Wives of Henry VIII

For other uses, see The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

The six wives of Henry VIII, portraits made for Parliament
Six wives of Henry VIII
and years of marriage
Catherine of Aragon
m. 1509–1533
Anne Boleyn
m. 1533–1536
Jane Seymour
m. 1536–1537
Anne of Cleves
m. 1540
Catherine Howard
m. 1540–1542
Catherine Parr
m. 1543–1547

In common parlance, the wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort of King Henry VIII of England between 1509 and his death in 1547. In legal terms (de jure), Henry had only three wives, because three of his marriages were annulled by the Church of England. He was never granted an annulment by the Pope, as he desired, however, for Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Annulments declare that a true marriage never took place, unlike a divorce, in which a married couple end their union.[1] Along with his six wives, Henry took several mistresses.[2][3]

  1. ^ Goldhill, Olivia (26 January 2016). "Did Henry VIII really have six wives? Why everything you think you know about the Tudors is wrong". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  2. ^ Hart, Kelly (2009). The Mistresses of Henry VIII. History Press. ISBN 978-0752448350.
  3. ^ Fraser 2003, p. 86.