Zrenjanin Grammar School

Zrenjanin

GRADUATION PAPER
Theme:

Six Wives of Henry VIII

Subject: English

Teacher - Mentor: Student:

Prof. Vuk Faninger Šević Jelena Sabovljev, IV5
June, 2016
 Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Catherine of Aragon........................................................................................................................ 3
3. Anne Boleyn .................................................................................................................................... 6
4. Jane Seymour ................................................................................................................................ 10
5. Anne of Cleves .............................................................................................................................. 12
6. Catherine Howard ......................................................................................................................... 14
7. Catherine Parr ............................................................................................................................... 16
8. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 18
9. References and the Bibliography: ................................................................................................ 19

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 1. Introduction

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491. at Palace Placentia in Greenwich, London, asa
third child and a second son of the first Tudor king Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. After his
brother Arthur’s death in 1501. he suceeded the throne of England and got betrohed to his
brother’s widow.
Even though Arthur was heir to the throne and was
somewhat favoured by their father, it was paid a lot of attention to
Henry’s education, which was influenced by Renaissance, from an
early age. It is known that he had many famous tutors, one of
which was poet John Skelton. Henry was also known to correspond
with Thomas More and Erasmus of Rotterdam, which were one of
the greatest scolars of their time. Henry’s maternal grandmother
Margaret Beaufort supervised his early education and she insisted
on him receiving great theological education because she was very

religious and went to church several times a day. Besides theology, Arthur Prince of Wales
he also had lessions in languages, grammar, history, rhetoric, logic,
phylosophy, aritmetic, logic, litherature, geometry and music. He was known to be a great
sportsman and experienced many sports injuries, but one of the worst was the wound on his
leg which never fully healed and tantalized him untill the end of his life.
Because of his lively and attractive nature, Henry was beloved by people. His reign
was expected to be „golden age“.
After King Henry VII died on April 21, 1509 seventeen –
year – old Henry succeeded the throne. Respecting his father’s
dying wish, Henry married his brother’s widow Catherine of
Aragon and officially became king on June 24, 1509.
His marriage to Catherine of Aragon lasted for 24 years,
while his other five marriages lasted about ten years in total.
The faiths of his wives are easily remembered by a famous
rhyme: “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded,
survived.” With each wife he acquired new religious views and
foreign policies. While he was married to Catherine of Aragon,
England had been a great Catholic country, and in a strong
alliance with Spain. With the influence of Anne Boleyn,
Henry VIII in 1509 England’s foreign policy turned to France and the King was
recognized as a head of the church in England. Jane Seymour,
Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard didn’t meddle too much with the politics, even though
Jane was a devout Catholic and Henry’s marriage to Anne has been arranged in order to
create an alliance with Cleves, which was a Lutheran duchy. Henry’s last wife, Catherine Parr,

1
was a firm Protestant and had barely escaped conviction for treason and heresy, both
punishable by death.
He often changed laws and parts of constitution to be able to carry out his will and he
initiated the English Reformation, and with that turned England into a Protestant nation. He
was best remembered by his tyrannical regime and his stubborn and selfish nature.
However, that wasn’t the case in the early years of his reign. He was known as a
strong and righteous leader, beloved by people and extremely charismatic. He was a loyal
husband who respected the will and the opinion of his Queen. After Catherine’s
miscarriages, in the second half of 1510’s, Henry’s impatience to get a male heir and his
suspicion that his wife couldn’t produce one caused him to take mistresses. One of them,
Elizabeth Blount, gave birth to a son, who was acknowledged by Henry in his later years.
Henry’s obsession with having a male heir came from his belief that a female ruler
wouldn’t be able to maintain Tudor power, which was already unstable because it was
acquired by war. Another reason is his own vanity, because he believed that he was less of a
man if he couldn’t produce a son.
His tactic for dealing with those who didn’t agree with him was execution. At the
start, he executed few of his father’s closest men, who allegedly extorted money from the
people. After Pope had excommunicated him, he proclaimed himself to be the head of the
Church of England. He executed everyone who refused to recognize him as such, including
his old friend and confidant Thomas More and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester. Thomas
More’s last words were: “I die the King's good servant, but God's first.”
It is believed that numerous failed marriages, religious crisis and maintenance of
already unstable regime took a tool on Henry. As he grew older he became more irritable
and stubborn. People’s affection towards him turned to fear as the time passed. He became
a notorious tyrant, whose every whim needed to be respected in order to avoid the scaffold.
In January 1536, Henry was badly injured in a jousting accident and it was unknown if he was
going to survive. He did, but his leg was wounded and it never properly healed. Some
historians believe that the pain from the wound made him constantly nervous and irritable
and that it affected his decisions greatly. He became obese and slow, and a shadow of an
attractive and charismatic man he was before.
Henry died on January 28, 1547 in the Palace of Whitehall. His death was accelerated
by his obesity. He was buried in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, next to his third wife,
the only one who gave him a male heir, Jane Seymour. After his death his son, Prince Edward
VI, succeeded the throne of England, but he died when he was only 16 years old. After him
Mary, Catherine of Aragon’s daughter came to the throne. Because she didn’t have any
children, her half - sister Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn’s daughter, succeeded the throne. She ruled
for almost 50 years, and so Henry’s belief that a female ruler cannot maintain Tudor power
had been proved wrong.

