Sarah- Henry 8 family tree

Henry 7

Henry 8

wives of Henry

Catherine of aragon

Mary

As queen, Catherine of Aragon's first duty was to bear children. Always alive to duty, Catherine experienced six pregnancies over nine years (1509-1518). Only two of her children were born alive, however. A male child, Henry, born in 1511, lived under two months, dying shortly after an enormous tournament held to celebrate his birth. More children - always envisioned as princes - were expected to come. But they did not.

King Henry himself said that he had married Catherine because it had been his father's dying wish. Their marriage postponed by disputes over Catherine's dowry and the consideration of other brides, the pair had been engaged six years before they wed in 1509.

Anne Boleyn

Elizabeth

several days of investigations, Lord Privy Seal Thomas Cromwell had the materials needed to oust Anne Boleyn With the king's approval, Cromwell and the Duke of Norfolk, the queen's uncle, placed Anne under arrest and escorted her to the Tower of London. With evidence obtained from interviews, Anne was charged with adultery and conspiracy to murder the king.

anne had initially caught the king's eye in 1525 after his affair ended with her older sister, Mary Boleyn. By the spring of 1526 Henry was completely captivated and begging Anne to be his mistress. His passion for Anne is evident in the love letters he wrote to his beloved -- 17 of which survive in the Vatican. In one letter, Henry promises Anne "if you... give yourself up, heart, body and soul to me... I will take you for my only mistress, rejecting from thought and affection all others save yourself, to serve only you." The king, accustomed to easy conquests, was surprised at Anne's rejection: "Your wife I cannot be, both in respect of mine own unworthiness, and also because you have a queen already. Your mistress I will not be." Anne made her point: it was to be marriage or nothing.

Jane Seymour

Edward 6

Jane's sweet and charming demeanor captured Henry's heart. Married just days after her predecessor's death, she was to become Henry's favorite wife. Jane, unlike any of Henry's other wives, gave Henry the one thing he wanted most -- a son, an act that would lead to her death.

Anne of Cleves

What pushed Henry VIII in the direction of Anne of Cleves, however, was not her status as a nubile virgin, but the urgings of his chancellor,Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell saw considerable advantage to England in an alliance with the German duchy of Cleves. Positioned in Germany's north, Cleves controlled territory that effectively acted as a buffer to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who controlled the Netherlands. At the same time, Cleves' family ties to the Schmalkaldic League of Protestant German princes gave England yet another chance to trounce Charles V's territorial ambitions. At a time when England was wary of an invasion in response to its break with Rome, an alliance with a Protestant league could prove a considerable comfort.

on the couple's wedding night when Henry VIII proved unable to consummate his union with Anne. By church law, this would easily provide grounds for annulling the marriage. To secure his goal, though, Henry needed Anne's cooperation.

Cathrine Howard

Cheerful, light-hearted and gay, Catherine made the aging and ailing king feel young again. But empty-headed Catherine, ignorant of the ways of the court, continued to have love affairs that eventually broke Henry's heart and led to her downfall.

On November 22, 1542, the title of queen was also taken from her. Catherine was terrified but at least she was not in the Tower, where her cousin, Anne Boleyn was sent to await her fate. She held out hope that the king would forgive her. Meanwhile, evidence against Catherine continued to build as her lovers and other witnesses were interrogated. Dereham and Culpeper were questioned and tortured. Her ladies-in-waiting, terrified of being implicated, betrayed their mistress and provided the evedince

Cathrine Parr

As it was, there were precious few women to vie with Catherine Parr for the title of queen. After the execution of Catherine Howard, few courtiers were willing to advance their daughters for consideration. The law requiring that a woman intended as the king's bride make a clean breast of all past affairs was a perilous gamble for members of the dissolute Tudor court. A sensible widow was just the thing. She was pious, she was dependable, she had a love of music and learning and the gouty king was tired of adventures of the heart.

the marrage ended with King Henry's death

Henry the 8 family tree

Henry and Catherine's only surviving child was Mary, born in 1516. But female children were not considered safe bets for preserving dynasties. Henry needed a male heir - a need that spurred his efforts in to divorce the middle-aged Catherine of Aragon