Henry VIII is famous in history for having multiple wives – we all know that rhyme – and changing the course of British history forever.
The Tudor King broke away from the Catholic Church, which led to the Reformation and the Church of England.
And it was all because he wanted to divorce his first wife – Catherine of Aragon – so that he could marry Anne Boleyn.
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But as any history buff will know, he wasn’t satisfied with Anne, and went on to have multiple additional wives.
His tumultuous relationship with Anne Boleyn is now the topic of a three-part drama series on Channel 5.
As we gear up for this highly anticipated series, we take a look at Henry VIII’s wives and their fates…
*Warning plot spoilers ahead!
How many wives did Henry VIII have?
Henry VIII had six wives.
He married his first wife in 1509 and his final wife in 1543.
Only three of his royal heirs survived childhood.
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They would go on to rule as Edward VI, Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I consecutively.
However, he did have several surviving illegitimate children.
What is the famous Henry VIII wives rhyme?
The famous rhyme about the six wives of Henry VIII is as follows:
“Divorced, Beheaded, Died: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.”
The rhyme reveals the fate of each of his spouses.
What happened to Henry VIII’s first wife?
Catherine of Aragon was originally married to Henry’s brother, Prince Arthur in 1501.
Yet he died a year later from a ‘sweating sickness.’
Catherine claimed the marriage was never consummated, and Henry married her in 1509.
They were believed to have initially been very happy together.
But after years of failing to produce a healthy male heir, Henry became frustrated.
During their marriage he had several mistresses, but it was Anne Boleyn who ultimately persuaded him to divorce Catherine.
Henry divorced her in 1533 and she was sent away to various castles where she lived out her days in isolation bar for her servants.
Henry and Catherine only had one surviving child, daughter Mary I.
What happened to Anne Boleyn?
Anne Boleyn was beheaded at the Tower of London on May 19, 1536.
She is believed to have been in her early 30s at the time of her execution.
She was the second wife of Henry VIII.
He changed the laws and broke away from the Catholic church so that he could marry her and divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
After she failed to produce a male heir, Henry grew tired of Anne and accused her of adultery.
She was accused of committing adultery with five other men – including her own brother George.
What about the others?
While Anne was being tried for adultery, Henry already had his sights on a new wife – Jane Seymour.
They were married just over a week after Anne’s execution.
She gave birth to their son, Edward VI, the following year.
However, she died from childbirth complications shortly after.
In 1540 Henry married Anne of Cleves, but their marriage was annulled just months later.
Popular belief is that Henry found Anne too ugly and overweight, despite him being obese himself.
Contemporary historians believe Anne was as equally disgusted with Henry’s appearance.
Yet Anne received a lavish lifestyle upon their annulment. She was given several estates, including Hever Castle, which once belonged to the Boleyn family.
And perhaps rather ironically, she later became one of Henry’s closest confidants and a close friend to his children.
She passed away just before her 42nd birthday from what was likely cancer.
Next up was Katherine Howard, she was a cousin of Anne Boleyn, and just a teenager when she caught the eye of Henry.
Her family had fallen out of favour and were facing financial struggles.
They encouraged her to pursue a relationship with Henry, despite an age difference of some 30 years.
They married in 1540, but suspicions quickly grew that she was having affairs.
In 1542 she was executed at the Tower of London for adultery – the same fate as her cousin Anne.
What happened to Henry VIII’s last wife?
His final wife was Catherine Parr, she had been married and widowed several times prior.
She was around 30 when she married Henry, and they are believed to have gotten on well as companions.
She is believed to have acted as a nurse for the king, who was not only obese but had a severe leg wound.
However, some of Henry’s aides attempted to turn him against her in 1546 by claiming she had committed religious heresy.
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Although he initially considered her arrest, he ultimately decided against it, and he ultimately died the following year.
While Catherine is often credited as ‘surviving’ Henry VIII’s wrath, she sadly died just just over a year later after his death.
She had married for the fourth time to Thomas Seymour, only to then die in childbirth.
When is Anne Boleyn on Channel 5?
Anne Boleyn starts on Tuesday May I at 9pm on Channel 5.
Episode 2 will air the same time on Wednesday and episode 3 the same time on Thursday.
Once all the episodes have aired, they will be available to stream on the app All5.
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