The Six Wives of Henry

[pictured: engraving depicting Queen Anne Boleyn’s beheading with husband Henry VIII to the left and subsequent third wife Jane Seymour to the right; the latter two did not attend in actuality, however; c. 1630 by J.T. de Bry]

On this day 492 years ago, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and the Queen of England from 1533-36, is executed at White Tower. She had been the second of the six wives of Henry VIII; promising to give him a son as his first wife, Katherine, had not. However, she did not give him a son but a daughter (just as Katherine had done), Elizabeth. She was later accused by the King of adultery, incest, and treason and sentenced to death. Before being beheaded, she repeated the prayer “To Jesus Christ I commend my soul; Lord Jesus receive my soul,” knelt upright in the French style of executions, and was blindfolded by two female attendants. One strike of the sword beheaded her.

Anne Boleyn, the Queen of England, was dead.

professorowenaravenclaw:

“I am your Queen, to whom at my coronation, when I was wedded to the realm and laws of the same, you promised your allegiance and obedience to me.”

On February 18 (last Saturday), 496 years ago, Mary Tudor, the second daughter and fifth child of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon, is born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, England. Her mother had suffered two stillbirths in 1510 and 1513, along with two sons named Henry, Duke of Cornwall dying young (the first Henry a month after birth, the second the same month of birth). On 21 February 1516, Mary was christened at the Church of Observant Friars. Two years later, her mother gave birth to a third daughter who died, at maximum, a week after birth, the last child born to Henry and Katherine. Out of their six children, Mary was the lone survivor.

Mary was a well-educated, precocious child, with a contralto singing voice and linguistic skill, also considered a great beauty. By the age of nine, she could read and write in Latin; she also studied Greek, dance, and music. Her father, Henry VIII, the King of England, cited “the girl never cries,” was shown to enjoy her musical instrument abilities, and, following her birth, proudly displayed her to visiting noblemen and ambassadors. She and her mother were close, with Katherine passing onto Mary a special affection for Katherine’s native country, Spain. In 1518, at the age of two, Mary was betrothed to Francis I of France, but by 1521, the contract dissipated. The following year, Mary was again betrothed to her first cousin, who was 22 years of age at the time, Charles V; the contract was later broken on Charles’s wishes with Henry’s agreement.

At the age of nine, in 1525, her mother’s Maid-of-Honour, Anne Boleyn, caught the eye of her father, Henry VIII, who became increasingly disappointed at the fact that he had no surviving, legitimate male heirs. Her father became increasingly eager for an annulment from her mother, but was refused by Pope Clement VII. Still eager, Henry used Biblical passages to further belief that upon marrying his brother’s widow, the marriage will be childless. Katherine was banished from court by 1531, with her father, Henry, marrying Anne in secret in January 1533. Mary was forbade by Henry to visit her beloved mother, write to her, or engage in any communication; the Spanish ambassador smuggled letters to and from mother and daughter on occasions, along with other sympathizers of the two. By May 1533, Katherine and Henry’s marriage was deemed void and Mary was considered illegitimate, given the title of “Lady” rather than “Princess,” and eventually serving as Lady-in-Waiting to her infant half-sister, Elizabeth, in December 1533 at Hatfield.

Henry demanded that Mary acknowledge the validity of his marriage to Anne and the legitimacy of her half-sister, Elizabeth; Mary later refused. When asked to pay respects to the infant Princess of England, Mary burst into tears and cried that she knew of no other Princess than herself. During a visit to Elizabeth’s house in Hatfield, Anne arranged to visit Mary at court, for her to see her ‘as a queen.’ Mary replied that she knew of no other queen than her mother, but would visit Anne as her father’s mistress. Anne replied with the same request, which Mary again refused. Anne made no other attempts at gaining a relationship with her stepdaughter, with Mary’s undying hatred of her stepmother lasting until Anne’s death in 1536. When her beloved mother died in January 1536, Mary was forbidden to go to her funeral.

After Anne’s beheading and the proclaimed illegitimacy of his second daughter, Henry offered a pardon to his eldest child, if she recognize him as the head of the Church of England and the illegality of his marriage to her mother. Mary refused, until persuaded otherwise by her first cousin, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. She eventually gave in to his demands, an action she regretted until her death.

