Who Were Henry VIII's 6 Wives?

Henry VIII is one of England’s most famous kings. Known for his love of feasting, getting married and chopping people’s heads off (in that order), Henry oversaw some of the most dramatic changes in England’s history.

Chief of these was his break with the Catholic Church and the launch of the English Reformation. But it’s not just his policies that have caught people’s interest. Henry’s love life was just as juicy as his reign, and his six wives are renowned all over the world. Their history has been told and retold over and over again - in television, film… and a rather fun musical, live in CONSORT.

Divorced, beheaded and died, divorced, beheaded, survived so the rhyme goes. In this video, Lily Johnson delves into the history of these six fascinating women who served as queens of England through times of intense change - and with a famously difficult King beside them. Each of their stories tell us a lot about both Henry VIII and England at the time - they’re so full of gossip, intrigue and downright outrageous moments that we can’t seem to look away.

Before we get into it, if you’ve got a question about the reign of Henry VIII, drop us a comment and we might make another Tudor video. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel too!

So, in three Catherines, two Annes and one Jane - this is the history of Henry VIII’s six wives.

Much of the information in this video was sourced from the following articles:

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00:00 Introduction
01:27 Catherine of Aragon (1485 - 1536)
04:57 Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 - 1536)
15:21 Jane Seymour (c. 1508 - 1537)
16:39 Anne of Cleves (1515 - 1557)
18:43 Katheryne Howard (1524 - 1542)
23:34 Katherine Parr (1512 - 1548)
27:07 Conclusion

[rpgbb]

Quite recently I watched “The Private Life of Henry VII” from 1933. Really great. It’s available on YouTube

[viniciuswilck]

Great Narration, really looking foward to see more content from her.

[mademoisellelanoire]

I have not seen this host before! She is knowledgeable and good at what she is doing! Lots of love to England as always! Cheers!

[susanmorgan]

Jane was possibly, after her death, Henry's favorite wife solely due to her giving birth to a son, and then having the good sense to die before she managed to bore him insensible. Anne of Cleves was arguably the most fortunate, as she wound up being quite well off financially without having to endure the attentions of a grossly obese egoist.

[Akisa]

Elizabeth the First was probably traumatised by Thomas Seymour AND her own father, seeing what marriage looked like then, having her mother decapitated on his orders etc. That plus the unwillingless to risk having her power stolen by a husband.

[mohammedsaysrashid]

Wonderful introduction👍🏻 and thrilled watching.... thank you (🙏History Hit ) channel for sharing

[michellecrocker]

What gets me about Jane is that she an improvement on Anne Boleyn as she was kinder to Mary but she seemed to give Elizabeth the cold shoulder who was only 3 and needed Jane’s support as much as Mary did if not more given her age

[RobBoudreau]

I'd like to see HH historians give an honest appraisal of Henry's reign. So often you hear documentary narrators calling him "England's greatest King" or similar. To me he was one of the worst. Self-centered, egotistic, vindictive, bloodthirsty, tyrannical, all come to mind when thinking of Henry VIII. Richard III is always painted as one of the worst kings, but if one goes by just the body count, Richard was a saint compared to Henry. I'd really like to see HH historians give a comprehensive evaluation of Henry's reign.

[karawigley]

It was impossible for Henry VIII to have a favorite, he was a narcissistic sociopath. Whether born that way or made that way as the result of a head injury.

[MatthewKarns]

While familiar with Henry VIII and his wives, I am currently rewatching "Wolf Hall" and wanted to learn the historical facts. Great narrator and excellent video; well done!

[KieranJohnson-dj]

Great host! I'd love to see some reformation printing press content :)

[tomcat]

I'd love to see you guys tackle some more 17th century stuff.

[MiguelAires]

a few mistakes in this, Henry VIII actually married Katherine Parr 1 year and 4 months after Katheryn Howards execution. Also I think Suzannah Lipscombe's book is not The Last Year of Anne Boleyn, that was written by Natalie Grueninger.

[maryellencook]

The nephew of Catherine of Aragon was Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of the Hapsburg Dynasty. I would have thought that HH would have done better editing and proof reading.

[TheSgtsMess]

Divorced, be headded, dies, divorced, be headded, survived

[baliyae]

Jane Seymour was no doubt his favorite, mainly because she gave him the heir he was desperately hoping for (even though he had an illegitimate son with one of his mistresses).

[ptkcollins]

It may just be a wording issue, but Pope Clement VII was not the nephew of Catherine of Aragon, maybe the narrator is referring to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and king of Spain.

[laken]

A happy wife is a happy life wasn't exactly Henry the 8th motto.

[mademoisellelanoire]

Jane Seymour was ultimately the King’s favorite at the conclusion of his life so that is the answer to the question! Cheers!

[tommern]

One tip. If you are going to mention money or other fortunes from way back in the past. Take your time to research what that would be in todays money 😊 most find it interesting and it is a nice but of relevant i formation