Henry VIII most infamous monarch in English history
38 year reign, 6 marriages
Divorced, beheaded died, divorced, beheaded, survived
Women more than wives – also queens
Formidable individuals, all changed history and shaped Henry VIII and England
What was it really like to be married to Henry VIII?
Passions, obsessions and betrayals
Katherine of Aragon
Often overlooked
Warrior queen who taught Henry how to be a king
Love, passions and tragedies that tore them apart
November 14 1501 Katherine prepared for wedding night in London, aged 15
1000 miles from home speaking little English
In front of thousands of people in St Paul’s Cathedral married Prince Arthur, heir to English throne
Katherine was to be English queen
Marriage hugely important – allied Tudor dynasty with Spanish royal family
Expected to produce son and heir – future of dynasty
What went on under the sheets that night had consequences that would change England forever
December 1501 Arthur and Katherine moved to Ludlow Castle – Arthur to begin training for kingship
Ludlow not updated, rather cold and damp, and Katherine and Arthur fell ill in March 1502
2 April 1502 Prince Arthur died
After a fight Katherine pulled through
Married for just 5 months when Arthur died – threw Katherine back into sickness and mourning
Katherine’s life not only one turned upside down
Eltham Palace – Prince Henry aged 10, bright and intelligent, brought up surrounded by women and never prepared for rule
Prince Henry now next in line to English throne
Less than a year after Arthur’s death Elizabeth of York, Henry’s mother, also died
No more sons so Henry had dynasty on his shoulders
Drilled into Henry the paramount importance of securing the dynasty and having a son
No say in who he would marry
Henry VII made a strategic choice – Henry would marry Katherine
Getting the throne would take all the fight Katherine had
June 1503 marriage agreement 11 year old Prince Henry & 17 year old Katherine, scheduled to marry in 2 years time
Condition of marriage was that her father provide dowry of plate, jewels and coins in advance of marriage
Katherine’s father didn’t pay in time – stalemate
Katherine in limbo and starved of money, household sinking into debt
Wrote to her father appealing for help – letters kept at British Library
Princess from great royal house saying that she has to sell jewellery to buy food and clothes
Henry VII kept Katherine penniless and made no promises about her future
Even considered suicide – so desperate
21 April 1509 Henry VII died of tuberculosis
Within hours Henry VIII proclaimed – tall, good-looking and accomplished
Universal acclaim at home and abroad
Most eligible bachelor in England
Wanted a queen to help him bring glory to England and produce batch of healthy sons
Only one woman for Henry – Katherine
7 years of hardship for Katherine but would finally be queen
11 June 1509 Katherine and Henry married at Greenwich in small, private ceremony
Why did Henry choose Katherine? – physically attracted to her and wanted a queen not just a wife
7 years struggle to marry Henry – one long job interview?
Katherine had strength of character – ultimate prize of the crown
World at her feet and she would make an impression
Katherine adored Henry and wrote to her father to thank him for allowing her to be so well married
Seems to have been a love match
Did their duty to the dynasty and Katherine fell pregnant just months into the marriage
31 January 1510 happiness turned to sorrow as baby stillborn at 8 months
Katherine devastated and suffered sense of shame – wrote to her father describing it as an ill omen, but the will of god
Henry didn’t blame Katherine
Stillbirth kept a closely guarded secret – only 4 people knew about it other than royal couple
Katherine soon fell pregnant again – all hopes rested on healthy son and heir
Blamed herself for losing the first child
Henry needed a son and heir to continue Tudor line
1.30am 1 January 1511 Katherine gave birth to a boy
Katherine’s status had never been so high and people celebrated across the country
A year and a half into marriage Henry already had a son – probably more in love with Katherine at that moment than any other in their marriage
Child called Henry – happiness not to last as child died 8 weeks after birth
Death of Prince Henry tore Katherine apart – Henry VIII devastated
Tried to hide his grief from Katherine – blow to kingly prestige
King needed to boost self-image so went to war with France and Katherine encouraged his ambitions
1513 at Dover Castle Henry appointed Katherine regent
Declared publicly that he was leaving England in the hands of a woman whose excellence couldn’t be doubted
Strength of marriage despite miscarriage and death of a son
Regency was Katherine’s greatest challenge so far
Katherine had been educated by her mother Isabella of Castile – women could be as strong and powerful as men
Katherine never forgot the lesson
2 months after Henry left England Katherine’s ability was tested
James IV King of Scotland invaded England with 30,000 men – captured 3 English castles
Katherine took command and rallied English troops – 2 armies
Katherine also marched north at the head of a third army
Katherine was prepared to fight to defend her husband’s crown
