How many wives did he have

Henry was entranced; Catherine made him feel young again, helping him forget the constant pain of his ulcerated legs. How Catherine felt about being married to a man old enough to be her grandfather is unknown, but she is said to have accepted her lot with good grace, anxious to please her ambitious family.

Catherine loved the luxury of court and her besotted husband showered her with expensive gifts. The lonely monarch needed a companion and, in , as plague broke out in London, Henry married twice-widowed Katherine Parr at Hampton Court Palace.

Aged 31, Katherine was slim and attractive — far from the matronly figure she is often portrayed as — with a deep love of learning and desire for religious reform. Tipped off in advance, Katherine took to her bed claiming she was mortally ill; when Henry rushed to her side, she successfully defended herself and her actions. When this larger-than-life ruler passed away, he was safe in the knowledge he had secured the continuation of the Tudor dynasty.

But as Henry was buried beside his beloved Jane Seymour at Windsor Castle, no one could have known that it would be his daughters — Mary and Elizabeth — who would change the course of British history. The affair began in c and it is even claimed that Henry considered divorcing Catherine in order to marry her. Bessie gave birth to a son in , a boy the king named Henry Fitzroy. Whether Henry would have ever made Fitzroy his heir is unknown, for he died of tuberculosis in , aged Her five-year affair with Henry, which began in c, may have produced two children.

Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses. Henry VIII surrounded by his six wives. Photo by Getty Images. Photo by Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images. Henry's main aim was to make sure that the Tudors would keep on ruling England after he died. Henry believed that only a boy could inherit his kingdom. But his son Edward ruled only for six years. Who were the six wives? Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess who had previously been married to Henry's brother Prince Arthur.

Henry was betrothed to Katherine by his father in and they had a daughter Mary who later become Queen Mary 1. Catherine had six children but only Mary survived. In Henry announced his desire to divorce Catherine because she had failed to produce a male heir. Buried: Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London. Anne grew up in the family home of Hever Castle in Kent and was a young and beautiful lady-in-waiting to the former queen, Catherine of Aragon. She gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth.

When Anne miscarried a second child Henry accused her of witchcraft and had her beheaded on May 19th at the Tower of London for adultery and incest. Died: 24 October, Buried: St. With enough evidence that she had been at least promiscuous, Catherine was executed for adultery and treason at the Tower Green on February 13, Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, in July A spirited and educated widow, when Catherine showed an interest in Protestantism, Henry had her arrested.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault.

Catherine suffered another miscarriage in , but one year later Henry had a son by a mistress named Elizabeth Blount. Henry tried to have his marriage to Catherine annulled to marry Anne. In response the king assumed supremacy over religious matters and turned his back on the Catholic Church. She lived out the rest of her days at Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire where she died in Her daughter Mary was forbidden for visiting her or to attending her funeral at Peterborough Cathedral.

Anne Boleyn was eventually charged with adultery, incest and treason. Anne was born c. She was reported to be fluent in french, a talented musician and to dress in line with French fashions. Anne was previously betrothed to Henry Percy, but this engagement had been broken off when it did not gain the support of his father, the fifth Earl of Northumberland.

In , Henry made Anne the Marquessate of Pembroke, and the pair married formally in January , after a secret ceremony two months earlier. After giving birth to Elizabeth I in September , she suffered several miscarriages. Henry began to look elsewhere for a woman to bear him a son — and he found this woman in Jane Seymour.

A month after Henry began courting Jane, he ordered Anne to be investigated for high treason and she was sent to the Tower of London. After being tried on charges of adultery, incest and treason, Anne was found guilty most likely wrongly by a jury which included her once fiancee, Henry Percy. The treason charge alludes to alleged plots to kill the King, but also likely the risk to succession that would be created by a Queen having an affair.

Five men were found guilty of adultery. All were executed on Tower Hill.