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 2. Catherine of Aragon

Henry’s first wife Catherine of Aragon was born on

December 16, 1485 at Alcala de Henares. She was the
youngest daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of
Castile. She was described as humble, loyal, religious and
noble woman. In her younger years she was considered
pretty but the stress of failed pregnancies and her failed
marriage took a toll on her. She was very well educated,
receiving strong Catholic upbringing and speaking few
languages including French, Greek and Latin. Erasmus said
that she “loved good literature which she had studied with
success since childhood.” She was also tutored in arithmetic,
canon and civil law, literature, genealogy, history,
philosophy, theology and religion.
She was betrothed to the eldest son of Henry VII, Young Catherine of Aragon
Arthur, in 1489. They got married on November 14, 1501,
but he died from sweating sickness a few months later, on April 2, 1502. Catherine claimed
that their marriage had not been consummated.
After his son’s death, Henry VII wanted to avoid returning Catherine’s dowry, so he
made an arrangement with her father that Catherine was to marry Arthur’s brother Henry,
who, at the time, was too young for marriage. Those arrangements were brought to
question when Spain formed an alliance with France in 1504. Henry VII was not satisfied with
that alliance and their betrothal was renounced. For the next few years Catherine had very
little money and lived at Durham House in London.
Catherine was the first female ambassador in European history. She served as
Spanish ambassador in England in 1507.
Henry VII died on April 21, 1509. One of the first things that Henry VIII did after his
father’s death was marrying Catherine. It was speculated that their marriage was Henry VII’s
last wish, but many find it unlikely due to his disappointment in Spanish alliance. They got
married on June 11, 1509 at the friar’s church in Greenwich. Unlike the wedding which has
been kept low – key, their coronation was grand affair. It took place in Westminster Abbey
on June 24, 1509 and was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall.
Catherine was well received and loved by the people of England. She encouraged the
alliance with Spain and the war with France (1512 - 1513). In 1513 she acted as regent and
organized defenses against Scottish invasion. She played an important part in the Battle of
Flodden1 in which England triumphed. Ferdinand’s failure to play his promised part in the

1
Battle between Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England, fought on September 9, 1513, in which England
had won.

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war strained the Anglo – Spanish alliance and it was rumored that Henry considered to
divorcing Catherine as a punishment.
Soon after the beginning of marriage Catherine got
pregnant and gave birth to a stillborn girl on January 31,
1510.Between 1510 and 1516 she gave birth to six children,
including two sons, but all were stillborn or died soon after
birth. Only child that survived was Mary I who was born on
February 18, 1516. Mary went on to become one of the most
notorious rulers in English history because of her wish to restore
Catholicism in England by executing numerous Protestants,
earning her the nickname “Bloody Mary”.
Henry was loyal and devoted husband in the first few
years on marriage, but he feared another Wars of the Roses2 if Mary I Tudor
he doesn’t produce male heir. On January 1, 1511 Catherine
gave birth to a boy who was named Henry and was christened on January 5, that same year.
Great celebrations were organized in prince’s favor but the child died after only 51 days.
That further fueled king’s desire for a male heir and after all the miscarriages Henry and
Catherine’s relationship got strained. It is know that he had at least two mistresses, Mary
Boleyn, who was sister of his future wife Anne, and Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount who is a
mother of his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy. “Henry’s first step was to create Henry Fitzroy,
his only illegitimate son, duke of Richmond – Henry VII’s title before 1485 – and to give him
precedence even over Mary. However, an illegitimate male heir was hardly better than a
legitimate female heir;”3
Catherine had a great political influence on Henry. At the start of his reign she
advised him on his alliance with Spain and later served as his regent. She was very intelligent
and well respected and Henry respected her advice. During Catherine’s reign education
among women became fashionable and she also donated a lot of money to several colleges.
Their marriage was not loveless at the beginning, but with multiple failed pregnancies and
Henry’s interests in other women greatly strained the relationship.
Despite all problems, their marriage was stable until Henry became enamored with
one of Catherine’s ladies – in – waiting Anne Boleyn. By that time, Catherine was no longer
able to bear children. Henry started seeking the annulment of marriage. The affair has
become known as “The King’s great matter”.