Reconciled with her father, Mary was given a household and permitted to attend court festivities. She was named godmother to her half-brother, Edward VI, and eventually acted as chief mourner at the funeral of his mother, Jane Seymour, her father’s third wife. After the annulment of her father’s fourth marriage to the German Anne of Cleves and the execution of his fifth wife, Katheryn Howard, the cousin of Anne Boleyn, Mary acted as hostess in court for her father, who was unmarried at the time. The following year, Henry married his sixth, and eventual final, wife, Catherine Parr. Mary and Catherine became friends, despite opposing religious beliefs, with Mary respecting Catherine’s intelligence. The same year as their marriage, Henry established a new line of succession; upon his death, Edward would become ruler, after him would come Edward’s heirs, if Edward died without heirs, Mary became ruler, and upon her death, the ruler became Elizabeth.

Four years later, Henry VIII died and her half-brother, Edward VI, ascended to the throne. Mary attended court rarely after the ascension of Edward, attending her new estates at Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Beaulieu, and Hunsdon. On Christmas 1550, Mary, at 34 years old, was reduced to tears in court upon Edward’s reprimanding over her disobeying his laws of worship. Edward was Protestant, whereas Mary was Catholic, sharing her mother’s religious devotion. Mary refused to abandon her native religion, with Edward refusing himself to abandon his demands.

Three years later, Edward died of a lung infection at the age of 15. Edward feared that, upon his death, Mary would undo his laws regarding Protestant worship and restore England to Catholicism. To avoid this, Edward excluded both of his half-sisters from the line of succession, instead naming their aunt’s granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, as his successor. Grey “ruled” for nine days before being disposed of, being executed in February 1554. In August 1553, Mary rode triumphantly into London with her half-sister, Elizabeth, greeted by crowds of supporters. Two months later, Mary was proclaimed Queen of England by Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner. Once an English princess who had been bastardized, Mary I was now the Queen of England in her own right.

On 25 July 1554, Mary married her first cousin-once removed, Philip II of Spain, the son of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor; Philip found Mary unattractive and did not feel amorous towards her, but did not stop the marriage. Upon her decision to marry Philip months prior, Thomas Wyatt led rebellions to dispose of the queen in favor of her half-sister, joined by Lady Jane Grey’s father, Henry Grey. Henry and Jane Grey, Thomas Wyatt, and Jane’s husband, Guildford Dudley, were executed for participating in the riots. Elizabeth claimed innocence and no participation with the rebels, but was imprisoned in the Tower of London, frightening her, with her aunt’s granddaughter being executed there shortly before. Eventually, Elizabeth was released and sentenced on house arrest in Woodstock Palace.

Two months after her marriage to Philip, Mary was believed to be pregnant. In April 1555, Elizabeth was released from house arrest for the birth of Mary’s child, which was expected imminently. By June 1555, Mary had not given birth, and gossip was spread that she was not pregnant. A month later, Mary’s abdomen receded, and it was discovered she was not pregnant. After the disgrace of the hysterical pregnancy, Philip left in August 1555 for France to command his armies, leaving Mary depressed and heartbroken.

Mary initially proclaimed she would not compel her subjects to comply to her religion, but she eventually imprisoned Thomas Cranmer, John Bradford, John Hooper, Hugh Latimer, and John Rogers. Mary’s first Parliament abolished Edward’s religious policies. Mary’s husband persuaded Parliament to abolish Protestant religious laws passed by Henry VIII, returning England to the Roman Catholic Church’s jurisdiction. Pope Julius III approved the deal in 1554, and the Heresy Acts were revived under Mary’s reign.

Numerous Protestants were executed under the Heresy Acts, the first four executions occurring from 4 February to 9 February 1555; Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake on 16 October 1555. The Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer joined the Catholic faith out of fear of execution, but Mary refused to forgive him, having him burned at the stake in March 1556; Philip’s adviser, Simon Renard, warned that the executions could “cause a revolt.” Mary ignored the warnings and continued anti-Catholic policies, 300 people were considered executed on Mary’s orders, eventually being considered martyrs.

