Henry VIII’s wives: Full list of the Tudor king’s marriages in order, and what happened to them all

As the new Channel 5 psychological thriller Anne Boleyn hits our screens, some viewers are casting their minds back to history lessons to try to remember what exactly happened in the House of Tudor.

Many of us are familiar with the fact that King Henry VIII had six wives, but it is easy to forget exactly what the story was with each one.

Here is a reminder of who Henry VIII’s wives were and what happened to them.

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry VIII, whom he married in 1509 shortly after becoming king at the age of 17. Catherine had been married to Henry’s brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, but Arthur died a year after marrying Catherine.

Henry and Catherine were married for more than 23 years. Although Catherine was pregnant several times, Mary I, also known as Mary Tudor, was her only child to survive past infancy, as Catherine experienced several miscarriages and stillbirths.

Henry was desperate for a male heir and wanted to end his marriage to Catherine to persue Anne Boleyn instead.

This led to a chain of events that resulted in his marriage to Catherine being annulled in 1533, England breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, and the formation of the Church of England. Catherine of Aragon died in 1536.

Anne Boleyn 

Anne Boleyn was Henry VIII’s second wife, whom he formally married in 1533.

She is perhaps the best known of the king’s wives and her story has been widely studied by historians.

Anne and Henry had a child together, Elizabeth I, who would go on to rule the country for many years. Again, Henry had hoped Anne would give birth to a son, but Anne had several miscarriages and stillbirths after the birth of Elizabeth.

Things ended badly for Anne Boleyn – she was beheaded at the Tower of London in May 1536, after being accused of crimes including treason, adultery and incest – though many modern historians believe the charges were unfounded. Her marriage to Henry VIII was annulled just before her death.

Jane Seymour

The third wife of Henry VIII was Jane Seymour, whom he married in 1536, shortly after Anne’s execution.

Jane finally gave the king the male heir he had wanted for so long, giving birth to Edward VI on 12 October 1537.

But Jane died just 12 days after giving birth from complications, and was buried at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of Henry VIII, whom he married on 6 January 1540.

Not a large amount is known about the fourth wife, who was a German princess, who it is understood Henry initially had planned to marry to strengthen political alliances with her brother William.

But the marriage was annulled just six months later, after allegedly remaining unconsummated. Anne was given a settlement and lived comfortably for many years, known as the “King’s Sister”, dying in 1557.

Catherine Howard

The fifth wife of Henry VIII was Catherine Howard, whom he married in July 1540.

She was still a teenager when she married the king, who by then was around 49, after she caught his eye. She has been a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves, and Henry reportedly called her his “rose without a thorn”.

But Catherine Howard’s time as queen was shortlived after allegations of her committing adultery came to light, and by November 1541, she was stripped of her title as queen and executed over treason and adultery.

Catherine Parr

The sixth and final wife of Henry VIII was Catherine Parr, who he married in July 1543.

She had a total of four husbands – prior to marrying Henry she had had two husbands who had died, and she married once more after Henry VIII’s death, to Thomas Seymour.

She had a close relationship to Henry’s children from his past marriages, getting Elizabeth 1 and Mary 1 place in the line of succession reinstated after they had been removed.

Catherine Parrr outlived Henry VIII, who died in 1547, surviving until 5 September 1548, when she also died.

Anne Boleyn is on Channel 5.