2
A series of battles fought from 1455 to 1485 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York which
ended in victory of Henry VII, father of Henry VIII and founder of the House of Tudor, who belonged to the
House of Lancaster.
3
Encyclopᴁdia Britanica, Volume 5 (William Benton, 1963), 79

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 Henry became convinced that his marriage with
Catherine was cursed. He found the confirmation in the
Bible, where it said that if you marry your brother’s wife
your marriage will be childless. Henry believed that that was
the case with him, even though Catherine swore that her
marriage with Arthur had not been consummated. At first,
Catherine was kept in the dark about annulment and she
was convinced that Anne was just another one of Henry’s
mistresses and that he would soon get bored with her, but it
became clear that that wasn’t the case when Henry started
consulting Anne on political and religious matters. Catherine
was asked to agree to an annulment and to retreat to a
Catherine of Aragon nunnery, but she insisted on being the King’s legitimate wife
and she refused to withdraw from the court.
Henry relied upon Cardinal Thomas Wolsey to get the annulment from Pope Clement
VII. Wolsey failed and was accused of treason. He died on his way to receive the punishment
in 1530.
Henry took the matter to his own hands and sent the appeal to the Holy See to sue
for the annulment. However, the Pope was at the time prisoner of Catherine’s nephew and
the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. It became clear that the Pope wouldn’t give Henry and
annulment or let him remarry. Catherine was banished from the court in 1531, and her
rooms were given to Anne.
The fight for the annulment came to an end after six years, in 1533, when Anne
Boleyn became pregnant. Boleyn’s family chaplain Thomas Cranmer was appointed to the
position of Archbishop of Canterbury. Cranmer granted the annulment on May 23, 1533. The
Church of England became separate from Catholic Church and the King became a source of
spiritual, as well as secular authority. Anne and Henry got married that same year in a secret
ceremony.
Catherine gained the title of Dowager Princess of Wales, which she refused to
acknowledge to the end of her life. She also got separated from her daughter Mary, who lost
the title of Princess and was declared illegitimate. In the last few years of her life, Catherine
lived in dirty and unhealthy conditions, with only a few servants and all of her wealth gone.
Catherine of Aragon died at Kimbolton Castle, Huntington on January 7, 1536. She
was buried at Peterborough Abbey.

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 3. Anne Boleyn

The exact date of birth of Henry VIII’s second wife,

Anne Boleyn, is unknown. Some historians believe it’s in
1502, and others estimate it was as late as 1507 or 1509.
Anne was one of three children of Elisabeth Howard,
daughter of Thomas Howard, second Duke of Norfolk, and
Thomas Boleyn, who was well known diplomat and later earl
of Wiltshire and Ormond. She had a brother named George
Boleyn, second Viscount of Rochford, and a sister Mary
Boleyn.
Anne was of noble birth, due to Boleyn family being
one of the most respected families in the English aristocracy.
Her mother was a Howard, so Anne was also the distant
Anne Boleyn
relative of King Edward I of England. She received her early
education on the court of Margaret of Austria in Netherlands from 1513. After that, Anne
and her sister Mary went to France to become maids of honor to Henry VIII’s sister Mary,
who was about to marry Louis XII of France, and her stepdaughter Claude of France for
nearly seven years. Anne completed her education there. She had domestic skills such as
dancing, embroidery, household management, music and needlework. As for her academic
education she was taught arithmetic, grammar, history, reading, spelling, writing, art,
literature, religious philosophy. During her stay at the French court Anne acquired
knowledge of French language, culture and fashion.
When she came back to England around 1521, Anne attracted the attention of many
admirers. She didn’t have the fair hair and pale complexion which were considered attractive
in the 16th century, so she was often described as “moderately pretty”. Some sources state
that she had a large mole on her neck and sixth finger on her left hand, but it is considered
to be false and a rumor caused by her lack of popularity during her marriage to King Henry.
Her first appearance at court was on March 1, 1522. She then entered the service of
the Queen Catherine of Aragon.
When she came to England, Anne was to marry her cousin James Butler, but the
marriage negotiations came to a halt due to unknown circumstances. Not long after that
Anne met and fell in love with Henry Percy, the future earl of Northumberland. The pair
entered secret betrothal. Henry Percy belonged to retinue of Cardinal Wolsey. It is possible
that Anne had already caught and eye of King Henry at the time. Their engagement was
short lived, as Henry’s father refused to support it. They had also been met by the
disapproval of Cardinal Wolsey, who had several reasons for refusing the match, one of
which was that Henry VIII was “disturbed” by the engagement. Henry Percy was forced to
marry someone else, and Anne was sent to the Hever Castle, Boleyn family residence,
because of her behavior. Anne never forgave Wolsey and she swore to be the one who
caused his downfall, which, in the end, she did.