In May 1557, Mary believed herself pregnant again; hysterical pregnancy was again the cause. Upon discovering there was to be no birth of an heir, Mary accepted Elizabeth as her eventual successor. By May 1558, Mary was ill and weak, possibly suffering from uterine cancer or ovarian cysts. Six months later, on 17 November 1558, Mary died at 42 years of age in St. James’s Palace in London, England. She was buried on 14 December 1558 at Westminster Abbey in London, England, despite her wishes to be buried with her mother in Peterborough Cathedral. Her half-sister, Elizabeth, was proclaimed queen in her coronation on 15 January 1559.

Happy birthday to the princess, the bastard, and the queen, happy birthday to Marye the Quene, Mary Tudor.

[pictured: an etching of Kathryn Howard, etched 1646 by Wenceslaus Hollar / due to the lack of portraits surrounding Henry’s fifth wife, I will use this simple etching with little information instead]

On this date 470 years ago, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, Kathryn Howard, is executed by beheading at seven in the morning, alongside Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford, the widow of her cousin, George. Kathryn was assisted in walking up the scaffold, delivering a small speech declaring her punishment “worthy and just.”

Kathryn had married King Henry VIII nearly two years prior, three weeks after his annulment from his fourth wife, the German Anne of Cleves, to whom Kathryn served as Lady-in-Waiting. Around spring 1541, the young queen (who was around the ages of 17-23) began an affair with the 27-year-old Thomas Culpeper, leading to her evidence of her adultery being found by Thomas Cranmer. Kathryn was arrested on 12 November 1541 on the charges of treason and adultery, being stripped of her title as Queen of England on 23 November.

By the morning of 13 Feburary 1542, Kathryn Howard, the Queen of England, was dead.

[pictured: painting of Anne of Cleves by Hans Holbein the Younger in summer 1539; along with a painting of her younger sister, Amalia, the two sisters’ portraits were sent to Henry VIII for consideration for his fourth marriage]

In 1539, Hans Holbein the Younger was sent by Henry VIII to paint individual portraits of Anne of Cleves and her younger sister, Amalia of Cleves, daughters of John III, Duke of Cleves in Germany. When Holbein returned with the portraits, Henry became interested with Anne; by October 1539, a marriage treaty was signed.

Upon meeting Anne, Henry was “repulsed” by her; in a comment to Thomas Cromwell, stating that she was ‘nothing so fair as she had been reported.’ Anne read and write only in German, and she lacked in intellectual and sophisticated education, preferring to stick to needlework and playing card games. Nevertheless, however, Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII were married in the Palace of Placentia on 6 January 1540. The day after their wedding night, Henry reported to Thomas Cromwell, “I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse.”

professorowenaravenclaw:

“I choose what I believe, and say nothing, for I am not as simple as I may seem.”

On this day (yesterday) 526 years ago, Katherine of Aragon (Catalina de Aragón) is born at the Archbishop’s Castle near Madrid, Spain to the King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile; she was their youngest (surviving) child.

Katherine (Katharine and Catherine are spelling variations that are also used; however, she, herself, used ‘Katherine’), of a small stature, had long auburn hair, blue eyes, and a round face with a fair complexion. She was taught by a tutor during her childhood; studying religion, Latin history, canon and civil law, and genealogy, among others. She was also taught to speak French and Greek and how to write Spanish and Latin. Katherine was raised with a strong religious upbringing, leading to her dedication to devout Catholicism.

On 14 November 1501, Katherine married Arthur, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of the King of England, Henry VII. The two later became ill (likely with sweating sickness), leaving Katherine a widow after only five months of marriage. Katherine was later betrothed to Arthur’s younger brother, Henry, who was five years younger than she was; however, the marriage was delayed until after Henry’s 18th birthday, and on 11 June 1509, Katherine married Henry, who had just ascended the throne 17 days previous. On 23 June 1509, Katherine and Henry VIII were jointly anointed and crowned; Katherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess, was now the Queen of England.

