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Henry VIII
questions about this monarch, his wives and descendants where he is mentioned in the question. For example, questions about Queen Mary I go in "Monarchy" but questions about her parents go in "Henry VIII" as well.
3,934 Questions
How many wives did King Henry the 8th have?
King Henry VIII was the youngest son of two who succeeded his brother, Prince Arthur, the Prince of Wales, who died at a premature age at fifteen, shortly after his marriage to his wife, Catherine of Aragon, the Princess of Spain. Henry VIII had a great fear of leaving England without an heir so his desperate hunt for a wife who could give him a wife resulted in him having six wives.
His six wives (in order) as are follows:
Catherine of Aragon. Princess Catherine of Aragon was the youngest child of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. She had powerful connections to power in Spain, seeing as her nephew was Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. After twenty-four years of marriage, Henry VIII had their marriage annulled set off a chain of events that led to England's break with the Roman Catholic Church. When Henry was the head of the Church of England, he made his first marriage invalid on the legal ground that a man could not sleep with his brother's widow.
Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was part of one of the most powerful and most influential families at the time - the Boleyns and Howards. Anne was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn and Lady Elizabeth Howard. As a child, Anne was sent to the Netherlands and then to France for her education. She returned to England in late 1521. Upon her appearance in court, Henry VIII became enamoured of Anne and began to pursue her - Anned parried his advances and told him that she would not become his mistress, but his wife. And it was because of this that Henry VIII annulled his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne. When Pope Clement VII did not approve of this annulment, the rift between King Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church began. It was along and hard struggle to make Anne queen, but on the first of June in 1533, Anne was crowned the Queen of England. Later that year, she gave birth to a girl that would later become Queen Elizabeth I of England. And like Catherine of Aragon, she failed to produce a living male heir, which proved her downfall - she was beheaded in 1536 on the unconvincing charges of adultery (with the other gentlemen that visited her rooms), incest (with her brother, George Boleyn), and high treason. The men also accused of having sex with the queen, among them her own brother, were also beheaded.
Jane Seymour. Jane Seymour was the third queen and wife of King Henry VIII. He married her shortly after the death of Anne Boleyn. There were no conflicts between the king and his new queen, and Jane Seymour managed to produce a male heir, who would later become King Edward VI, who later died prematurely from tuberculosis, but there were some complications in the birth and she died on childbed due to postnatal complications.
Anne of Cleves. Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of Henry VIII. She was the second daughter of John III, ruler of the Duchy of Cleves, and his wife, Maria, the Duchess of Julich-Berg. Her father died in 1538 and her brother William became the Duke of Julich-Cleve-Berg. It was an alliance with the King of England, King Henry VIII, and Germany that caused their marriage - it was also urged onto him by King Henry's chancelor, Thomas Cromwell. Anne also had a younger sister, Amelia, whom the king was also considering to be his fourth wife. He hired and sent a painter to the girls' home and instructed the painter to paint the girls as accurate as possible and not to flatter them, becase he wanted to see what they looked like. Anne had almost no education in her childhood, though she was able to write and read, but only in German. This caused some problems because Henry valued educated and sophistication in women. Henry was anxious to meet his wife on the day she arrived and met her on the water's edge when she arrived by boat. But the wedding night was not as planned - Henry came out announcing, "I like her not" because Anne was larger-boned than any of the queens before her that were the wives of Henry VIII. He tried to get Thomas Cromwell to annul the marriage using a legal way, but Cromwell explained that there was no way to do so without offending the Germans. Their marriage ended on the ninth of July, 1540. Henry was nicer to Anne than he had been to any of his other wives - he gave her a small settlement of her own, including many properties that included Hever Castle, the estate that belonged to his former in-laws. Henry and Anne later became great friends and he made her a "Princess of England" and called her "the King's beloved sister". Anne was there when the two daughters of Henry rode side-by-side into London with Mary as Queen and was even at Mary's coronation. She outlived Henry VIII's last wife, Catherine Parr, by nine years. Anne never returned to Germany - instead, she spent the rest of her life in England.