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 Mary Boleyn, Anne’s married older sister, became King Henry’s mistress in 1525 and
Anne returned to court and again entered the service of Catherine of Aragon. The affair
ended at the start of 1526, when Henry was once again drawn towards Anne. She refused to
become his mistress, seeing how easily they got discarded, and refused him any sexual
favors. She wanted to become a queen.
Henry proposed to Anne in 1527, and she accepted his proposal. At the time of the
proposal, Henry had already started to search for the annulment of his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon. Both Henry and Anne thought that the annulment would come quickly,
but it was six more years until Henry’s marriage was declared null and void. The duty of
obtainment the annulment from Pope belonged to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Because of his
failure in this matter and, as was rumored, Anne Boleyn’s influence, he was dismissed from
his service, and accused of treason. He died on the journey to his trial on November 29,
1530. Anne finally got her revenge on Wolsey.
Among her other courting gifts, Henry made Anne Marquess of Pembroke on
September 1, 1532. This was the title that cemented Anne as one of the most important
people in England, as it belonged to one of Henry’s ancestors. Anne’s family also made a
great profit from the Anne and Henry’s relationship. They gained various titles and became
known as the most important family in England beside Tudors.
Somewhere near the end of 1532 Anne became
pregnant. This made Henry rush with the process of the
annulment. Henry and Anne got married on January 25, 1533 in
a secret ceremony. This helped Henry avoid any speculation
about the legitimacy of the child, which Henry hoped was a
boy. The marriage became public on the Easter of the same
year and later, on May 23, Henry’s marriage to Catherine of
Aragorn was declared null and void. Anne was crowned a
queen consort on June 1 in Westminster Abbey.
Getting married to Henry didn’t have the result that
Anne wanted. People were furious because of the unfair
treatment that the former queen, Catherine of Aragon,
endured. She was banished from the court and her daughter,
Elizabeth I Tudor Lady Mary, was denied the request to see her mother and was
declared illegitimate. Anne was arrogant and controlling.
In the summer of 1533, great preparations had been made for the birth and
christening of the child, which was expected to be a boy. However, in the early hours of
September 7, 1533, Anne gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth after her mother Elizabeth
Howard and Henry’s mother Elizabeth of York. Henry was sorely disappointed and Anne’s life
was jeopardized. She succeeded in convincing Henry that a healthy girl would surely be
followed by a healthy boy, but his loyalty had already begun to waver. Elizabeth’s christening
service was scaled down and the whole ceremony was much less festive than originally
planned.
Anne felt that her daughter’s position on the court was threatened by Henry’s newly
proclaimed bastard, Lady Mary. Henry tried to reassure Anne by assigning a large number of
staff, including Lady Mary, to take care of Elizabeth. However, that wasn’t enough for Anne