Nearing a year after their marriage, Katherine gave birth to a stillborn daughter on 31 January 1510. On 1 January 1511, she gave birth to a son, who was christened Henry, Duke of Cornwall, but died of unknown reasons fifty-two days later on 23 February. Two years later, in October 1513, she gave birth to a stillborn son; who was followed by another son, again christened Henry, Duke of Cornwall, in December 1514, but died later that month. On 18 February 1516, Katherine gave birth to a second daughter, who was christened Mary three days afterward at a ceremony at the Church of Observant Friars. The King, despite his desire for a male heir, beloved his only surviving child (citing “the girl never cries” and frequently enjoying her musical talents), and stated that ‘sons will surely follow.’ However, at the age of thirty-three, Katherine became pregnant for the sixth (and final) time, giving birth to a daughter who died (at maximum) a week later. From frequent pregnancies and stress, Katherine appeared older than she was. Nevertheless, however, her religious dedication increased, as well as her interest in academics. She continued to broaden her knowledge and to provide studies for her daughter; Katherine also donated much money to several colleges.

In 1519, one of Henry’s mistresses, Elizabeth Blount, gave birth to a son (the only illegitimate child Henry acknowledged); it was clear that Henry could have sons with other women, but none with his own wife. Six years later, in 1525, Henry became enamored with his wife’s Maid-of-Honour, and the sister of his previous mistress, Anne Boleyn; however, Boleyn at first refused to become his mistress. Seeking information from the Bible, Henry came to the conclusion that his and Katherine’s marriage was cursed after reading a passage stating that if a man marries his brother’s wife, the marriage will be childless; this sent Henry to the desire of an annulment, however, his attempts were in vain as Katherine’s nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, refused him. Katherine was in the dark during most of “The King’s Great Matter,” as it was called, but she was aware of her husband’s attempts at an annulment, and of his blossoming romance with Anne. Katherine remained defiant, however, stating that she is “the King’s true and legitimate wife,” and encouraging her daughter, Mary, to become obdurate in her role as Princess; however, Mary angered her father, lost his favor, and was forbidden to see her beloved mother.

In 1531, Katherine was banished from court, her rooms given to Anne. In 1533, Henry, as the head of the new Church of England, set for the annulment to take place. Several people came to support their beloved Queen, including Thomas More, her nephew, Charles V, and Henry’s own sister, the Queen of France, Mary Tudor. However, on 23 May 1533, Katherine and Henry’s marriage was declared, by the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, null and void. Katherine was stripped of her title, and on 1 June 1533, Anne Boleyn, once her Maid-of-Honour that had caught her husband’s eye, was anointed and crowned the Queen of England.

Katherine was subjugated to the ‘Princess Dowager of Wales,’ her title after her first husband, Arthur’s, death; however, Katherine remained with her stance that she was the King’s only lawfully wedded wife and the only rightful Queen of England, being referred to as ‘Queen’ by her servants. In winter 1531 (or 1532), Katherine went to live at The More castle, later moving to Kimbolton Castle in 1535. At the Kimbolton Castle, she confined herself to a room, leaving only to attend Mass; she also fasted continuously. The Spanish ambassador kept her informed of outside events, as well as smuggling letters to and from her beloved daughter, Mary, who she was forbidden to speak to or see. The inflictions Henry set upon her gave the former Queen more sadness than resentment; her motto ‘Humble and Loyal’ remained her way until the end of her life.

On 7 January 1537, Katherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess turned Queen of England, died of cancer, three weeks after her fiftieth birthday.

Happy (belated) birthday to the princess, the wife, and the Queen; happy birthday to Catalina de Aragón.

professorowenaravenclaw:

“There will never be a Queen to sit in my seat with more zeal to my country, care to my subjects, and that will sooner, with willingness, venture her life for your good and safety than myself. For it is my desire to live nor reign no longer than my life and reign shall be for your good.”

Between three and four in the afternoon, Queen of England Anne Boleyn birthed a daughter. Christened Elizabeth about both of her grandmothers, her birth was a blow to her parents who had expected a male heir. Despite this initial chagrin, her parents loved her greatly. Two and half years after her birth, her mother was dead by beheading on the charges of incest, adultery, and witchcraft.

Declared a bastard and deprived the title of Princess of England, Elizabeth was placed in half-brother Edward’s house after his birth. After father Henry’s death in 1547, Edward became King. Unfortunately, a few years later Edward became terminally ill. Wishing to not have his Protestant demands undone at the hands of his Catholic half-sister Mary, who was the next in succession, Edward cut both of his sisters from the succession and instead named their aunt’s grandchild, Jane Grey, as his successor. Nine days passed before Jane was denounced and executed; Mary then became the rightful Queen of England. After her death in 1558, Elizabeth became the Queen of England.

