henry as the next heir to his father’s throne. Catherine, however, did not return home to Spain (King Henry VIII). She stayed in England, awaiting another marriage to Henry VIII, who was six years her junior.

Catherine of Aragon was born on December 16, 1485, to King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. She had three older sisters and one older brother. Their names were Isabel, Juana, Maria, and Juan. Catherine, herself, was named after her great-grandmother, Catherine of Lancaster (Fraser 10). Isabella and Ferdinand made sure Catherine and her siblings were well educated. Catherine was fluent in Latin and was skilled in music as well as dancing and drawing. Catherine’s mother also made sure she and her sisters knew how to do household things as well. This included skills in sewing, cooking, and cleaning.

For seven years, Catherine was kept in England with no money to even get basic necessities. Her calm demeanor throughout all of this greatly impressed Prince Henry. They had very little contact with each other. On June 23, 1503, a treaty was signed that stated Henry VIII would marry Catherine on June 28, 1505, his fifteenth birthday. This, however, never happened until his father’s death in 1509.

Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon on June 11, 1509, carrying out his father’s dying wish, or so he claimed. Catherine and Henry were crowned King and Queen of England on June 23, 1509, at Westminster Abbey. They were smitten with each other, as the country’s population could tell by their affectionate displays.

Catherine’s older age balanced Henry’s immaturity (Walder 12). His jovial youth and energy of a typical eighteen year old contrasted yet complemented Catherine’s calm, gentle character. Even though Catherine was more mature, she still delighted in the King’s jousting tournaments. She also loved the balls and parties they held.

On January 31, 1510, Catherine gave birth to an extremely premature baby girl, too premature to survive. She gave birth to a boy on January 1, 1511. She named him Henry, after his father. He died two months later. They were both devastated. Catherine lost another child in 1513. She also gave birth to another boy named Henry in November of that year. He died soon afterwards. Henry VIII, however, was still very optimistic; they were still very young. Catherine suffered another miscarriage in December of 1514. It was another son. On February 18, 1516, Catherine’s only surviving child, Mary, was born. Henry then decided to take a mistress. Her name was Elizabeth Blount. She bore his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, who he later named Earl of Richmond, Nottingham, and Somerset (Adams 112).

It has been thought that Henry started thinking about divorcing Catherine in 1518. However, he was still affectionate towards her. Catherine never produced a male heir. Henry decided he wanted a divorce on the circumstance that marrying his brother’s widow was incest, and God was displeased.

Another reason for his request for a divorce was his love for Anne Boleyn. By the year 1527, Henry had fallen in love with Anne. Catherine had no idea Henry wanted to end their marriage until it was reported to her in May of that year. Catherine pleaded on her knees for Henry not to end their marriage. On July 11, 1531, Henry took Anne Boleyn with him on a hunting trip. While they were gone, Henry ordered for Catherine to be removed from the castle. She was prohibited from writing to him and from seeing her daughter, Mary. Catherine never saw her daughter or spoke to Henry again until she wrote a letter to him on her deathbed. In the letter Catherine begged with Henry to be merciful and kind to Mary. She also told him that she never stopped loving him. Catherine of Aragon died in January of 1536.

No one really knows when Anne Boleyn was born, or even the year. Some speculate it being in 1501 or 1502, but some historians think she may have been born in 1507. Her parents were Sir Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard. Anne Boleyn had two siblings, Mary and George. Henry was originally attracted to Mary, she being one of his mistresses. Later on, Anne caught his eye as one of Catherine’s servants. She was never described as being very pretty. She was actually very plain and had two very large flaws: a mole on the side of her neck and an extra finger on her left hand. The only reason Henry liked her was because he could not have her. At the time there were rumors of her being engaged to Henry Percy. Henry married Anne Boleyn in January of 1533 and divorced Catherine of Aragon in May of that same year.

Not very many people liked Anne. She was blamed for a lot of the King’s bad decisions and was always called the King’s mistress, instead of the King’s wife. Her coronation was extravagant, but nobody in London was impressed. Anne gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth on September 7, 1533. Shortly after the birth, Elizabeth was moved from London because of varieties of illnesses there, such as small pox, sweating sickness, and the plague. Henry declared Elizabeth his heir right away, giving her precedence over Princess Mary who was 17 years old at the time. Shortly after this, Henry wrote a letter to Mary, demanding that she denounce her title as Princess of Wales. Henry also demanded that she acknowledge his new marriage and her half sister as legitimate, but Mary refused. Henry in anger sent Mary out of her home to live with her half sister Elizabeth under the care of Lady Anne Shelton who was Anne Boleyn’s aunt. The conflict between Mary and her father lasted for many years, until she wrote the letter denouncing her title as Princess, because her life was threatened.

