Henry XVIII is called the most famous king of England. True, it was not military exploits or progressive reforms that brought him popularity, but a break with the papacy and a peculiar attitude towards marriage. The monarch was married 6 times. English schoolchildren memorize the fate of his wives with the help of a counting rhyme: "divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived." This king never denied himself the pleasure of "marrying for love" and lived only by his own rules.

It should be noted that young Heinrich, a tall red-haired handsome man who was fond of physical exercises, especially archery, was really a conqueror of women's hearts. He became king in 1509, inheriting the throne at the age of 17 after his older brother died early. But along with the throne, he had, as they said in one beautiful cartoon, "marries his old wife" Catherine of Aragon. True, for this, the girl took an official oath that, despite her marriage, she remained a virgin - this was the only way to get consent to this marriage from the head of the Catholic Church.
Young Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII in their youth, in the year of accession to the throne, the First wife "lasted" the longest. The couple lived together for about 15 years, after which the marriage essentially turned into a fiction, but formally lasted another 10 years. The main problem, as in many royal families, was the issue of the birth of an heir. Catherine had several children over the years, but all the babies died. Only one daughter Maria survived, but the king could not even think of transferring the throne to a woman. A dynastic crisis was brewing, and at the same time the new love king. No, of course, he had never denied himself pleasure before and constantly had mistresses. Heinrich even recognized one son from such a relationship, but with Anna Boleyn everything was different.

Anne Boleyn, portrait by an unknown artist, c. 1533-1536 Anne was the younger sister of the former royal mistress Mary Boleyn. Probably, her unfortunate fate led Anna to the idea of ​​​​how to interest the king for a long time. She simply refused to enter into a sinful relationship with him. Probably, for a noble seducer, this was a novelty, so the girl really tied the thoughts and feelings of Henry VIII very tightly to herself. For her sake, he began the divorce procedure, which at that time, of course, was almost impossible. The formal occasion for it was chosen with true royal disdain. The English monarch declared that marriage with ex-wife brother should be considered invalid, since he cannot marry his sister. Pope Clement VII, however, did not forget how his predecessor was proven otherwise 20 years ago, and refused to annul this union. However, this persistence cost the Roman Catholic Church dearly. As a result, with the support of Parliament, the Church of England separated from the papal throne, and the new Archbishop of Canterbury did everything that the enamored king needed - recognized the former marriage as invalid and blessed the new one. So Anne Boleyn became the second wife of Henry VIII and the creation of the Anglican Church began. The new wife was crowned in 1533, and in the same year she gave birth to the king's long-awaited child ... who again turned out to be a girl. By the way, it was this offspring who later became the famous Virgin Queen Elizabeth I. Anna's subsequent children were born dead, and clouds of royal discontent began to thicken over her. According to some reports, the last child was also born a freak, after which the queen was accused of witchcraft and treason. She ended her life on the block in 1536. In memory of this strange and tragic love, we are left with the most beautiful ballad Greensleeves (Green Sleeves). According to legend, Henry VIII himself composed it for Anne Boleyn (in addition to physical exercises, the king was also fond of fine arts). Despite the fact that there is no direct evidence of high authorship, the song was undoubtedly written at the English court during this period of time. The next wife of Henry VIII was the former lady-in-waiting of Anne Boleyn Jane Seymour. She finally managed to give birth to a viable male heir to the king. True, she herself did not survive childbirth.

Jane Seymour, portrait by Hans Holbein (the younger) In the later life story of the bloody king modern psychologists find signs of several mental illnesses. He was overcome by paranoia, weakening mental capacity and emotional instability. All this resulted in a real nightmare for the subjects. It is believed that this monarch during his reign put to death more people than anyone before or after him. The deterioration of health, which replaced physical perfection, also did not add to the aging king's good mood. He injured his leg while hunting, and the wound, probably due to infection, became a non-healing rotting ulcer. A completely wild diet (for some reason, Heinrich ate practically only fatty meat) and immobility caused gout and terrible obesity. By the end of his life, with a height of about 185 cm, he weighed 180 kg. All this led to the fact that Henry VIII died at the age of 55, in a terrible state. However, over the last 10 years of his life, he still managed to marry three times. Deciding that he still needed a worthy wife, the English king began to send messengers to different countries. However, the monarchs were understandably skeptical about this flattering proposal. The bride was finally found in Germany. Anna of Cleves was the daughter of one of the German dukes. Her portrait by Hans Goldbein really liked Heinrich, but the original was completely disappointing. And although the marriage was concluded in 1540, after half a year the king simply canceled it (over time, he was more and more relaxed about such procedures). This time, Heinrich declared that he could not be the spouse of a previously engaged woman and he did not start a marriage relationship with her. It can be said that Anna of Cleves was more fortunate than other wives, since she remained in England as the "King's sister". In this case, Henry's first adviser Thomas Cromwell lost his head, who slipped such an unattractive wife to the king.