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and so, in March of 1534, Parliament passed the Act of Succession. It meant that only
Henry’s children with Anne are the lawful heirs to the throne of England.
Another Act was passed that same year, the Act of Supremacy. This Act meant
Henry’s final break from the Church in Rome, and made Henry the head of Protestant
Church of England. He was inspired by ideas and teaching of Martin Luther and he consulted
with and was influenced by Anne, with her modern and almost revolutionary views of
religion and politics. Whoever refused to acknowledge the changes was accused of treason
and heresy and was executed. That was the faith of Henry’s former confidant and
correspondent Sir Thomas Moore.
Even though she had political success, Anne’s marriage deteriorated. This was due to
her jealousy and arrogance, which equally arrogant and selfish Henry couldn’t tolerate. Her
behavior, at the time, was not appropriate for a wife and even less for the Queen of England.
It was announced that Anne was pregnant once again in the early 1534. However the
King was involved in a jousting accident and it wasn’t clear if he was dead or alive. With
Anne’s already unstable status with the people of England and her urgent need to produce
male heir made her fall in a great state of shock. She miscarried a baby boy. Henry survived
the accident, but he hurt his leg very badly. That wound would bother him until the end of
his life. Some historians even speculate that the constant pain from the wound made him an
unpleasant and obese man for which he became famous for.
The rumors started spreading after the miscarriage that Henry was looking for a way
to annul his marriage to Anne without having to remarry Catherine of Aragon. He started to
believe that his second marriage was as cursed as his first one. The second miscarriage that
Anne had in the late 1535 didn’t help her case. It was only a matter of time before the
second queen would meet her downfall.
On January 8, 1536 the news of Catherine of Aragon’s death reached Anne and
Henry. They dressed in all yellow, which was considered the color of joy in England, and had
a big celebration. The people of England were outraged as Catherine of Aragon, even after
the annulment, was still a very prominent and well respected figure. Anne celebrated the
death of her greatest enemy, seemingly unconscious of her ruin that was approaching fast.
Somewhere around that time, Henry took an interest to Jane Seymour, Anne’s lady –
in – waiting. Families Seymour and Howard were rival families, and so it was not only a
matter of jealousy for Anne, but also of preserving her family reputation. Anne threw a
jealous fit, which made Henry resent her even more.
Thomas Cromwell, Anne’s former ally, was now the one to cause her downfall. Henry
consulted him on how to get rid of the Queen. Cromwell, along with someother Anne’s
enemies, started plotting her demise. Anne’s time had passed, Henry was eager to marry
Jane Seymour. After Cromwell had gotten King’s approval, he begun an investigation about
Queen’s alleged adultery and witchcraft. Those were accusations that were punishable by
death.
On April 30, 1536 a musician and one of Anne’s closest friends, Mark Smeaton, was
arrested. At first, he denied being Queen’s love, but he confessed later on. Next, Sir Henry
Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and even Anne’s own brother, George Boleyn,
were arrested on the same charges as Smeaton, on adultery and treason. They were taken

8
to Tower of London. They were not allowed to defend themselves. Anne herself was
arrested on May 2, 1533. She was accused of adultery, incest and plotting to murder the
King.
Weston, Brereton, Norris and Smeaton were tried on May 12, in Westminster, while
Anne and George Boleyn were tried on May 15, in the Tower of London. All of them were
found guilty and sentenced to death. Anne was to be burned, or she was to be beheaded if
she admitted that her marriage to Henry was not valid. She was terrified of burning, and so
she agreed to admit. On May 14, Thomas Cranmer declared Anne’s marriage null and void.
George Boleyn and the other men who were accused were executed on May 17,
1536 on Tower Hill. Instead of the usual beheading with an axe, the King brought an expert
swordsman from France for Anne’s execution. She had a private and more dignified
execution than her brother. Before she was executed she was blindfolded at her own
request.
Anne Boleyn’s head and body were buried in an unmarked grave in Chapel of St.
Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London. Her body had been discovered during the
renovations of the chapel and her grave is now marked.

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 4. Jane Seymour

Jane was born in 1508 at manor house named Wulfhall in Wiltshire, England. She was
the eldest of eight children of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth. She and Henry VIII
were fifth cousins and she was also a distant relative of Henry’s second and fifth wife, Anne
Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
She was described as the most beautiful of Henry’s wives.
With her fair complexion and calm and gentle nature she was
very different from Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. She
was also less educated than them. She was not that skilled in
reading or writing, but she was very good at managing
housework. Her motto was “Bound to Obey and Serve”.
In her early age, she was sent to France to complete her
education and when she came back to England she became a
lady – in – waiting to Catherine of Aragon. She was queen’s loyal
and faithful servant. When Catherine and Henry’s marriage fell
apart, she moved to the service of his new queen, Lady Anne.
However, her sympathies were still lying with Catherine.
Anne’s failure to produce male heirs Henry’s attention Jane Seymour

started drifting to other women. In the early 1536, sometime before Catherine’s death,
Henry started courting Jane. He sent her gifts and often visited her at the Seymour family
home. She never accepted his gifts and returned them which made Henry desperate. He
soon started thinking of a way to get rid of Anne so he could marry Jane. After Anne’s
execution Henry and Jane didn’t hesitate much, as they got formally betrothed on May 20,
1536, only one day after Anne got executed.
Wedding was held in Queen’s Closet at the Whitehall Palace in London on May 30,
1536. Unlike Henry’s previous wives, Jane never had a coronation, but she was publicly
proclaimed as queen consort on June 4, 1536. It was speculated to be because, taught by his
previous experiences, Henry showed reluctance to crown her before she gave him a son.
Jane has proven to be much more conservative in her reign than Anne Boleyn. She
also banned the French fashions that were made popular by Anne. Being taught by examples
of her predecessors, Jane didn’t meddle too much with politics.
Because of her gentleness and fairness and also her loyalty to late Catherine of
Aragon and her daughter Mary, for whose tragic faith Anne Boleyn was still blamed by many,
she was loved among common people as well as the people at court. She even succeeded in
reconciling Mary with Henry, but she failed at restoring her to the line of succession.
To Henry’s great joy, Jane became pregnant only few months after the wedding. She
was attended by the royal physicians and the best midwives in the kingdom. On October 12,
1537 Jane gave birth to a boy at Hampton Court Palace. He was named Edward VI. After

