historicall.y

When Henry VIII married his sixth wife- Katherine Parr, she was already twice widowed and a step- mother, although she had no children herself. Yet, at the age of fifty- two years, Henry was unhealthy and struggling with his ever increasing weight. He did not really require a wife because it was obvious that he probably wouldn't procreate any more offspring, but, to be honest, he more than likely married Katherine so he could have a nurse. On the other hand it has been recorded that the king and queen did have an intimate relationship. History remembers Henry VIII's sixth wife as a kind, beautiful woman who was a devoted Reformer and highly intelligent scholar, she actually wrote a best seller titled: "Lamentations of a Sinner"! However Katherine also enjoyed pretty gowns, entertainment and was a successful step- mother. During her marriage to Henry, the queen bought together his estranged family. As a child her mother, Maud Green (aka Lady Maud Parr) educated h...

Portrait of Catherine Howard by Hans Holbein the Younger Despite the ridiculous age gap, King Henry VIII, who was aged forty- nine, took nineteen year old Catherine Howard to be his fifth wife on 28th July 1540! Henry doted on his young wife and presented her with beautiful gifts and tokens of love. Catherine was Henry's 'rose without thorns' and a 'perfect jewel of womanhood'. However, after no more than two years marriage, Catherine was laying her fragile neck upon her husband's chopping block. Upon arriving at court in 1540 from her step- grandmother's residence, Catherine was to serve the king's German wife: Anne of Cleves. She quickly attracted attention from the king because of her confidence and cheerful personality. Her paternal uncle: the Duke of Norfolk urged on his niece, as he had with his other niece the late Anne Boleyn (!) (Catherine's first cousin). Her one flaw which would assist in leading her to the executioner was her fl...

On 6th January 1540 Henry VIII married the German princess Anne of Cleves, in a politically arranged marriage. The king's advisor Thomas Cromwell persuaded the him to re- marry because it had been three years since Jane Seymour had passed away after succeeding giving Henry the thing he wanted most: a son.  Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Cleves in Germany with the orders to paint the Duke of Cleve's daughters. Two very flattering images were sent back to the king but he chose the older sister- Anne above the younger sister- Amalia. Henry was about 49 years old whereas Anne was about 25 and a year older than Henry's eldest daughter Mary! Thankfully, unlike most of the other candidates to be the queen, Anne's family had already agreed to let Henry wed there daughter!  Henry first met Anne at Rochester Abby where she was standing by a window watching the bull- bating in the courtyard. With a group of friends, he disguised himself and entered the room. Accord...

Less than a month after the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII of England married her former lady- in- waiting: Jane Seymour. Historians believe that Jane was the notorious king's favourite wife because she gave him a son, unfortunately she died twelve days after his birth. Jane Seymour caught the eye of the womanising king when the was the maid of honour to her predecessor as Henry's wife. Apparently she was noticed whilst the royal party were staying at her place of birth- Wulfhall in the summer of 1535. Around that time, Henry began to privately court the woman. When Anne found out, she was outraged as she was jealous of her servant, who was receiving attention, letters and gifts from her rightful husband. Jane did receive gifts but she reportedly sent the majority of them back. Once the French ambassador noticed the romantic couple, the courting became public and Jane's siblings were moved up in court. I imagine that this did not go down too well with Anne Boleyn...

For a few months of his life, King Henry VIII of England was married to two women! The first was his original wife of twenty- four years: Catherine of Aragon; the second was a lady- in- waiting of Catherine: Anne Boleyn.  Henry was desperate for a male heir to keep the Tudor dynasty going, and when Catherine of Aragon grew to old to provide her impatient husband a new baby (she had been through six pregnancies, sadly only one child survived- Mary). Meanwhile one of the queen's ladies had caught the eye of Henry. This lady was the charismatic, intelligent and genteel Anne Boleyn. With this woman, the king was willing to go to great lengths to ensure he married her because, unlike poor Catherine, she was young and, Henry thought, would be able to have lots of lovely sons for him!  We do not know exactly what the new woman in Henry's life looked like, and there is a lot of debate about it bouncing between historians. However, we can take an educated guess about what Ann...

Catherine of Aragon, princess of Spain, arrived in England in 1501, with the hope to wed her betrothed- Arthur, Prince of Wales. The wedding went along as planned, the bride and groom were happy and everything was well. But, after less than five months of marriage, Prince Arthur was dead; probably due to the sweating sickness or typhoid or consumption. Now a widow aged just fifteen years old, Catherine was left to live on barely anything until her former father- in- law, King Henry VII, promised her hand in marriage to his youngest son-  Prince Henry. Shortly after his succession to the to the throne of England, Prince Henry, now King Henry VIII, made it one of his first acts to marry Princess Catherine of Aragon. Even before the union, the couple had known each other for nearly a decade! Henry claimed that it was his father's dying wish for him and Catherine to wed.  Although she did not possess any of the typical Spanish looks of dark hair and olive skin, Catherine...