Catherine Howard. She was also called Katherine Howard or Katheryn Howard. She was the fifth wife of Henry VIII, and he often referred to her as "the rose without a thorn". She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, a younger son of the second Duke of Norfolk. Catherine married Henry VIII on the twenty-eight of July, 1540, almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves. The way she lived her life and the knowledge about her past were known to be unchaste and shortly afterwards, she was beheaded about two years after her marriage on grounds of treason, meaning adultery committed while married to the king.
Catherine Parr. Catherine Parr, or Katherine or Katharine Parre, was the last of the six wives of Henry VIII. She was the Queen of England in the years 1543-1547, and then was known as the Dowager Queen of England. She was the most married English queen, with four previous husbands. Katherine Parr was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Parr, a descendant of King Edward III, and Maud Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green of Green's Norton, Northamptonshire. She was in the household of Henry VIII and also of Princess Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, when she caught the eye of the king. She had a relationship with Thomas Seymour, the brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour, but then the king offered marriage to her and she accepted. She was one of the queens that were said to have "lived" King Henry VIII, the other being Anne of Cleves, who lived nine years after the death of Catherin Parr.
Surprisingly, Henry VIII did not have six wives. He only had two.
Henry's fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled. The marriage never took place.
Why? There were two reasons; Anne and Henry never consummated the marriage which means to have intercourse. Anne was also already betrothed to Francis, Duke of Lorraine when she married Henry. The formal act of betrothal was illegal at the time.
The Pope declared Henry's second marriage to Anne Boleyn illegal, because the King was still married to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
When Henry was the head of the Church of England, he made his first marriage invalid on the legal ground that a man could not sleep with his brother's widow.
Henry annulled his marriage to Anne Boleyn just before he had her executed for adultery. Crazy when you think about it.
He did the same to Catherine Howard, his fifth wife. According to evidence, Catherine was unfaithful to him before and during their marriage. Henry passed an act making it treasonable for a queen to commit adultery. So, the marriage was annulled.
Annulments: Four.
Legal marriages: Two.
Total: Six.
Sources:
The Book of General Ignorance - Book - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson - Faber and Faber - 2006.
Henry VIII had 6 wives in his lifetime. It is said one can use a rhyming verse to best remember he had 6 wives. The verse is "King Henry the Eighth, to six wives he was wedded. One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded." His wives names were Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. Technically he was only married to two of the 6 because 4 of his marriages were annulled. He was also distantly related to each one of his wives through a common ancestor whom was King Edward I of England.
She was 36 years old. She was born in 1512 and died on September 5, 1548, eighteen months after the death of her 3rd husband (Henry VIII) and six months after she had married her 4th husband, Thomas Seymour.
Which 2 wives did King Henry VIII behead?
Henry VIII had his second wife, Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I, executed and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, Anne's cousin, executed. A popular nursery rhyme to remember this is Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.
Why did Henry VIII become head of the English Church?
Henry VIII was the son of Henry VII; the first King to break the long reigning line of thePlantagenet's and the last king to be part of the War of the Roses: a series of struggles in which 7 of the English Kings, from Richard II to Henry VIII, fought for the crown. The term Wars of the Roses was coined from the red and white roses that each signified the two houses of Lancaster and York, from whom the ^ kings prior to Henry VII came. Henry VII was well known and received, b/c he was technically one of the first kings to claim the throne through merit and not through noble birth~ the legend and story reads that he literally picked the crown up off the battlefield and put it on his head. Henry the VII was a frugal and stern leader, and determined to restore peace to the nation. While his claim to the throne itself was somewhat shaky, he stabilized it somewhat by marrying Elizabeth of York, bringing some respect and nobility to the pairing. While his reign was often challenged by usurper's Henry VII had a fairly successful reign, in which he put a stop to the fighting between the Crown and the Barons; and through heavy taxation and fines for misdemeanor's he brought the nobility to heel~ "bridging the transitional period between the Middle ages and the Renaissance" (Kings and Queens of Great Britain Eric. R Trovial et al). King Henry VII had 4 children; 2 girls, 2 boys. Of his boys, The eldest was Arthur, named for the nostalgia and famed court