10
getting a male heir, which Henry longed for so long, the christening was made to be a grand
affair and Edward was christened on October 15, 1537.
With the birth of a male heir, Mary and Elizabeth, Henry’s daughters from his
previous marriages, were declined illegitimate.
Jane died twelve days after she gave birth to Edward, on October 24, 1537 at
Hampton Court Palace. There are a lot of theories about the cause of her death, the most
probable being puerperal fever or complications during childbirth. She was the only one of
Henry’s wives who received a queen’s funeral. She was buried at St. George’s Chapel at
Windsor Castle and the only one of Henry’s wives to be buried with him. After her death
Henry didn’t remarry for three years and he seemed to truly mourn her.

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 5. Anne of Cleves

Born on September 22, 1515 in Düsseldorf, Cleves in Germany as the second

daughter of John, duke of Cleves, and of Mary of Jülich.
Her marriage to Henry was a political affair on which his
advisors, with Thomas Cromwell being the most influential,
insisted because of the fear of France making an alliance with
Charles V, creating a threat of Catholic powers attacking
Protestant England. Although Anne’s father wasn’t a Lutheran nor
was her mother, who was strict Catholic, Anne’s brother, who
after the death of their father succeeded the duchy of Cleves, was
Lutheran and had a lot of “quarrels” with Charles V. He had the
responsibility of arranging and negotiating his sister’s marriages.
Anne was first betrothed at the age of 11 to Francis, heir of the
Anne of Cleves Duke of Lorraine. The betrothal was cancelled in 1535.
Apart from political matters, Henry wanted his bride to be desirable, so he had
agents in foreign countries report to him on appearance and other qualities of possible
candidates. The most famous Tudor court painter of that time, Hans Holbein, was sent to the
court of the duke of Cleves to paint the portraits of duke’s two sisters, Amelia and Anne.
When he saw the portraits, Henry, charmed by her sweet nature which Holbein captured on
the portrait, chose the older sister Anne. Negotiations started in March 1539 and ended with
a marriage treaty on October 6, that same year.
Anne arrived to England on December 27. Henry met her on January 1, 1540 at
Rochester and was immediately disappointed by his new bride. He said that he “liked her
not” and called her “no better than a Flanders mare”.
The marriage took place on January 6, 1540 at the royal Palace of Placentia in
Greenwich by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Anne knew no other language than her own.
She was skilled in needlework and liked card games but had no formal education and she
could read and write, but only in German. She conformed to the Anglican fate which was
expected of her. She was considered solemn and old – fashioned for the English court. Her
beauty was mild and she looked rather old for her age. Henry felt like he was deceived and
from the start of the marriage he tried to find a way out of it.
Anne was commanded to leave the court on June 24. The validity of the marriage was
questioned on July 6. Thomas Cromwell, who made arrangements for marriage was accused
of treason. Anne agreed to divorce the king their marriage was annulled on July 9, being
proven that it was not consummated and that Anne was previously betrothed to duke of
Lorraine. Few weeks later, Thomas Cromwell was executed and Henry married his fifth wife.
The former queen received many properties including Richmond Palace and Hewer
Castle. Because of his gratitude that she agreed to a divorce, he even called her his “royal
sister”. In return, she was requested to make her permanent residence in England. Until the

12
end of her life she attended many functions at court and became one of the most powerful
women in England. Whole royal family, including Henry’s children, loved her. She outlived all
other Henry’s wives, and Henry himself. She died on July 16, 1557 at Chelsea Old Manor and
was buried in Westminster Abbey.

