Henry VIII

Finally I finished page 932th from 'the Autobiography of Henry VIII with Notes by His Fool, Will Somers' book by Margaret George. It was a fun read.

King Henry VIII (1491-1547) was infamous because he married 6 times, despite the fact that he was a Catholic.

FIRST WIVE: Katherine of Aragon
Katherine was a devout Catholic from Spain, originally brought into England to marry Henry's older brother, Arthur, who shortly after marriage died of consumption. Later she married Henry who became the King. After a series of male heir deaths, Henry believed that their marriage was cursed. Only a daughter, Mary, survived. Katherine died in 1536, probably poisoned by the 2nd wife.

SECOND WIFE: Anne Boleyn
Anne was the one caused most tumults. Since The Pope refused to annul Henry's marriage with Katherine of Aragon, Henry cut off from Rome and make himself 'Supreme Head of the Church' with the Act of Supremacy. Before that he had the 'Act of Succession' to make Anne's daughter, Elizabeth, his rightful heir. During this time Sir Thomas More was beheaded. (Now I know why that movie is called A Man For All Seasons. Sir Thomas was jailed in the tower for one year and one day.) Anne herself was executed in 1536 for adultery, incest and treason.

THIRD WIFE: Jane Seymour
Jane was the one he loved most (at least according to the novel). She died in childbirth (1537), leaving him a male heir, Edward.

FOURTH WIFE: Anne of Cleves
Henry agreed to marry Anne because the painting of her made by Hans Holbein showed her as a very beautiful woman, which was not the case. Later she gave consent to the marriage's annulment and stayed in England as the king's sister. Died in 1557, outlived Henry by 10 years.

FIFTH WIVE: Catherine Howard
Also known as 'the rose without a thorn'. Beheaded in 1542 because of adultery.

SIXTH WIVE: Katherine Parr
She married twice before and was a widow when Henry took her as a wife. This queen knew a lot about Scriptures and showed interest to the New Faith (=Protestant). Died in 1548, a few days after giving birth to a child from her 4th husband.

In those years, 'Katherine' and 'Thomas' must be favourite names.