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The Six Wives of King Henry VIII
At the age of seventeen Henry took the crown of England on June 24, 1509. At his side stood his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was the child of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who funded the journey of Christopher Columbus. Catherine was the youngest child of her parents and went to marry Henry after the death of King Arthur, King of Wales. They married on June 11, 1509, 13 days before his coronation. During their relationship they had only one child, Mary I. as time went on Catherine no longer could bear children and Henry had his eye on another, Ann Boleyn. He wished to divorce but the Catholic Church did not approve. This was the main reason Henry detached England from the Catholic Church. Henry and Anne married secretly first but soon after had a large ceremony in January 1533. His first marriage with Catherine would prove to be his longest. On the 7th of September, 1533 Anne Boleyn gave birth to a baby girl named Elizabeth. Henry was outraged for Anne had failed to give him a son. After multiple miscarriages, Anne was running out of hope as Henry soon began to believe that she was involved in witchcraft. After a while five men were arrested, including Anne’s own brother, because speculations that they had been conspiring with Anne. Anne was executed for treason and other crimes on May 17, 1536. Next came Jane Seymour. They were united in holy matrimony on May 30, 1536. Many people call this marriage one of the most complicated relationships. King Henry had fallen for Jane after seeing her in court. He sent her many things such as a love letter and purse but she returned them unopened telling him that it would damage her families honor. He assured her that her families honor would be safe and they fell deeply in love. Henry many times wrote that Jane was his only real love but their happiness didn’t last long. She died giving birth to Prince Edward VI. After the very short union of Jane and Henry, he quickly found refuge and created a political relationship with a German Princess, Anne of Cleves. They had no real feelings of “love” as he swears with the others. Their marriage was a failure and was annulled not to long after it started but Anne was not exiled like Catherine of Aragon had been. She actually stayed around and became the “mother figure” to Henry’s three children Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward. Henry’s fifth marriage may be considered the most horrific story of all. On July 28, 1540, only a few weeks after he ended his marriage with Anne , Henry married Katherine Howard. She was but a child, at the age of 17 not much older than Henry’s children. In what seemed like perfect harmony Katherine was accused of having an affair with her cousin, Thomas Culpepper, and not long after being accused she was executed. His Final wife was Kathryn Parr. She was the wife that suited him most. She was close to his age, quiet, caring for her husband, and her country, but most importantly she is responsible for bringing Henry’s children back from exile. Many people say that without her, his children may not have become heirs to the throne. Henry died from a leg wound during his marriage to Kathryn and she ruled as Queen until her death in 1549.

"Henry VIII.”   // TudorHistory.org // . Web. 19 Jan. 2010. .     "The Six Wives."    // Springfield Public Schools - Home // . Web. 20 Jan. 2010. .R



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