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 6. Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard was born in Lambeth in 1523, the exact date of her birth is
unknown. She was one of the ten children of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper. Her
mother have already had five children from her previous marriage. Her father was a son of
Thomas Howard, the 2nd duke of Norfolk. Her father’s sister was the mother of Anne Boleyn,
Henry VIII’s second wife. Despite Lord Edmund’s noble background he was a younger son
among 21 children, meaning that his eldest brother inherited all his father’s estate.
Catherine’s mother died in 1528 and her father got married two more times.
After her mother’s death, Catherine, along
with few of her other siblings, went to live with her
father’s step – mother Agnes, the Dowager
Duchess of Norfolk. Catherine was neglected in her
childhood. Very little attention was payed to her
education. She could read and write, and displayed
great interest in her dance lessons, but she was
never scholarly or devout.
Duchess was often at court and that gave
her wards too much freedom and not enough
discipline. Due to that and to her joyous

personality and great beauty at such young age, Catherine Howard

Catherine had her first lover, music teacher Henry
Mannock at the age of thirteen. The affair lasted until 1538, when Catherine moved to
Duchess’ other household in Lambeth. There Catherine met her second lover, Francis
Dereham. They often addressed each other as “husband” and “wife”. Many people living in
the household knew about the relationship, except for Duchess. When she found out she
was horrified. Catherine was severely punished and the relationship came to an end.
Duke of Norfolk found Catherine a place in court, as a lady – in – waiting of Henry’s
fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Catherine soon caught the eye of King Henry VIII, who was
dissatisfied with his wife Anne from the start.
King became obsessed with Catherine. Henry’s infatuation with Catherine was a
chance for Howard family to regain the influence that they had during the time of Anne
Boleyn. Also, Catherine was brought to Henry’s attention by Stephen Gardiner, bishop of
Winchester and rival of Thomas Cromwell, who used the opportunity of king’s failed
marriage with Anne of Cleves, which was imposed by Cromwell, to bring Cromwell to his
demise.
After his failed marriages and ulcerous wound on his leg which never fully healed,
Henry VIII lost his good looks and became very obese. Even though Catherine was only
nineteen, she didn’t mind the advances of the much older king, due to gifts that Henry

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bestowed her with including land, jewels and expensive cloth. He was obsessed with her and
called her his “rose without a thorn”.
Henry and Catherine got married at Oatlands Palace on July 28, 1540, the same day
that Thomas Cromwell was executed. Catherine was publicly acknowledged as queen on
August 8 that same year. She was not interested in politics of England which Henry
appreciated. Her motto became “No other wish but his”. Soon after the beginning of
marriage, the new queen was approached by a various members of household of Dowager
Duchess. They asked for favors from her in return for their silence about her previous
indiscretions and she had no other option but to give them positions in the royal court.
In spring of 1541, Catherine started the affair with young courtier Thomas Culpeper.
Their meetings were arranged by Jane Boleyn, Viscountess of Rochford, the widow of late
George Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s brother. Their affair soon became known at the court, and in
November of 1541 Archbishop Thomas Cranmer informed Henry of queen’s previous and
current love affairs. She, along with Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpeper, were brought in
for questioning. Catherine was stripped of her title on November 23, 1541. In December of
1541 Dereham and Culpeper were executed for high treason.
Catherine was arrested for adultery and was banned from king’s presence. On
January 29, 1542 Parliament introduced a bill which made Catherine’s accusations treasons
and punishable by death. She was escorted to the Tower on February 10, 1542. In her path
she went under London Bridge where the heads of Culpeper and Dereham were impaled.
She was beheaded on February 13, 1542. Jane Boleyn was executed immediately
after her. Henry didn’t attend the execution. It is said that Catherine’s last words were “I die
a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper.” She was buried in an unmarked
grave in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula.

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 7. Catherine Parr

Catherine was the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife Maud Green. She
was born in 1512. Her mother Maud was a lady – in – waiting to Catherine of Aragon and it is
possible that Catherine was named after the late queen. Catherine’s father died when she
was very young. Catherine had two other siblings, William and Anne. She received a great
education, very similar to one that noble kids received. She was fluent in French, Latin and
Italian and started learning Spanish later in her life.
Unlike Henry’s other wives, Catherine was married
twice before she married Henry. Her first husband was Sir
Edward Borough. They got married when Catherine was 17,
in 1529. Edward was in his twenties, but he was in poor
health and so he died a few years later, in 1533.
Catherine’s second marriage wat to John Neville, 3rd
Baron Latimer. He was her father’s second cousin and he
was twice her age. He had two previous marriages and two
children from those marriages. Latimer was a supporter of
the Catholic Church and during the Lincolnshire Rising, he
was captured by Catholic rebels and forced to join them and