Anna of Cleves, portrait by Hans Holbein (younger) And the king still wanted love. Now he found her in Anne Boleyn's cousin Catherine Howard. The almost 30-year age difference, of course, was not an obstacle, and for two years the young woman became queen. She was killed by connections on the side. It turned out that she had lovers both before marriage and after ... Her life also ended on the chopping block in the Tower

Catherine Howard The last wife, who survived the restless king, was distinguished by prudence and a calm character. It is probably still possible to say that Henry VIII finally found the woman of his dreams, since this marriage of his can be considered quite successful. Catherine Parr was at that time already over 30 years old, and she herself survived two husbands. The new queen really tried to create good family relationships. She gradually won the trust of his children and gave attention to the ailing king. Despite this, she might also have become a victim of palace intrigues and Henry's developing paranoia. It is known that several times she was practically on the verge of death. However, the death of Henry VIII put an end to this crazy race.
Catherine Parr and Henry VIII

Tudor and his 6 wives for almost 550 years has been of interest not only to historians, but also to people of art. And this is not surprising, since even without any adjustments it is in no way inferior to the plots of the most popular soap operas.

Many books have been written and dozens of films have been made on the topic of the monarch's numerous marriages. However, not all of them are true, so it will certainly be interesting for you to read documented facts that shed light on the relationship between Henry VIII Tudor, his wives and heirs, and why the king could not find a woman who could make him become an exemplary family man.

First marriage

Henry VIII ascended the English throne after the death of his father at the age of 17. He entered into his first marriage shortly before that. Moreover, this marriage was not only not out of love, but even its expediency from the point of view of strengthening England's position in Europe was questionable both by the father of the young king and his advisers.

The wife of the future king was Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish infanta, who, moreover, was the widow of Henry's older brother, Arthur. She was older than her husband and their marriage was opposed by the Catholic Church, which considers them close relatives. In order to get permission from the pope, Catherine even had to take an oath that she, despite being married to the Prince of Wales, remained a virgin. Based on these testimonies, the Spanish Infanta's first matrimonial union was declared invalid.

Absence of an heir

Having become king, young Henry completely obeyed his wife in matters foreign policy. At the same time, the queen was most concerned about the interests of her native Spain. At the same time, everyone expected the birth of an heir from Catherine, but she only gave birth to dead children, or they died immediately after birth.

Finally, in 1516, 7 years after the wedding, the queen became the mother of a healthy girl, who was named Mary. According to the marriage contract of Catherine and Henry, in the absence of a couple of sons, the throne was to pass to the daughter. However, the king was afraid even of the thought that a woman would be on the throne of England. He continued to hope that Catherine would give him a son, but the next and last pregnancy of the queen ended in the birth of another dead boy, which made the threat of a dynastic crisis real.

Extramarital affairs

While the queen unsuccessfully tried to become the mother of the heir to the throne and was constantly pregnant or moving away from a difficult birth, Henry sought solace on the side. His most famous mistresses at that time were Bessie Blount, who gave birth to the king's son Fitzroy, and

Interestingly, in 1925, the first boy was given the title of Duke of Richmond and His Majesty did not even hide that he was the father of this child, while he did not recognize children from his second mistress, although everyone was sure that they were not born without his participation.

Ann Bolein

According to historians, all the wives of Henry 8 Tudor to one degree or another loved this extraordinary person. However, he did not idolize any of them, and subsequently hated them as much as Anne Boleyn.

The girl was the younger sister of his mistress Maria, but she was distinguished by exceptional ambition. She received an excellent education in Brussels and Paris and shone at court. Noticing signs of attention from the king, she met with him with pleasure for intellectual conversations, but was in no hurry to accept his advances.

Perhaps the reason for her impregnability was the fate of her sister, who became Henry's concubine, and then was rejected and forgotten by him. The refusal only kindled the king's love ardor. To achieve her favor, he offered Anna the role of the wife of Henry 8 Tudor, although he already had a legal wife.