Anne had two failed pregnancies before Henry started to question whether or not their marriage was valid. Anne Boleyn may have had a miscarriage in February of 1534, because there were rumors that she was pregnant in January. In September of 1534, she had another miscarriage, and the baby was old enough for its features to show that it was a boy. Henry and Anne were both disappointed. Anne was also upset, because she found out that Henry had begun an affair that summer. She reprimanded him about it, and Henry said, "You have good reason to be content for what I have done for you and I would not do it again, if the thing were to begin. Consider from what you have come" (The Six Wives of Henry VIII). The argument was futile, because Henry was tired of his mistress soon after.

In the two years after her daughter’s birth, Anne was rarely confident of the King’s affections toward her. Henry was always flirting with other women, and he enjoyed being around them. This time he was flirting with Anne’s cousin, Madge Shelton. During their marriage, Henry’s health had begun to decline, showing the first signs of the illness that would later prove to be fatal. It is said that the King was a sort of hypochondriac. He could no longer indulge in sports, because he was obese, and instead he let his fear of pain and illness take over.

Anne had become pregnant again in June of 1535, but lost the child in January of 1536. Henry blamed her miscarriages on adultery, and arrested her with the charges of adultery, witchcraft (apparently she had bewitched him into loving her), and incest. The charges that he set against her were even thought of as crazy to the people who did not like her. Anne was tried in a jury by her peers; the main charge of adultery was an act of treason for any queen. She was beheaded at eight o’clock in the morning of May 19, 1536. It was the first public execution of a queen in England. Her last words were, "Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never; and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul." The day after Anne Boleyn was executed it was announced that King Henry was engaged to Lady Jane Seymour, who was, coincidentally, Anne Boleyn’s lady-in-waiting (her personal servant).

Jane Seymour’s date of birth is unknown, but many people think she was born somewhere between 1504 and 1509. She was first a lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon, then to Anne Boleyn. Jane had a quiet, soothing personality. Henry first took notice of her in September of 1535. Henry did nothing about his feelings for her for several months. However, in February of 1536, there were rumors of a romance between them. Henry gave her many expensive gifts, which she immediately returned to him, and her brothers ranks were promoted in the king’s court. Henry’s relationship with Jane was very discreet, which very much suited her personality.

Henry VIII and Jane Seymour were married on May 30, 1536, eleven days after Anne Boleyn was executed. She was made queen on June fourth of that year. She did not have an extravagant coronation like Anne had, because of the minor plagues in London. It was rumored that Henry would not crown Jane until she provided him with a son. On October 12, 1537, she gave birth to their son Edward. He was baptized on October 15th, and declared as Edward VI. At his baptism, his half sister Mary stood in as his godmother, and Elizabeth was held by Jane’s brother, Thomas Seymour who later on would be married to her. The baptism ceremony had begun in Jane’s bedroom, because she was ill from the birth. Her condition became worse, and she became delirious with fever. The doctor’s, not having very much medical knowledge at the time, bled her. Jane died on October 24, 1537, from purpura sepsis (known as child bed fever). It was very common in the sixteenth century. She was buried in the tomb at Windsor Castle that Henry would have had for himself. Henry waited over two years to marry again.

