The women behind the Tudors

Henry VIII is probably the most famous king of England. However, he is best known for his married life. “Divorced, beheaded and died. Divorced, beheaded, survived” is a familiar rhyme from that time. Henry VIII was married six times and had two of his wives beheaded.

But who were these women?

1. Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536)

The originally Spanish Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry VIII.  She was previously married to his brother, Prince Arthur. After his death in 1503, she married Hendrik in 1509.

Henry VIII and Catherine had many children together. Unfortunately, only one daughter lived, Mary (she later became Mary I – also known as Bloody Mary). Because Henry VIII needed an heir to the throne, they divorced in 1533.

In 1536, she died of an unknown form of cancer.

In the series The Tudors, Catherine van Aragon is played by Maria Doyle Kennedy. 

2. Anne Boleyn (1502/1507-1536) 

Around 1525, during his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII fell in love with Anne Boleyn. To marry her, he separated from his first wife. This led to a break with Rome and so the Anglican Church was founded.

Anne and Henry married in 1533. From this marriage, daughter Elizabeth was born. She would later become Elizabeth I. Unfortunately Anne had three miscarriages afterwards and had no more children.

Around 1536, Henry fell in love with Jane Seymour and had to leave Anne. Henry made sure that Anne was accused of incest, witchcraft and adultery with several men, so that she was arrested. She was found guilty of the crimes and beheaded on May 19, 1536 in the Tower of London.

In the series The Tudors, Anne Boleyn is played by  Natalie Dormer.

3. Jane Seymour (1509-1537) 

From 1536 on, Jane Seymour was the mistress of Henry VIII. Only 11 days after the death of Anne Boleyn, he had married her.

With Jane Seymour, Henry VIII finally got his first legitimate son in 1537: Edward, later Edward VI. Unfortunately, Jane died in childbirth, only 12 days after Edward’s birth.

In the series The Tudors, Jane Seymour is played by Annabelle Wallis.

4. Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) 

After the death of Jane Seymour, the king stayed single for a number of years. Yet at one point, he went looking for a new woman. With the help of Thomas Cromwell, he chose Anne of Cleves for political reasons. She was the daughter of duke John III of Cleves . They married on January 6, 1540.

As early as July 1540, Henry VIII requested a divorce. Reportedly, Henry found her ugly and not to his liking. After the divorce, she was treated as the King’s sister and was very satisfied with this.

In the series The Tudors, Anne of Cleves is played by Joss Stone.

5. Catharine Howard (1520-1542) 

Catharine Howard was Henry VIII’s fifth wife. They married on July 28, 1540. Their age difference was 29 years: Catherine was 20 and Henry already 49. Interesting detail, Catharine was a niece of his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Catharine appears to have been a flirtatious and foolish girl and preferred younger men and had several affairs including one with Thomas Culpepper. Henry found out about her unfaithfulness and she was arrested. She was found guilty and sentenced to death, as were two of her lovers. On 13 February 1542 she was beheaded. Her last words are supposed to have been: ‘I who was queen, but I would rather that as wife or Culpepper!’.

In the series The Tudors, Catherine Howard is played by Tamzin Merchant.

6. Catharine Parr (1512-1548) 

Henry VIII’s last marriage was concluded with Catharine Parr. Parr had already been married twice before and was twice a widow. Henry VIII was old and sickly and was probably looking for a woman who would take good care of him. They married on July 12, 1543.

On January 28, 1547, the man who had been king of England for 38 years died. Parr is called the woman who “survived” Henry VIII. Soon after his death Catharine married her former lover Thomas Seymour. She died a year later, in 1548, in childbirth after the birth of their first daughter.

In the series The Tudors, Catherine Parr is played by Joely Richardson

The beautiful series “The Tudors” is an absolute must. The series is not entirely true to history as it is known, but certainly not less worthwhile.

READING TIPS

If you want to read more about those unfortunates wives, have a look at my page with books about the Tudors