Divorce

To receive the status of the wife of Henry 8 Tudor was an honor for any girl, and Anna could not help but appreciate the sacrifice that Henry decided to make for her. She encouraged him in every possible way and set him against the pope, who refused to divorce the king and Catherine of Aragon.

As a result of long negotiations with the pontiff, the latter agreed to an investigation. The judges had to decide on the annulment of the marriage of Henry VIII with the Spanish infanta, as sinful, if it is proved that he was concluded between relatives.

The trial did not produce results, so the angry king and his advisers found a way out: Parliament passed laws according to which the power of the pope no longer extended to the territory of England. Moreover, in 1534 the entire Catholic world shuddered when they learned that the Act of Supremacy had been signed in London. In this document, Henry VIII was proclaimed the head of the English church, which meant a complete break with Rome.

Second marriage

Anna Klevskaya

Although England already had an heir to the throne, after the death of Joan Seymour, ambassadors were sent to many European capitals. They were ordered to find candidates for the role of the wife of Henry 8 Tudor. Portraits of girls from royal families had to be brought to London so that the king would choose his bride. As it turned out, no one was eager to give their daughter as a wife to a man who had two annulled marriages behind him and who executed the mother of his child.

With great difficulty, the ambassadors managed to persuade Duke Wilhelm of Cleves to marry his sister Anna to Heinrich. At the end of 1539, the princess arrived in Calais, where she met her fiancé. The king was disappointed, as the bride did not look at all like the girl from the portrait that had been sent to him. He returned to London in a rage and unleashed his anger on the courtiers, who betrothed him a "Flemish mare."

Nevertheless, he had to marry, but he declared publicly that he did not touch his wife. Despite this, Anna of Cleves won universal love at court and became a good stepmother for the three children of the king. Henry soon decided to cancel the barque. The queen did not resist, especially since her husband invited her to live in the palace as his "beloved sister".

Catherine Howard

By 1540, King Henry VIII Tudor of England and his wives were all over Europe. He could no longer hope to find a wife among the girls from the most august families, so he turned his eyes to the ladies-in-waiting of the fourth wife. Among them, he especially liked whom he married.

The marriage at first seemed happy, and Henry seemed to be 20 years younger. But the young wife was an anemone, and soon young people appeared in her retinue, with whom she was friendly before she became queen. Upon learning of his wife's infidelity, Henry ordered her to be executed in front of the crowd.

Catherine Parr

This woman happened to write the last chapter of the novel "Henry VIII and his six wives." At the time when the king proposed to her, she had already become a widow twice, and she was 31 years old. The king was over 50, and he told Lady Catherine that he hoped that she would be his comfort in old age. The new wife of Heinrich became friends with her husband's daughter Elizabeth and took up the education of his son Edward. The marriage lasted 4 years and ended with the death of the monarch.

Now you know some Interesting Facts about the events in which the main actors were the English king Henry VIII and his six wives. Fortunately, today everyone is free to marry as many times as they wish, and for this it is not at all necessary to cut off heads or plunge the whole country into the abyss of religious and civil wars.

For two days in total, wives are dear to us: on the day of the wedding, and then on the day of the removal of the body.
Hippocrates

Exactly five hundred and nine years ago, on April 22, 1509, Henry VIII ascended the English throne after the death of his father.

Henry was the second king of the Tudor dynasty, which came to power after the War of the Scarlet and White Roses, during which the Yorks and Lancasters, with tenacity worthy of a better use, exterminated each other, and at the same time a fair part of the English people.

His father, Henry VII (yes, they weren’t particularly original in their names) overthrew the infamous Richard III (the murderer of his nephews, the children of King Edward IV, “Horse, horse, half the kingdom for a horse!”) And received the throne. Being related to the Lancasters, he married the daughter of Edward IV from the York dynasty, Elizabeth, and began to give birth to children, one of whom would be Henry.

Projects, the economy, the fleet, taxes, paving roads, building fortresses, debits and credits - all this is insipid and dreary. Therefore, in history, Henry VIII remained, first of all, the “Bluebeard”. No joke, six marriages, six women, six heads (some of them will fall with a thud from thin necks)! With such a saturated personal life even a neighbor would like to discuss, why talk about the king of England! True, in the first case, you run the risk of being branded as a gossip and a collector of dirty laundry, and in the second, you are a person who is not indifferent to history, well done and generally a role model.