of Camelot; a reign which Henry VII hoped his son, upon being crowned, would usher back in. Arthur was raised from his birth to be a King; groomed, educated and prepared for all the tumultuous tasks and responsibilities that awaited him~ Henry VII, aware that even his son's hold to the crown was still remain shaky at best, pre contracted his son Arthur with Catherine of Argon princess and daughter of the infamous Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. At the time, France, England and Spain were the three superpower's England, having always been at odds with France, attempted to align themselves under the security of Spain, and this marriage with the epitome of Henry's lifework: not only did he secure his country's safety (France would not likely declare war on England, or try to claim it, while under the protective jurisdiction of Spain); but he also provided his son's reign with a secure claim to the throne, as well and a dynamic marriage that would be consider a pairing of the greats. Henry VIII was raised in a different environment than his brother, Arthur~ he was a bright, well rounded young man who craved education and had a deep interest in theology and was being prepared to enter a life of the cloth. Favored by his mother, he was not groomed to rule, an attribute that later, at least in his early years, only endeared him to the public. Arthur married his his wife, Catherine, but unfortunately died within a few months of the marriage. Unable to pay back her dowry 9or refusing to), Henry VII, still King, left Catherine of Aragon to languish in England and spent the last 6 years of his life trying to prepare Henry VIII to rule, and getting the affairs of England in order. It's debatable how Henry VIII came to marry Catherine of Aragon~ when it was initially suggested by Catherine's family, Henry the VII scoffed at the idea, so it most likely Henry VIII made the final choice. Catherine was several years his senior, but still young and beautiful by all account's and most importantly, swore she had not consummated her marriage to Arthur; a deed that would have presented dire problems to the marriage of Henry as his brother. When his father died, Henry VIII was fairly young, but he was loved and adored by his people, as was his wife. They were considered a magnificent pair; and it wasn't until after 8 miscarriages, only one successful birth Mary that Henry VIII began to start proceedings that would alleviate him of his former wife and allow him to take others. In his middle and latter years, Henry's popularity waned; and he became known as a monster, eventually marrying a total of six times. Of those 6, he beheaded 2, divorced 2,and lost one to childbirth related infections. his final wife, Catherine Parr, outlived him. Out of all those marriages, he had three living heirs; Mary, his first born daughter by Catherine of Aragon; Elizabeth, his second daughter, born by Anne Boleyn; and Edward, his one and only son; born third by his wife Jane Seymour As a male, Edward bore claim to the throne, and upon his father's death, indeed became King~ however, he was a child, only nine years old, and there for, his uncle, also named Edward, was named Protector, and ruled for him in all but name. Weak even in his youngest years, Edward was a sickly child, and a marriage was considered of the utmost importance, however, he died before one actually went through; dying of tuberculosis at the age of fifteen. From there, a squabble over the throne continued; first Lady Jane Grey took the crown, Henry VIII's great niece followed by Mary; Henry VIII's first legitimate daughter (though deemed a bastard during his life); a reign that was infamous for it's pious and cruelty, and garnered Mary the name "bloody Mary". Upon her passing, Elizabeth; Henry VIII's second daughter (also deemed a bastard during his lifetime) ascended the throne, becoming queen for the next 44 years. She never married, and to this day is considered one of England's greatest rulers. After his older brother Arthur died of a sickness, King Henry VIII stepped up, only he was still young.
Where did Jane Seymour spend her childhood?
England! She was probably born in 1509 and she grew up at Wulfhall (Wolfhall) in Wiltshire which was her principle family home.
How much did King Henry VIII weigh?
At the time of Henry's death, between obesity and fluid retention caused by circulatory problems, he was enormous, and it took four strong men to lift and carry the sedan chair that he was carried around in. His coffin, which was lined with lead, was so heavy that it broke the supports that were provided for it in at least one of the churches it was displayed in.
We know from seeing Henry's armour (he had several sets made a different times in his life), and from measurements taken of his skeleton about 200 years after his death, that he was probably around six foot, three to six foot four inches tall during his lifetime. His early armour indicated an athletically built man with a small waistline -- he probably would have weighed in the neighborhood of 180 to two hundred pounds at this time. There are a couple of other sets of armour in existence, including one made for his final invasion of France in the last two years of his life. The waist on this last set of armour would fit a waist of about 58 to 60 inches, as compared to the first set of armour which would have fit a waist of about 34 to 36 inches.
