HENRY VIII AND HIS SIX WIVES

Henry VIII had a very unusual succession of wives that is described in a rhyme about their destiny:

“Divorced, beheaded, died;divorced, beheaded, survived.

In 1509, Henry married Catherine of Aragon. She had been his brother Arthur’s wife for only six months before Arthur died. Henry and Catherine were a perfect royal couple for about 20 years. They were truly in love and she gave him a lot of children, but only Mary (later Queen Mary) lived. However, Henry wanted a male heir to the throne and so he decided to ask the Pope to annul his marriage to Catherine. He said that it was not legal because she had been his brother’s wife before she married him. The Pope did not agree to annul their marriage and King Henry VIII left the Church of Rome and started his own Church, the Church of England. He became the Head of the Church of England and divorced Catherine. She was banished from court and died in January 1536.Before he divorced Catherine, Henry became interested in Anne Boleyn, and soon fell in love with her. They married secretly in 1533 and she gave him a baby girl, Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I). She lost some other children and Henry was disappointed because Anne could not give him a son. He accused her of adultery, annulled their marriage and Anne was executed in the Tower of London.Twelve days after Anne’s execution, Henry married Jane Seymour. Jane was sweet-natured and sensible. King Henry was very happy when she gave him a baby boy, Edward (later King Edward VI) in 1537. The nation was in glee. But this joy ended twenty-two days later when Jane died of a fever. Henry was very sad and mourned for a long time. Jane was the wife that he loved best.Henry wanted to marry again because England needed an alliance with a foreign country. So he decided to marry Anne of Cleves, a sister of the German Duke of Cleves. But Henry did not like Anne’s appearance and six months after their marriage, the king divorced her.Sixteen days later, he married Catherine Howard. Catherine loved to have fun and was very lively. Henry was old now and quite ill. The king learned of the affairs that Catherine had had before she married him, and ordered an investigation. The investigators found that she had a lover. Henry sent Catherine to the Tower of London and on 13th February 1542 she was executed. Her ghost still haunts a room in the Tower.Catherine Parr was Henry’s last wife. He married her about a year after Catherine Howard’s execution. He was old and very ill. Catherine helped him in his last days and cared for his two children, Elizabeth and Edward. After Henry died on 28th January 1547, Catherine married Thomas Seymour, but she died after she gave birth to a daughter in August 1548.

Activity 1

Read the rhyme about Henry VIII’s wives and their names next to the right word:

Divorced ……………………………………………………………………………Beheaded …………………………………………………………………………..Died …………………………………………………………………………………Divorced ……………………………………………………………………………Beheaded …………………………………………………………………………..Survived ……………………………………………………………………………

Activity 2

Read Henry VIII and His Six Wives and writ RIGHT, WRONG or DOESN’T SAY next to the statements:

1. Henry VIII married seven times.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

2. Henry’s first wife was 20 years old when she married him.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

3. The Pope gave Henry permission to divorce his first wife, Catherine.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

4. According to English law, it was necessary for Henry to have a male heir.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

5. Three of Henry’s children became monarchs.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

6. Henry divorced two of his wives.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

7. All of Henry’s wives were English women.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

8. Henry did not love any of his wives.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

9. Henry sent two of his wives to the Tower of London to be executed.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

10. Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn were cousins and very good friends.a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say