Our wives, Russian Heinrich, Tsar of All Russia, Ivan the Terrible, we do not know well, we do not teach at school (either five of them, or seven). And British kids have a special mnemonic phrase about the king's spouses: "divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived." Six words. Six destinies. Six Lives.

First wife, Catherine of Aragon

The marriage with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, lasted almost a quarter of a century. Not too beautiful, not very smart, Catherine was a daughter great queen Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand. An alliance with Spain against the French kingdom was very necessary for England, and no better way to hold it together than marriage. Therefore, Catherine was first married to Arthur, Henry's older brother, who soon dies, and then to Henry himself.

Six children will be born in marriage, but only one will survive, or rather one - a girl with a meek biblical name Mary. Later known as Mary the Bloody, Mary the Catholic, who lit up the streets of London with bonfires that burned Protestant heretics. On her orders, the "nine-day queen" Jane Gray is executed.

Mary I. By the way, on her chest she has the famous pearl "Peregrine"

There was no heir, Catherine could no longer give birth (six births is an impressive indicator even for our time, her health, apparently, has gone to hell). The Pope's refusal to grant a divorce led to a break with Rome, and in 1534 England became a Protestant state. Now the king, as the head of the church, can allow himself anything. Those who did not accept this Act of Supremacy were declared traitors to the state and executed. Among them was a well-known politician, humanist writer, author of Utopia, a former associate of Henry VIII, Sir Thomas More.

Thomas More

Even during his marriage to Catherine, Henry developed a passion for a pretty and intelligent girl, the red-haired Anne Boleyn. The dynasty needed a son, an heir to the throne. Anna gave birth to two sons, but both soon died, only a daughter survived, but what ... Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor dynasty, is known to everyone and everyone (by the way, they say that our Ivan IV wooed this Virgin Queen. Elizabeth will refuse, and never get married). The marriage of Heinrich and Anna lasted less three years: The queen was executed on charges of treason.

Lovers on the hunt, artist's fantasy

The author of the famous ballad "Green Sleeves" is often called Henry VIII, and the addressee is Anne Boleyn. The ballad is lyrical, gentle, caressing. It's always like this with men: first he sings songs to you, and then he cuts off your head.

The heartbroken king soon marries the lady-in-waiting of his previous wife, Lady Jane Seymour. Heinrich dearly loved his new wife, she reciprocated. Everything was like in a fairy tale: and they lived happily ever after. But it did not work out for a long time, the marriage lasted four years. During childbirth, Jane Seymour died, her child survived. After the death of his father, he will ascend the throne under the name of Edward VI, live 15 years and ... essentially kill Lady Jane Gray, leaving her the crown, bypassing his older sisters. Made famous by Mark Twain in The Prince and the Pauper.

Edward VI and his mother

With his fourth wife, Anna of Klevskaya, Heinrich lived in marriage for less than a year. And all why, yes, because he chose his wife according to the portrait. A talented artist is able to beautifully and attractively depict even the most boring mediocrity. The painter Holbein Jr. knew how to do this, he painted a portrait of Anna, the picture was sent to Heinrich. The king was fascinated, the portrait turned out to be beautiful, but the living Anna was not.

The same portrait

Soon there was a divorce, but the ex-wife remained as the "sister" of the king at court and was faithful friend until Henry's death.

By the way, about Holbein. It was his painting "Dead Christ in the tomb", mentioned in the novel "The Idiot", that impressed Fyodor Dostoevsky so much, to the point of shivering.

- To this picture! the prince suddenly exclaimed, under the influence of a sudden thought, “at this picture! Yes, from this picture, another can still lose faith!

And now Heinrich is alone again, he is fifty years old. The fifth wife is Anne Boleyn's cousin Catherine Howard. The young girl (date of birth unknown, but about 15-20 years old) was beautiful, Heinrich himself grew younger next to her, was cheerful and frisky. She was never able to get pregnant, and was soon executed, because before her marriage to the king she already had a not quite platonic relationship. Such harsh medieval laws... Their life together lasted only a year and a half.

Poor Catherine Howard

Sixth wife. Honorable widow, middle-aged, but pleasant to the eye, smell, touch - Catherine Parr. She married old people from a young age and loved to take care of their adult children. Whether there was something obscene in this concern history is silent. Henry's children, however, also adored their stepmother. Three years later, Henry VIII dies. Catherine Parr, having cried a couple of evenings into a brocade handkerchief, immediately got married, became pregnant, gave birth to a daughter, but died during childbirth.