9 September 1513 Flodden Field – Katherine’s army commanded by Earl of Surrey and Scots by James IV himself
James attacked on right flank and it crumbled
Panicked gripped English army but Scottish forces then hit boggy ground
English archers fired and James IV struck in the jaw then killed
Battle became a bloodbath with the Scottish king dead
1,500 Englishmen were killed, but real massacre of Scots (12,000)
Katherine’s victory was total
Katherine sent Henry the bloodstained coat of James IV of Scotland along with a letter – Henry probably greeted it with mixed emotions
1513 moment when Katherine showed Henry how to be a king
Henry VIII won a couple of skirmishes and couple of minor towns
Touch of boasting in Katherine’s letter – annihilated the Scots, England’s enemy
Hard to imagine a more perfect queen
Needed a wife who could give him a son – harder than Henry could imagine
Another son lost the end of 1513 and another in autumn 1514
Cycle of grief
Deeply upsetting – no problem getting pregnant but failed to live
Seen as Katherine’s problem – began to take their toll on the marriage
Henry VIII growing more and more desperate – throne in jeopardy
February 1516 Katherine went into labour for the 5th time – 18 February healthy child born but it was a daughter, Mary
News of the birth sent to Henry – still young boys will follow
Only 3 women attempted to rule England as queen and ended in civil war
Following 9 years Katherine only conceived once more – a daughter who died at birth
Katherine now in her late 30s and wouldn’t conceive again
Henry fathered a son with his mistress, one of Katherine’s ladies in waiting – christened Henry Fitzroy
Fitzroy’s birth confirmed Henry wasn’t to blame for lack of an heir
Tudors in danger of disappearing
Henry’s heart left the marriage and he was looking for a way out
1526 Henry found it –another of Katherine’s ladies – Anne Boleyn
Katherine had seen Henry’s interest before, not great womaniser but had 2 short-lived affairs
Thought he would have his way and move on – this time different
Anne intelligent, charming and witty – learnt from Archduchess of Austria and Queen of France
Henry VIII became obsessed – secret love letters
Depth of infatuation “stricken with the dart of love” – real raw physical longing
Henry begging Anne to become his mistress “cast off all others beside you”
None of Anne’s replies survive
Doesn’t seem like Anne wants to fall into the royal bed – why?
Possible that Anne was holding out for a greater prize – mid 20s and needed to find a husband
Henry VIII had always gone back to his wife
No woman had gone from mistress to queen – latest mistress had been her sister, Mary
Anne’s unwillingness inflamed Henry’s spirits
After a year Henry’s tactics finally worked
British Library – Anne Boleyn’s Book of Hours, Henry and Anne wrote to each other in French “Henry R always”
Page shows biblical man of sorrows
Anne’s response – “by daily proof you shall me find to be unto you both loving and kind”
Page shows Virgin Mary being told by angel she will be produce a son
Anne offered Henry a son and heir
Henry had greatest reason to end his marriage
Katherine had no intention of giving up husband or crown without a fight
Henry very pious and student of scripture
Turned to bible to try and justify failure of marriage and reason to end it – Leviticus
Proof that marriage to Katherine had been illegal right from the start – convinced that god was on Henry’s side
Asked pope to annul marriage
Extraordinary decision – smitten with Anne Boleyn and doubted validity of marriage
Henry had grown up 17 years into reign
Katherine taught him fundamentals of kingship but Henry wanted a mother to a son and not a teacher
Henry told Katherine their marriage was against god’s law 1527
Mortal sin – separate to save their immortal souls
Katherine could have accepted it and retired from court in comfort and security
Not in Katherine’s character
Had fought to get Henry and would now fight to keep him
Henry’s case for an annulment rested on the fact that Katherine was his brother’s widow
Katherine had a shock in store for Henry
Katherine said that she and Prince Arthur had slept in the same bed but sleep was all they did – no consummation
Never had sex so marriage unconsummated
In legal terms this meant that Katherine and Arthur had never been married
Katherine’s defiance pulled apart Henry’s case so pope refused to allow quick annulment
Henry decided to change tactics
Henry tried to discredit Katherine with smear campaign
Wolsey wrote to the pope saying that Katherine had a sexual disease and that she was consumed by ravenous desire
Showed how far Henry was willing to go
Henry’s lawyers petitioned Katherine to step down as queen but she refused
April 1528 tensions boiled over and Katherine confronted Henry
Katherine wanted to defend herself – public court
Henry wanted to keep annulment quiet but had little choice in the matter
Katherine had a chance to save her crown and keep her husband who she still loved
Fight for the future of the dynasty and Henry refused to let Katherine stand in the way
Katherine was brave, majestic and determined
Showed Henry how to be a king
One lesson that Katherine never meant to teach – learned how to be cruel
Tudor Blogger 
Reblogged this on Utopia – you are standing in it!.
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