It is interesting that within five centuries the king Henry VIII Tudor and his six wives attract genuine interest, both of historians, and of representatives of art. And it is justified by the fact that this history of the king-polygamist is a sample for the extremely topical melodrama. Despite existence of a set of books and movies on this subject, it is necessary to take for granted only documentary confirmed facts. And therefore immersion in depth of centuries should be carried out only according to thematic primary sources.
Henry VIII Tudor sat on the English throne at seventeen-year age when his father monarch died. And shortly before it he for the first time married. And this marriage with Ekaterina Aragonskaya who was the Spanish infanta and the widow of his elder brother Artur was unpromising from all points of view. In it there was no love and calculation is two firm bases of institute of matrimony. And the last reason which became Europe, paramount for all monarchic dynasties, was so obvious that even the Catholic church, recognizing them as close relatives, desperately opposed to this union.
The first spouse of Heinrich was more senior than it and swore an oath in fight for a throne of England that its previous marriage with the prince of Wales was konsumirovanny. As a result of scandalous trials the young man after all became the recognized official husband of Ekaterina. Having become the monarch, Heinrich long time was under full influence of the spouse who actively protected the interests of native Spain. However the question of extension of a dynasty was the main in this family and political union, and Ekaterina could not make the successor in any way. Its genital ability was broken, the first years only dead babies were born, or children died almost right after birth.
And here in seven years of marriage (in 1516) Henry VIII's spouse of Tudor it was resolved by the healthy girl Maria. For the king the possibility of transition of a throne of England to the daughter what was stipulated by the marriage contract was intolerable. And because of the absence of the successor in a situation when also the last pregnancy of the queen ended with the birth of the dead baby, the dynastic crisis during this period of time seemed to much very real.
Illegitimate life of Henry VIII of Tudor
During the first matrimonial union of Henry VIII of Tudor with Ekaterina Aragonskaya when the queen unsuccessfully tried to be implemented as mother of the successor of the English throne, the monarch received a due consolation on the party. Continuous childbirth, pregnancies and restoration from childbirth distanced a family couple on a matrimonial bed.
During this period the king regularly got mistresses in whose list Bessie Blaunt and Maria Boleyn were the most famous. And from the first the son Fitzroy to which in 1525 the title of the duke Richmodsky was appropriated that showed to all yard and the country paternity of the monarch was given birth. And here the king refused flatly to recognize children from Boleyn though practically all knew who actually is their real parent.
Anna Boleyn
Historical chronicles say that Henry VIII Tudor was loved by all his wives, and here the king treated them rather exactly, allocating only one – Anna Boleyn. This woman at first forced it to be burned with a surplus of feelings, and then painfully to hate. It is interesting that the girl, being younger sister of the mistress of the king, showed special ambition. She shone at court and accepted courtesies from the king only within friendly chats. And forgot such behavior of the attractive girl caused by the unenviable fate of the sister Maria which the king rejected soon, only set on Henry. And here the monarch, being married, does to Anna proposal.
Boleyn estimated properly this act of the king, and subsequently she very actively took part in that his divorce with Ekaterina Aragonskaya took place, in parallel inciting the beloved against the pontiff. This situation, scandalous to the whole Europe, after all, was resolved that the Pope appointed judicial investigation according to which the Spanish infanta would have to be recognized as the close relative of the king. Thus, such sinful matrimony could be cancelled.
However the court did not make the decision assumed by Henry, and it in anger tuned parliament of England into adoption of the code of laws on which the power of the pontiff was excluded from the territory of the country. And in 1534 in London the Act of supremacy according to which Henry VIII Tudor became glory of the English church that meant a complete separation with Vatican was signed.
In January, 1533, at once after cancellation of first marriage of Henry VIII of Tudor Anna Boleyn was married it. In five months she was crowned, and in September of the same year she gave birth to the daughter who became subsequently Elizabeth the First – one of the most outstanding monarchs in the European history. Such succession of events that the subsequent childbirth of Anna, as well as in cases with Ekaterina Aragonskaya, came to an end with birth of dead babies disappointed the king in a compartment. Henry began to look for the reason to get rid of the bothered Anna, and soon it was arrested and placed in the Tower on a charge of treason and sorcery. This story ended with Anna Boleyn's execution and burial in an anonymous grave.
Jane Seymour and Anna Klevskaya
Jane Seymour became Henry VIII's spouse of Tudor from a position of the maid of honor of the executed queen, staying on which she already for a long time was his mistress. Her appearance corresponding to all current canons of beauty was strength in conquest of heart of the king, however the semi-illiteracy did not allow to take control of his mind. In 1536 Henry VIII's wedding and Jane Seymour took place. But because of doubts of the monarch in genital ability of the new wife it was not crowned. And in 1937 Seymour after all gave birth to him to the son though she itself and died soon of a maternity fever.
After the next widowhood of Henry VIII it made new attempts to marry. So, almost right after death Seymour to all European capitals ambassadors for the purpose of search of worthy candidates were sent. This procedure was followed by delivery to London of portraits of applicants. However the reputation of the English king speaking about his stern temper concerning the wives did not promote loyalty of the leading monarchical houses. Only the duke Wilhelm Klewski ready to give for it the sister Anna responded to Henry VIII's proposal. It is interesting that after the meeting of the princess and the king in 1539 Henry was strongly disappointed with discrepancy of a portrait with the original in Calais. However it was forced to marry "a Flemish mare" as it at once nicknamed dried, once again. Anna Klevskaya whom the king did not touch on a matrimonial bed, nevertheless, got at court respect and became the approximate stepmother for the spouse's children. And after a while Henry VIII Tudor cancelled also this marriage, and Anna remained at an English court as "the king's sister".
Ekaterina Howard and Ekaterina Parr
Ekaterina Howard, being the maid of honor of the fourth wife of the king, caught sight Heinrich when he once again looked for to himself the queen. As for these purposes he could not count on representatives of most august surnames any more, and this choice could be considered as worthy. Marriage took place in 1540. And everything would be good if not windy character of the spouse in whose suite enough young people not of the most chaste reputation appeared soon. The love story ended very quickly and categorically by an execution in the face of the amazed crowd.
Ekaterina Parr who at that time was thirty full years became the last spouse of Henry VIII Tudor (and to the king there was the sixth ten). She already became a widow twice and was rather wise woman who at once made friends with the princess Elizabeth and took active part in education of prince Edward. Unfortunately, this final and rather happy marriage of Henry VIII of Tudor lasted only within four years, having broken with the death of "the great lady-killer".