Catherine Parr. Widowed three times, married four times, kind stepmother, Queen of England - a worthy track record.

In his youth, Heinrich was a miracle, how good-looking. Tall, more than 190 centimeters tall (much even by our standards), stately (judging by the clothes, the waist was only ninety centimeters), with masculine features, mobile.

With age, he was flabby, decrepit, dilapidated and monstrously fat. He was so obese that he could even move around the castle only with the help of a special mechanism. Not surprising: by the end of his life, the royal waist was 150 centimeters (the diameter of a good log), and his weight was under 140 kilograms.

A handsome prince with a meek disposition became a greasy barrel that tyrannized everyone around.

What instructive conclusion can we draw from this? It's obvious: a large number of wives are unhealthy. So take one wife once in your life.

Name: Henry VIII Tudor

State: England

Field of activity: King of England

Greatest achievement: Reformed the church. Under the reign of Henry VIII, the Church of England separated from the Church of Rome.

Henry VIII, the English king, became famous for marrying six times, beheading two of his wives, and also brought about the Reformation in the country, separating the English church from the Roman one.

Childhood of Henry VIII

Henry VIII Tudor (June 28, 1491 – January 28, 1547) was born at Greenwich Palace, London. His parents, King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, had six children, but four survived: Henry himself, Arthur, Margaret and Mary. Athletic developed, the boy was keenly interested in art, music and culture in general, and even wrote. He was witty, with the help of private teachers and educators he received a good education.

amateur gambling and knightly tournaments, he held countless feasts and balls. His father saw Arthur as king, and Henry was preparing for a church career. Henry's fate might have turned out differently, but in fact he inherited a kingdom that had just ended the Wars of the Roses.

Coronation

In 1502, Prince Arthur married the Spanish Infanta Catherine of Aragon. Without having lived in marriage for four months, Arthur died at the age of 16, leaving the throne to the ten-year-old Henry.

In 1509, 17-year-old Henry VIII ascended the throne. He was good-natured, but soon got a taste of power, indulging his every desire. Two days after his coronation, he arrested two of his father's courtiers and quickly executed them.

The English Reformation and the role of Henry VIII in its formation

When Henry realized that Queen Catherine was unable to bear him an heir, he attempted to divorce her. He asked for permission from Pope Julius II, but according to church canons, if the pope did not find reasons not to enter into this marriage, then now he could not give permission for a divorce.

Henry convened Parliament and brought up the issue of annulment for discussion. The officials who gathered at the meeting were ready to reform the church, but could not agree on exactly how it would look like. Time passed, but things did not move. Then the king decided to accuse all the English clergy of encroaching on royal power.

In 1534 the English Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church. The King was declared "the only Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of England".

These macro-reforms have changed everything beyond recognition. Henry ordered the clergy to preach superstition, miracles, and pilgrimages, and to remove nearly all candles from religious observances. His 1545 catechism abolished the saints.

Completely separated from the pope, the Anglican Church was located, not Rome. From 1536 to 1537, the great northern uprising, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, began, during which 30,000 people rebelled against the reforms.

This was the only serious threat to Henry's authority as a monarch. The leader of the rebellion, Robert Aske, and 200 others were executed. When John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester and Henry's former Lord Chancellor, refused to swear an oath to the king, they were sentenced to death.

The result of these reforms was the loss of power in the territory of England by the pope, and the population got the opportunity to read the Bible in their own language.

But Henry achieved his main goal - he divorced Catherine of Aragon and now he could make decisions independently of Rome.

Catherine of Aragon

They were married at Westminster Abbey. Henry VIII's father wanted to confirm his family's union with Spain, so Henry had to agree to this marriage. The families asked Pope Julius II to grant permission for their marriage, which was concluded 8 years later when Henry VII died in 1509.

After two stillborn children - a girl and a boy - Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Maria. Her fourth pregnancy ended in the death of another girl. Henry demanded an heir from her. Realizing that there was no more hope for the birth of a son, he decided to divorce. The discussion, during which Catherine fought to maintain her position and that of her daughter, lasted six years.

Ann Bolein

Mary Boleyn introduced the King to her 25-year-old sister Anne. Heinrich and Anna began to secretly meet. Catherine was 42 years old, and the hope that she would conceive a child evaporated, so Heinrich began to look for a woman who would give birth to his son, and for this he needed to officially become single.