From personal experience, as my father is six foot, four inches tall, and has a waist measurement of about 58 inches, I would say that at the time that Henry had the last set of armour made, his weight was probably at around 300 pounds. After his return from France, he entered the time of his final illness, where his body became very bloated from fluid retention (called "dropsy" in those days, because the patient's hands would swell so much that their grasp was impaired, causing them to drop things). So it is likely that Henry probably weighed well in excess of three hundred pounds by the time of his death. Though these sizes, particularly of the first suit of armour, don't seem that enormous to us today, it should be noted that in Henry's time, people were much shorter and smaller than they are now, due to lack of proper nutrition and health care. He was almost literally considered a giant in his time, and his size had much to do with the glamour associated with him when he was a younger man -- and with the stories of his enormous size as an older man. Also, as he began to become heavy, Henry insisted that all his clothes be designed to hide his expanding waistline, which is why he adopted the extreme padded shoulders that are seen in his later portraits. By the time he died, his clothing literally extended as wide as he was tall, to create an image of a man with very wide shoulders and a powerful build, rather than the "pear shaped" body that was hidden underneath them.
Answer
Henry the eighth as a young man was not fat. He was a keen royal tennis player, martial arts enthusiast and loved hunting and jousting. In middle age he gained weight as his lifestyle changed and he was obliged to commit himself to the legalities of running his realm. Eventually he weighed 18 stone.He was hampered in his movements by a ulcerated sore on his leg and this made him even more cumbersome. His large suit of armour is in the Royal Armories in the Tower Of London
Presumably it was the result of over-eating.
Why did Sir Thomas Wyatt rebel?
Sir Thomas Wyatt the poet did not rebel. His son, Thomas the younger, did. He was opposed to Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain. Originally, several influential lords were with him, but they left him out to dry. He was beheaded, leaving several children. One of his descendents was the Governor of Virginia: Sir Francis Wyatt.
Why did henry viii try to invade ireland?
Following the Norman invasion of Ireland to help Diarmaid McMorrough in 1169, Henry II was worried about there being a Norman stronghold in Ireland to rival him. He decided to come to Ireland to establish his authority.
Who was Henry eighth last wife?
The first Wive Cathrine of Aragon was divorced, he then married Anne Boleyn, she was beheaded, Jany Seymour she died after giving child birth to Edward (later to become Edward the 6th), Anne of Cleaves was divorced because Henry thought she was ugly, Kathrine Howard was divorced and Kathrine Parr survive because he died or another word is she was widowed. To remember this is the saying: Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.
How did Henry VIII make the break with Rome?
Henry decided to break away from Rome. On the advice of Thomas Crammer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry announced himself divorced. He said the he would stop paying taxes to the Church. At the same time, some people did not like the fact that the Pope in Rome was head of the Catholic Church in England. They said that the Church was too rich and powerful. They said that some priests did not act in a Christian way. In general, people who lived in the countryside were more likely to support the old ways and stay faithful to the Catholic Church. People who lived in towns and cities like London, were more likely to support the idea of change. The English Parliament played an important part in the break from Rome by passing a number of Acts. In 1534 Parliament passed a law called the Act of Supremacy. This said that Henry VIII was the supreme head on earth of the Church in England. At the time of the break with Rome, Thomas Cromwell was Henry's chief adviser. He was also in charge of stat affairs during the time of Henry's divorce from Catherine and his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
What changes happened to England when Henry VIII got rid of the Catholic church?
England cut the communication of Rome.The king of England became the head of the state and the church.No one leaders of the church that has a power to overwhelm his position as the most powerful man in England.
What happened between Henry VIII and the Catholic Church after Henry's first divorce?
Henry married another woman called Anne Boleyn, who he then executed because she had completed high treason, adultery, and incest (all federal laws). Then he FINALLY got a son from Jane Seymour but due to complications during his son's birth (Edward II) she died after his birth. But Edward was also effected by the complications, and died as a teenager, being crowned at the age of just 9. so his half sister, Mary II took over, and turned the country catholic again, then when she died, her sister Elisabeth took over and turned the country BACK to being protestants.
