Why did Henry VIII marry six times?

Answer 1

Answer

King Henry VIII of England was born on 28th June 1491. He became King of England when his father died on 21st April 1509, and he reigned until his own death on 28th January 1547.

One of the reasons he is famous is that he married six times.

His father, King Henry VII had become King of England after defeating King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in the year 1485.

This marked the end of a long and bloody Civil War in England over who should succeed to the throne, known as The Wars of the Roses.

The last time a female had inherited the English throne was in the year 1141 when the daughter of King Henry I, Matilda became Queen. This led to a long Civil War known as "The Anarchy."

Henry VIII was keen to avoid another, similar Civil War and wanted to have a son who would be an undisputed, male heir to the throne.

This was the main reason why he married so many times.

Answer 2

Henry VIII (1491 - 1547) had SIX wives. Various circumstances persuaded him to marry six times.

Very briefly, his first wife, Catherine of Aragon was unable to provide him with a male heir, which he desperately wanted, so he eventually had their marriage annulled and married Anne Boleyn, his second wife, whom he had fallen in love with. Unfortunately for Anne, she failed to provide a male heir either, and was conveniently arrested and tried on trumped up charges of adultery and treason, for which she was executed. By this time, Henry had fallen in love with another lady at court, Jane Seymour, whom he married. Jane did provide Henry with a male heir, but died a few days after giving birth. Eventually Henry was persuaded to marry again, but this fourth wife, Anne of Cleves was chosen via a portrait Henry had commissioned, and when he saw her in the flesh, he was extremely unhappy with her appearance (he called her "the Flanders Mare"). He refused to consummate the marriage, so this was also annulled, but at least Anne of Cleves was "paid off" and did not lose her head. Yet again, Henry fell in love with someone else, a young girl called Catherine Howard, who was the niece of the Duke of Norfolk and also a cousin of Anne Boleyn. But this fifth wife made the mistake of having an affair with a young cousin of her mother's, Thomas Culpepper. Henry was shocked and upset when he was given the evidence of her adultery, and Catherine was arrested, and, like her tragic cousin Anne, eventually executed. Finally, Henry settled on an older, more responsible lady for his sixth and last wife, and he married respectable widow Katherine Parr, who managed to outlive him.

Here is a brief resume of each wife:

Henry VIII's six wives were:

1) Catherine of Aragon (1485 - 1536) - divorced (mother of Mary I)

2) Anne Boleyn (c1501-07 - 1536) - beheaded (mother of Elizabeth I)

3) Jane Seymour (c1504-09 - 1537) - died after childbirth (mother of Edward VI)

4) Anne of Cleves (1515 - 1557) - divorced

5) Catherine Howard (c1520 - 1542) - beheaded

6) Katherine Parr (c1512 - 1548) - outlived Henry, as he died in January 1547.

Answer 3

He Married Catherine Parr because he wanted another wife to be a Queen.