Keyword: King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491. In 1509, at 18 years old, he was crowned King Henry VIII of England. Henry’s family, the Tudor family, had come to power in 1485. Henry VIII was only the 2nd Tudor monarch. England had never had a ruling Queen, and Henry was desperate to have a son to continue the control the Tudor family.

He married Catherine of Aragon and had a daughter, but no sons. Disappointed, Henry decided to divorce her. This led to an important moment in England’s history.

England was a Catholic country. The Pope refused to grant a divorce. Against the Pope’s decision, Henry divorced his wife and married Anne Boleyn in 1533, which was a violation of Catholic law, so Henry was expelled from the Catholic Church. Henry then took control of religion in England, creating a new church and declaring himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. This way he could write and re-write the rules of the Church as he needed.

All in all, the King was married 6 times, making him the most married King in England. His wives included:

In 1509, Henry wed Catherine of Aragon. Catherine gave birth to 8 children, but only one girl survived, the future Queen Mary I. With no son to pass the crown on to, Henry divorced Catherine in 1533.
That same year, Henry married the already pregnant Anne Boleyn. She gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I, but again, no sons. In 1536, Henry ordered Anne’s execution; she was beheaded at Tower Green in the Tower of London.
He then married Jane Seymor, Anne Boleyn's lady in waiting. She gave birth to the King's only son, the future King Edward VI. Jane died from childbirth complications.
In January 1540, Henry married Anne of Cleves. This was an arranged marriage; the couple quickly divorced in July of the same year.
In 1540, Henry married Catherine Howard. Two years later, she was executed for adultery.
Henry married his sixth and final wife in 1543, Catherine Parr. She outlived the King, who died in 1547.