Despite the many claims that their Queen would marry, Elizabeth never offered her hand. She did, however, have a favourite; Lord Robert Dudley, who remarried after the death of his first wife in 1578 to the grandniece of her mother, Lettice Knollys. She then became her best image, “The Virgin Queen.” One of the greatest triumphs of her reign was the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588; the portrait of her symbolizing the defeat depicted her hand resting on the globe to signal her international prowess.

During her lifetime, Elizabeth was described as ‘tall’ and ‘slender’ with a ‘small bosom’ and elongated fingers, the latter of which she inherited from her mother and was greatly vain about. Her hair was said to be auburn, inherited from her father; she had an oval face with a delicate mouth and slightly arched nose. She is described to have her mother’s coal-black eyes.

Many of her friends had died in the autumn of 1602, springing her in to a deep depression. In March, Elizabeth reported that she had felt sick and remained in an unfazed sense of sadness. On the 24th of March, between two and three in the morning, Elizabeth I dies.

Happy birthday to the queen of England in her own right; happy birthday to one of the most influential persons of our time. Happy birthday to the princess, then the bastard, then the Queen, happy birthday Elizabeth Tudor.

[pictured: a sketching of Jane Seymour made from black & colored chalks and pen ink; c. 1536 by Hans Holbein]

On 15 October 1537, the christening ceremony for Jane’s child began in her bedchamber where she had given birth; new mother Jane was able to participate in her baby’s, named Edward for the feast day St. Edward on which he was born, christening by it was an overall long ordeal. Jane was exhausted and weak from the labor that had lasted two days and three nights. Jane needed rest and quiet, but received neither.

A day after the christening of Edward, it became apparent that Jane was severely ill; her condition only worsened. Near midnight on 24 October 1537, Jane Seymour, the Queen of England, died of puerperal sepsis.

(ETA: As Henry waited for three years to marry again, I’ll be taking a short break; I’ll come back and post facts from those three years of Henry unmarried before going on with his marriage to Anne of Cleves | I’d also like to add that even though I am aware there is a depiction of Jane’s death, the portrait was too blurry for my liking and this image is a sketching of the best known of Jane)

[pictured: a portrait, in detail of Henry, Jane, and Edward, picturing the family of Henry VIII; c. 1545 by unknown]

A year after the royal marriage of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Jane was pregnant. Bonfires were lit and celebrations were held throughout the kingdom; prayers were made for a safe delivery of a male heir that the entire country yearned for. By early October 1537, Jane was sent to Hampton Court Palace to stay in anticipation for the birth of her child.

After a long and difficult labor, Jane birthed a son on the eve of St. Edward’s Day; he was baptized by that name on 15 October. After 29 years as the king of England and throughout three wives, Henry VIII finally had a legitimate male heir.

[pictured: a posthumous portrait of Jane Seymour, early in her pregnancy with the Tudor heir Edward; c. 1795-1800 by unknown]

Jane was noted for her child-like face and utmost modesty; she was reported, by the Imperial Ambassador Eustace Chapuys, to be of a “middling stature and very pale”; he also said of her that she was not very much a beauty. John Russell said of the Queen, “[she is] the fairest of Henry’s wives.” Polydore Vergil commented that Jane was a woman of charm in both character and appearance. Jane, from the famous Holbein portrait painted from life, was said to have blue eyes, high cheekbones, faint eyebrows, and thin lips with a modest personality and calming manner.

[pictured: Jane Seymour during her first year as Queen of England; c. 1536 by unknown, from the Cast Shadow Workshop]

The extravagance of the former Queen’s household was replaced with a strict etiquette suited to Jane’s liking, her predecessor’s favor of French hoods were replaced with gabled English hoods as Katherine of Aragon, her former mistress of whom she served as Lady-in-Waiting, had worn. Jane was known as strict, formal, and modest; severely different than that of her predecessor.

On 4 June 1536, Jane Seymour was publicly declared the Queen of England; she chose her personal motto to be ‘bound to obey and serve’.