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Historically King Henry VIII of England (1491-1547) is famous for having
six wives. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of
Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
In total there were three Catherine's, two Anne's and one Jane.
He divorced Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves and beheaded Anne
Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Jane Seymour died naturally. The only wife to survive the saga was
Catherine Parr.
It's generally accepted that the reason for King Henry's troubled
married life was his strong desire for a son to keep the Tudor line
going.
The only queen who gave him one was Jane Seymour but she died at
childbirth and the sickly son Edward VI eventually died of TB in 1553
aged 16 years.
Catherine of Aragon bore him Mary I and Anne Boleyn gave birth to
Elizabeth I, both of whom eventually became queens of England, despite
having been declared illegitimate.
But what really made Henry VIII famous was his establishment of the
Church of England. The highly powerful Rome-based Pope and Catholic
Church did not approve his divorces so Henry went his own way and
executed any objectors. It changed the course of history.
Another important event during his reign was the creation of a proper
English navy, starting in 1536. The English fleet grew from three to 54
ships and established a professional administration, something that had
a great bearing on the future development of the nation.
As a person Henry VIII was egotistical, arrogant, boastful and
treacherous. He often used people for his personal ends.
Hailed as a great sportsman, he was an expert archer and hunter and
fancied himself as a wrestler. He enjoyed cock fighting and playing
tennis.
He loved music and composed several pieces and poems. He also liked
singing. It is said he composed Greensleeves but this is doubtful.
While he led his extravagant arty and sporty lifestyle he left the hard
work of government to others and punished them severely when things went
wrong, often with death.
His cold heartedness is well depicted in his dealings with his second
wife Anne Boleyn. When their daughter Elizabeth was born he refused to
attend the christening because it was not a son.
Anne reputedly has six fingers on her left hand, believed by some in
those days to be a sign of the devil, and Henry used this and other
concoctions against her when he put on on trial.
While Anne was being beheaded he played a game of tennis. When they told
him she was dead he went straight to Jane Seymour's chamber.
In later life he grew grotesquely fat and became paranoid. When he died
he asked to be buried next to Jane Seymour, the only woman who had bore
him the son he wanted.
But the son Edward VI's rule did not last long and he was to be the last
male in the royal Tudor line.
After Edward's death in 1553 Lady Jane Grey became Queen of England but
only for nine days.
She was dethroned and beheaded by Mary I who reigned from 1553 to 1558.
Mary I died of natural causes, and Elizabeth I became queen in 1558.
Elizabeth I had her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots beheaded in 1587.
Elizabeth never married and became known as the Virgin Queen. Her death
in 1603 saw the end of the Tudors, and the reign of the Stuarts began.
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