While Henry's regiment was waiting for the battle to begin what did Henry's friend do?
He constantly pulled on his mustache and moved back and forth behind his men.
The captain of Henry's company coaxes the troops to reserve their fire and not shoot wildly.
What were the solutions to Henry VIII's problems?
he solved one of his problems this way:
Henry settled the old argument between the Lancaster's and the York's.
in early 1486, he married Elizabeth of york , daughter of Edward VI.
Now the Lancaster's had a king and the York's had a queen.
The White rose symbol of the York's was added to the red rose symbol of the Lancaster family to make the Tudor rose.
What were King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella's goals?
They united a large part of the Iberian peninsula, and succeeded in pushing the Arabs back to North Africa, in 1492. Then they funded Columbus' trips to the New World.
Who was the next king after Henry VII?
Henry VIII succeeded his father Henry VII following the latter's death in April 1509. It was the first untroubled succession in many years. Henry was not properly prepared for his role as king as for the first 10 or so years of his life he was in fact second in line to the throne after his elder brother Arthur. Had Arthur survived the illness that caused his death in 1501 it would have been him and not Henry who would have succeeded. Hope this helps.
What happened when Henry's regiment was waiting for the battle to begin and a man laughed?
A dozen soldiers glared at the man.
Why did King Henry VIII behead his wifes?
He actually beheaded only 2 of his wives. The first Anne Boylen and the other Katherine Howard. Anne was beheaded for witchcraft after miscarrying a deformed child, and failure to produce an heir and Katherine was beheaded for having affairs with courtiers.
Why was Henry VIII the most successful Tudor Monarch?
Henry was very well respected, yet he was infamous for beheading his wives. His daughter, Elizabeth, is still adored by the British people to this day. She was a beloved queen, and made many positive changes to the kingdom and throne.
Anne of Cleves was a German lady who had a very sheltered up bringing, and was very reserved. Her dress sense was typical German at the time, which consisted of dressing that was very unflattering and unsophisticated.
However once the marriage had been annulled Anne of Cleves was believed to have dramatically changed her dress sense, and began wearing the latest fashions of the time.
Why did Henry VIII want a son?
King Henry VIII of England reigned from 1509 to 1547, and famously married six times.
His main reason for doing this was he wanted to produce an undisputed, male heir to the throne, avoiding the possibility of a civil war after his death.
Undisputed
Henry's father, King Henry VII was the victor of the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, bringing to an end the long and bloody civil war known as The Wars of the Roses.
This was a conflict over the throne between the descendants of King Edward III and its origins can be traced back to the year 1399 when King Richard II, the rightful king by the usual rules of inheritance, was deposed by Henry Bolingbroke who became King Henry IV.
Male
The last time a female stood to inherit the throne of England was in 1135 when Matilda, daughter and rightful heiress of King Henry I, reigned - very briefly.
She was deposed by her cousin Stephen of Blois, who became King Stephen and this led to a 19 year civil war known as "The Anarchy."
How many times was Henry viii married?
his first marriage was annulled... so technically didn't count his second was also annulled his third was a marriage. his 4th was annulled, so did not exist. his 5th was beheaded, but not annulled, and his 6th wife survived him. so 3 marriages all in all.
Who was Catherine of aragons only surviving child?
Although she had six pregnancies, the only child of Catherine of Aragon (1485 - 1536), the first wife of Henry VIII (1491 - 1547), to survive to adulthood, was Mary (1516 - 1558), later Mary I. The other children were either miscarriages or stillbirth.
What was the religion that King Henry VIII created?
The Protestant Church of England. He created it so that he could divorce his wives
What were Henry VIII's two favourite pastimes?
He loved tennis, dancing and composing music as well as executing people..... ( ok maybe the last one isn't so true but he seemed to do it to people alot ) He also believed a king should do three things:
. Protect his country
. Protect his people
. Produce a male heir to the throne
He also followed his fathers words : " To be a king, you must live like a king "
And he was a bit of a sex addict - after all he did have six different wives in total