Henry decided to defy the pope's permission, and in January 1533 he secretly remarried. Soon Anna became pregnant and gave birth to a girl whom she named Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the new Archbishop of Canterbury announced that the king's first marriage was annulled by a court decision. However, the new queen was also unable to give birth to a living heir. She miscarried twice and the king switched to Jane Seymour. Now it was necessary to get rid of the second wife. They fabricated a complicated story, accusing her of adultery, incestuous relationships and attempted murder of her husband.

She soon appeared before the court. Anna, regal and calm, denied all accusations against her. Four days later, the marriage was declared invalid and annulled. Anne Boleyn was then taken to Tower Green, where she was beheaded on May 19, 1536.

Jane Seymour

11 days after the execution of Anna, Henry VIII officially married for the third time. However, Jane never went through the coronation ceremony. In October 1537, she gave birth to the king's long-awaited son, Edward. Jane died nine days later from an infection. Since she is Henry's only wife to have given birth to a son, he considered her his only "real" wife. The people and the king mourned her for a long time.

Anna Klevskaya

Three years after Jane Seymour's death, Henry was ready to remarry, as having only one son was risky. He began to look for a suitable bride. He was offered Anna, the sister of the German Duke of Cleves. The German painter Hans Holbein the Younger, who served as the king's official painter, was sent to paint her portrait. The king liked the portrait, but when Anna arrived at the court, Henry was furious - she turned out to be not as pretty as she was described to him, and did not look like a portrait at all. However, they married in January 1540, but Henry divorced her six months later. She received the title of "king's sister" and lived all her life in the castle given to her.

Catherine Howard

Within weeks of his divorce from Anna of Cleves, on July 28, 1540, Henry married Catherine Howard. She was a cousin of his second wife Anna. The king was 49 years old, Catherine 19, they were happy. By this time, Heinrich was very stout, his leg wound festered and did not heal, and his new wife gave him life. He generously endowed her.

But here, too, happiness did not last long. It turned out that Catherine was more interesting in the company of her peers, and this also extended to her bedroom. After an investigation, she was found guilty of adultery. On February 13, 1542, she repeated the fate of Anne Boleyn on Tower Green.

Catherine Parr

Independent and educated, twice a widow, Catherine Parr was Henry's sixth wife. Their marriage took place in 1543. Her mother, Lady Maud Green, named her daughter after Queen Catherine of Aragon. The king, already seriously ill, still hoped for the birth of an heir, but their marriage remained childless. Catherine survived the king by only a year.

Children of King Henry VIII

The fate of the three surviving children turned out to be very different.

Mary Tudor

Henry's first child to survive infancy. Maria, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was born on February 18, 1516. Following her half-brother Edward in 1553, Mary ascended the throne and ruled until 1558, until her death.

Elizabeth

On September 7, 1533, the second daughter, Elizabeth, was born. Although she was born a princess, Henry declared her illegitimate, as she was the daughter of Anne Boleyn. After the death of Mary Tudor, she ascended the throne under the name of Elizabeth I and remained there until 1603.

Edward

The only son of Henry VIII, born to his third wife, Jane. In 1547, 10-year-old Edward (b. 12 October 1537) assumed the throne under the name Edward VI after the death of his father and died in 1553.

Death of Henry VIII

Toward the end of his life, Heinrich suffered from gout. His skin was covered with festering abscesses, and an unhealed wound, which he received as a result of an accident, opened on his leg. In addition, he was obese and could not move without assistance, not to mention physical exercises and training, which he loved very much in his youth. He continued to overeat excessively, accustomed to eating a lot of fatty meat, possibly due to stress. There is speculation that, in addition, he had type II diabetes. On January 28, 1547, Henry VIII died at the age of 55.

He is buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle next to Jane.

(1491-1547) was distinguished by an extremely cruel and unpredictable character. To this we can add that he was extremely fond of women and married many times. The wives of Henry VIII are a separate issue. There were 6 of them in total. The crowned bearer lived the longest with his first wife. Her name was Catherine of Aragon(1485-1536). It was her second marriage. And in the first, she was combined with Prince Arthur (the elder brother of the English king), who died at a young age in 1502. In 1509, Catherine united herself by the bonds of Hymen with younger brother who ascended the throne.