Henry’s fourth wife was not chosen by him, but by one of his ambassadors. They had searched all over Europe for an eligible heiress, and finally narrowed it down to four contenders. The first was Marie de Guise, who was tall, beautiful, and capable of having children, but she chose to marry King James V of Scotland. Henry also looked at her younger sister, but she became engaged to someone else. The third was Christina of Milan. She was intelligent and beautiful and one of the most popular heiresses of that time. However, she was only sixteen, and Henry was in his late forties. The fourth was Anne of Cleves. She was 24 years old, and was well educated in domestic skills. She was neither flirtatious nor intellectual, which the king did not admire. She had no interest in books and had no musical skills. On the way to England an escort tried to teach her the King’s favorite card games, but found it hopeless. On January 6, 1540, Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII were married. She did not have the time to acclimate herself to a new culture before the King rejected her. Henry said that she was not as pretty as had been reported. What had really driven them apart was the lack of attraction. Henry was already looking for ways out of the marriage. Anne had briefly been betrothed to the Duke of Lorraine. Henry discovered that the contract of the betrothal was still in affect, so she was actually still betrothed to him. Their marriage was legally invalid from the beginning. She ruled as queen for only four months. She did not return home, but instead received a settlement of manors and estates in England, and the King guaranteed her 3,000 pounds a year, which made her one of the wealthiest women in England. She learned to enjoy gambling and spent a lot of money on dresses, and occasionally visited Henry’s children and Henry himself. She was last seen in public at Mary Tudor’s coronation in 1553, riding in a carriage with Princess Elizabeth. Anne Cleves died of "declining illness" in 1557 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Henry’s next wife, Catherine Howard, was not very beautiful or intelligent, but charming and flirtatious. She virtually moved from nothing to becoming Queen overnight. She was the granddaughter of the 2nd Duke of Northfolk. She came from a large family that lived in poverty. Her birth date was not recorded, but was believed to be in 1521. She grew up in a boarding house at Lambeth Palace with other young girls. She grew up to be a happy and lively person. Her youth was irresistible to Henry. The only part of her education which she enjoyed was her music lessons, but she mainly enjoyed the attention that her music teacher gave her. Her teacher, Henry Mannox, constantly tried to seduce her. Later on she fell in love with Francis Dereham. Mannox became jealous and sent a letter to Catherine’s grandmother who discovered that Francis and Catherine had been consummating their relationship. They were betrothed not too long before he had to go away to Ireland on business. Her feelings for him cooled down when she met her cousin Thomas Culpeper in 1539. He was handsome and charming and he had an important position in the King’s court. Catherine fell in love with him, though his feelings were not mutual. She soon became a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves. This is when Henry VIII fell in love with her. Catherine’s relatives doubted her maturity, but did not dare say anything for fear of the King’s wrath. Henry soon favored Catherine Howard, and gave her lands and expensive gifts. Henry and Catherine married on July 28, 1540. Catherine Howard was never crowned Queen, because Henry could not afford the ceremony. Catherine never became pregnant.

The King became ill with a serious fever in the spring of 1541, and Catherine was sent away for the safety of her health. Around that same time she began an affair with Thomas Culpeper. Francis Dereham became her secretary in August of 1541. It is speculated that this was probably a bribe to keep him quiet about their former relationship. The King was oblivious to all of it.

One of Henry’s close friends, Thomas Cramer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, came to Henry to show him a previously made contract of Catherine Howard’s betrothal with Francis Dereham. This contract invalidated her marriage to Henry. Henry at first did not believe it to be true and ordered Thomas Cramer to begin a private investigation. It only took a few days for Catherine’s house of lies to crumble. A few of her servants and Francis Dereham were taken to the Tower to be tortured until they confessed. Francis Dereham confessed about his relationship with Catherine and also told them that Thomas Culpeper was Catherine’s recent lover. Afterwards, Culpeper was arrested and tortured until he also confessed. When Henry was told of the confessions, he almost took a sword to kill Catherine himself. On November 12, 1541, Catherine was arrested and interrogated. She never told the truth, but said that Francis Dereham had raped her. On December 10th, Dereham was hung, drawn, and quartered. Thomas Culpeper was also beheaded that day. The heads of Culpeper and Dereham were put on spears atop the London Bridge, and remained there until 1546. At seven o’clock on February 13, 1542, Catherine Howard was executed.

While many were waiting to find out who the King would choose as his next wife, a clause that was contained in the Act of Attainder (which had been proclaimed at Catherine’s condemnation) caused much concern to many people: "To avoid doubts for the future, anyone who knew anything ‘incontinent’ about the queen must reveal it – or be condemned for treason. And if the king chose to marry a woman he ‘took to be a pure and clean maid’ and she turned out to be otherwise, the charge of treason would apply to both the woman and ‘all who knew it and did not reveal it.’ "

The King’s eye soon caught Catherine Parr, also known as Lady Latimer. She was 31 years old and widowed twice. She was lively and witty with a kind and gentle nature. Her parents were Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and Maud Greene. She was the eldest of three children, and probably born in 1512. She was a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Her first marriage was in 1529, but had no child. Her husband died in 1532. Her second husband was twice her age with a son and daughter. She married him in the spring of 1533, and he died in 1542.

Catherine Parr and Henry VIII married on July 12, 1543. She was coronated as Queen, and took care of him while he was very ill, until his death on January 28, 1547 (Scarisbrick 491). After Henry’s death, she married Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour’s brother. She became pregnant in November of 1547. She had a daughter, whom she named Mary on August 30, 1548. Catherine Parr died on September 5, 1548, of the same childbed fever as Jane Seymour had.

In the lives of King Henry VIII and his many wives there was much selfishness, not only in the case of Henry VIII but also in the lives of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. There were affairs, gluttony, and family discrepancies. Anne Boleyn was selfish because all she wanted was the power that being Queen of England held for her. Catherine Howard was selfish because she wanted the love of many men. Henry VIII was selfish because he wanted many women, only wanted beauty, would cast them off for not having the son that he wanted, and was a major glutton. He was also selfish in the case of his daughter, Mary, whom he completely shut out of his life. So much selfishness could crumble a kingdom.