23rd May: Henry VIII's first divorce

On this date in 1533 Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. 10 things you might not know about Henry VIII and his six wives.

Catherine of Aragon

1. His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was originally married to his older brother, Arthur, who died aged 15. Henry took on all his brother's responsibilities, including the strategic marriage. They were betrothed when Henry was just 11.
2. Before their daughter Mary, the future Queen, was born, Catherine had a stillborn girl, a boy that lived just 7 weeks, and a miscarriage.
3. Henry did not limit himself to six wives - he had mistresses as well, and had an illegitimate son by one of them, Henry FitzRoy, who died aged 17. He also had an affair with Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary.
4. The motivation for divorcing Catherine appeared to be firstly because she had failed to produce a male heir, and also because Anne Boleyn was refusing to become his mistress.
5. It wasn't a divorce as such, but an annulment, as Henry used Biblical laws to argue that he should never have married his brother's wife in the first place. Catherine was banished from court and given the title "princess dowager" as his brother's widow.
6. His second marriage soon went sour as Anne was not submissive enough. Intelligence and independence had made her attractive as a lover, but as a royal wife, these qualities were not so desirable. Also, the same problem as with Catherine - she didn't produce any male children, just one girl, Elizabeth. She miscarried several male children, though. Rather than have all the hassle of another divorce, Anne was accused of having affairs, which amounted to treason, and she, her brother and four other men, her supposed lovers, were executed in 1536.
7. Henry's next wife, Jane Seymour, was one of Anne's ladies-in-waiting, with whom he had been having an affair. She did produce a son, the future Edward VI, so she might have been a keeper - but she died from childbirth complications. Henry didn't hang about - he started looking for another wife almost immediately.
8. Instead of going for a lady-in-waiting this time, Henry went for a strategic marriage. The Earl of Essex suggested Anne of Cleves as a suitable match. Henry  asked for a portrait of her, liked the look of her in the picture and agreed to marry her without even meeting her first. However, reality didn't live up to his expectations. She wasn't well educated enough for him, and it seems as if, when it came to it, he just didn't fancy her and this marriage was annulled because it was never consummated. Henry must have liked her, though, as rather than execute her, he gave her a couple of houses and the title of "The King's beloved sister." They actually remained friends and Anne was a welcome visitor at court.
9. The next wife, Catherine Howard, was Anne Boleyn's cousin and had been her lady-in-waiting. Although Anne of Cleves had agreed to the annulment of her marriage, she was said to have been jealous of Catherine and disliked her intensely. Catherine was executed in 1542 for having affairs. It was suggested at the time that Henry could re-marry Anne of Cleves, but he quickly refused.
10. The final wife, Catherine Parr, was a wealthy widow and a distant cousin to Henry. She helped bring up his children, Edward and Elizabeth, and helped reconcile Henry with his daughters. Henry almost got rid of her, too, though, as her religious views were different to his and they would argue, and it was thought he already had his eye on a potential wife number seven. He got as far as getting a warrant for her arrest - but she talked her way out of it, saying that she only picked arguments with Henry to take his mind off the pain caused by the ulcers on his leg. Catherine Parr survived the experience of being married to Henry VIII and went on to marry again after he died.