This marriage continued until January 1533, but it did not bring happiness to either the husband or the wife. In 1516, the couple had a girl, who was named Mary. There were 2 more children, but they died as babies. The king dreamed of an heir to continue the Tudor dynasty. But nothing happened with the first wife. I had to part with her after so many years family life. But the Catholic Church was categorically against divorce. As a result, the king declared the English Church independent and gave himself a divorce.

Catherine of Aragon (left) and Anne Boleyn

The second wife of the loving crowned bearer was in 1533 Anna Boleyn(1507-1536). This woman had a strong and strong-willed character. Her husband tried his best to please her. He even ordered the execution of those representatives of the nobility who opposed this marriage. In September 1533, Anna gave birth to a girl instead of the expected boy. The disappointment of her husband knew no bounds. True, the girl was not easy, but the future Queen of England Elizabeth I, but who could have known about this at that time.

The second birth ended unsuccessfully: the child was born dead. The crowned husband began to gradually cool off towards his wife. And she arranged magnificent holidays and bought insanely expensive jewelry in the absence of her husband. In the end, the king got tired of all this. In May 1536, Anne Boleyn was accused of infidelity to her husband, and the woman was put on trial.

She was charged with witchcraft and incest. Allegedly, she lived a sexual life with her brother. To these accusations was added a conspiracy against the king. But the most outrageous was the mockery of the poems that the crowned husband composed in his leisure hours.

Anne Boleyn's execution

The decision of the court was harsh and merciless. Anne Boleyn was sentenced to death penalty. At that time, 2 types of deprivation of life were used in England. This is burning at the stake and beheading. The right to choose the method of killing belonged to the king. He ordered to cut off the unfaithful wife's head, but not with an ax, as was always practiced, but with a sword. The French executioners were well-managed with the sword, but the British did not fill their hands in this matter. Therefore, I had to order a specialist from France.

The execution took place on May 19, 1536. The queen wore a luxurious green silk dress trimmed with red at the bottom. She hung a golden cross on her chest, and pulled white gloves on her hands. She pressed the Bible to her chest, and so she climbed the scaffold. Before the chopping block she took off her hat and knelt down. She was blindfolded with a white handkerchief. After that, the woman laid her head on the chopping block, and the executioner waved his sword and cut off her head. Watching all this, the king immediately ordered everyone to have fun.

Jane Seymour (left) and Anna of Cleves

Third wife was Jane Seymour(1508-1537). She gave birth to an heir to the throne, who was named Edward. But after giving birth, the woman fell ill with puerperal fever and died.

The next wife was Anna Klevskaya(1515-1567). But the crowned man married her not out of love, but out of political calculation. Anna was the sister of the Duke of Cleves. The lands under his command were part of the Holy Roman Empire. This marriage sealed the alliance of the German princes and the king of England.

Everything would be fine, but the new wife, when she arrived in England, did not like Henry VIII outwardly. The wedding took place in January 1540, and already in June the newlyweds parted. The reason was the previous engagement of Anna of Cleves with the Duke of Lorraine. But the woman did not leave England. She remained on the rights of the "king's sister". Until her death, she stayed at court and died only 10 years after the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I.

The fifth wife was Catherine Howard(1521-1542). It was a very young lady with whom His Majesty fell passionately in love. The marriage took place in July 1540. After that, the king changed. He seemed to have regained his youth. At the court, masquerades and balls began to be arranged. But the young wife found herself with a tarnished past. She had lovers before marriage and was not going to live differently after marriage. Almost immediately after the wedding, betrayal began. It soon became clear that the girl was engaged to one of her boyfriends.

When the king found out about all this, he was furious. The lovers were executed, and the unfaithful wife herself was on the scaffold on February 13, 1542. The poor thing was in a state of shock, so she was practically brought to the place of execution in her arms. The head of the unfortunate woman was laid on the chopping block, and the executioner, waving an ax, separated her from the body. There was no fun after this execution. Everyone dispersed in a depressed state.

Catherine Howard (left) and Catherine Parr

The last sixth wife was Catherine Parr(1512-1548). She married Henry in 1543. The far from young autocrat lived with her until his death in 1547. All these years he was seriously ill. But the wife did not give a reason for additional grief. This was her third husband. The woman had a great experience of family life, which ruled out suspicion and betrayal.

Thus, it is clear that all the wives of Henry VIII were women completely different in character and appearance. All of them were at the top of life, but some did not stand the test of success. Therefore, the end of these ladies turned out to be different. And taking into account the harsh customs of the 16th century, 2 of them ended their lives on the scaffold.