Catherine Parr Catherine and his children were held captive and threatened
to be killed if he didn’t do what they asked. This incident
strengthened Catherine’s devotion to the reformed Church of England. Latimer succeeded in
freeing them and avoiding arrest for his association with the rebellion. He died in 1543,
leaving Catherine widowed for the second time. She inherited her late husband’s fortune
and was named guardian of his daughter Margaret.
After Latimer’s death, Catherine went on to renew her friendship with Lady Mary,
daughter of her mother’s friend and employer Catherine of Aragon. Catherine started
working in the household of Lady Mary in the February of 1543. It was there that Henry VIII
took a liking to her. She was also courted by late queen Jane Seymour’s brother, Thomas
Seymour. Both men proposed to her around the same time, but Catherine took Henry’s
proposal over Thomas’, deeming it her duty to do so.
Catherine and Henry got married on July 12, 1543 at Hampton Court Palace. Henry’s
old age and poor health made him search for a bride who will serve as more of a caretaker
to his children and him, and he found that in Catherine. She reconciled him with his children
and was his only wife, besides Catherine of Aragon, who served as a regent in his absence
while he left on his last campaign to France in summer of 1544. It is considered that her

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reign during that time greatly influenced her stepdaughter and a future queen, Lady
Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn.
Catherine’s religious views and interest in Protestantism
made her a lot of enemies among the ranks of conservatives of
the court. There was a plot made by conservatives against her in
1546. She and her ladies were known to have banned books,
which was grounds for arrest and execution on charges of
heresy. An arrest warrant was drawn up, but she managed to
convince the King that she had only argued about religion so she
could be instructed by him and to take his mind off of his health
troubles and his ulcerous leg which was bothering his even
more now than when he was younger. He forgave her, but her
associate, a woman named Anne Askew, was executed.
King Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547. Catherine Parr
was made queen dowager and she became the guardian of Lady
Elizabeth. They lived at her home at Old Manor, Chelsea. She
retired from the court after the coronation of her stepson Edward VI, which took place on
January 31, 1547.
Henry VIII near the end of his life
Catherine was the first English Queen to have her book
published under her own name. She wrote a book named
“Prayers or Meditations” in 1545. Her second book, “The Lamentation of a Sinner” was
published in late 1547.
Not long after Henry’s death, Catherine secretly married her old love, Sir Thomas
Seymour. It caused a small scandal that the dowager queen would marry so quickly after the
King’s death. The matted displeased King Edward and Lady Mary, and they stopped talking
to her. Soon after the beginning of marriage, in the spring of 1548, rumors about Thomas
Seymour and Elizabeth’s relationship started emerging. Because of that, Elizabeth was sent
to another household.
After three marriages and five foster children, Catherine became pregnant with her
first child in November 1547 at the age of 35. She gave birth to a daughter named Mary,
after her stepdaughter, on August 30, 1548, at Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire. Catherine
died only 7 days later, on September 5 of puerperal fever. She was buried in the chapel at
Sudeley Castle. Thomas Seymour was beheaded for treason on March 20, 1549, and the last
record of Mary Seymour is on her second birthday. Her faith is unknown to this day.

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 8. Conclusion

Henry VIII’s reign, even though tyrannical, was the time of great progress for England
in political, cultural and religious spheres and his wives gave a great contribution to that
progress. All of them had changed Henry and his reign in their own sense. From Anne
Boleyn, who caused the reformation of the English church, which has lasted until this day, to
young Catherine Howard who softened Henry’s temper; they all had a role in making
England what it is today. With each marriage, Henry’s views towards the English alliances
and religion changed and, with them, the rest of the England changed too. They were the
causes of wars and rebellions. These women were mothers and stepmothers of Henry’s
children and successors, and so their influence has been spreading in the next few
generations of the English rulers. Edward, Mary and Elizabeth have all ruled England and
each of their reigns has often been compared to the reign of their mothers or stepmothers.
Mary was named “Bloody Mary” because of her attempts to regain Catholicism in England,
following the example of her mother Catherine of Aragon, who was considered to be “The
Great Catholic Queen”. Elizabeth, whose reign was the longest of all Henry’s children, found
her role model in Anne of Cleves and Anne Boleyn, with her strong belief in Protestantism.
Even though some of Henry’s women received more respect than others, there is no doubt
that they were some of the most influential women in the world. Therefore without them,
England wouldn’t be the great political and cultural force that it is today.

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9. References and the Bibliography:

 Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago; London; Toronto; Geneva; Sydney:

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. William Benton, Publisher, 1963.
 Kenigsberger, Helmut G., Džeri K. Bouler i Džordž L. Mouz. Evropa u
šesnaestom veku. Beograd: Clio, 2002.
 Morton, A.L. Istorija Engleske. Sarajevo: Izdavačko preduzeće “Veselin
Masleša”, 1955.
 The Six Wives of Henry VIII. http://tudorhistory.org/wives/ (accessed 15. 3.
2016).
 The Tudors. http://www.sixwives.info/ (accessed 22. 2. 2016).
 Wikipedia. The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Wives_of_Henry_VIII (accessed 15. 3.
2016).

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