![\"Catherine](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Catherine-of-Aragon.jpg\")
Henry took the throne in 1509, at age 17. Six weeks later, he married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, and the widow of his elder brother, Arthur Tudor (1486 \u20131502). As the eldest son and heir apparent of Henry VII of England, Arthur Tudor died young. It was a custom in the Tudor Court for the younger brother to marry the wife of an older brother. From the moment young Henry took his nuptials, he obsessed over continuing the Tudor line. Of multiple pregnancies and several births, the only child to survive was Henry and Catherine\u2019s daughter, Mary.<\/p>\n
Catherine remained at Henry\u2019s side for 23 years and is even thought to be the only woman the king ever truly loved. “Henry viewed her as a model wife in every respect bar one\u2026 her failure to give him a son,” says Tudor historian Tracy Borman<\/a>. Frustrated at the lack of a male heir, Henry\u2019s eyes wandered.<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536): The Union That Sparked Reformation, Beheaded<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry and Anne wed in January of 1533, and Anne gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth, in September the same year. Henry remained hopeful Anne would give him a son, but after a series of stillborn births, Henry lost interest in his wife. When he took a mistress, Anne became enraged. \u201cOn one occasion, her sister-in-law, Lady Rochford, was banished from court when she and Anne had plotted to remove an unnamed mistress from court,\u201d says Tudor historian Elizabeth Norton<\/a>. Desperate to end the relationship, Henry accused her of adultery and treason and had the marriage annulled. On May 19, 1536, Anne was beheaded for her alleged crimes.<\/p>\n 3. Jane Seymour (1508-1537): Died After Giving Birth to Male Heir<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry stayed a bachelor for two years, until his chief minister suggested that he seek a European alliance and marry one of the sisters (Anne and Amelia) of Germany\u2019s Duke of Cleves. Henry requested the women\u2019s portraits and found Anne to be the more flattering of the two. When Anne arrived in England on January 1, 1540, Henry was shocked that she looked nothing like the painting. He tried to halt the wedding, but because the arrangement had progressed so far, they married on January 6, 1540. Anne, the so-called \u201cugly wife,\u201d accepted a divorce and generous settlement six months later and lived in peace as the \u201cKing\u2019s Sister\u201d until her death in July 1557.<\/p>\n Henry married 19-year-old Catherine Howard\u2014a lady-in waiting to Anne of Cleves\u2014in July 1540. By this time, he had become overweight and unable to walk. Said to be delighted with his rambunctious new bride, Henry showered Catherine with gifts and called her his \u201crose without a thorn.\u201d But less than a year into their marriage, rumors of infidelity surfaced. With enough evidence that she had been at least promiscuous, Catherine was executed for adultery and treason at the Tower Green on February 13, 1542.<\/p>\n 6. Catherine Parr (1512-1548): Peacemaker Who Outlived Henry<\/strong><\/p>\n Of all Henry\u2019s wives, Borman says Catherine Parr had the most influence upon the widest variety of areas including court culture, religion, the role of women and the education of Henry\u2019s children. \u201cShe also persuaded Henry to restore his daughters Mary and Elizabeth to the order of succession and acted as Regent when Henry went to war with France,\u201d Borman explains.<\/p>\n Catherine died in 1548, a year after Henry\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n![\"Anne](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Anne_Boleyn.jpg\")
Anne Boleyn and her sister, Mary, spent part of their childhood in the France court. Mary returned to England sometime around 1520 and had a brief affair with Henry. Henry then became smitten with Anne, but she refused the king\u2019s advances. She had no interest in being a mistress. When Henry sought an annulment from his first wife to marry Anne, Rome refused. So the king broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and formed the Church of England.<\/p>\n![\"Jane](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Jane_Seymour.jpg\")
Days after Anne\u2019s execution, Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour. Jane had served as a lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn\u2019s and Jane Seymour’s mothers were first cousins, who shared the same grandmother, and were raised together for a time. \u201cAnne did not stand meekly aside when Henry’s interest in Jane became apparent. We know from sources that the pair came to blows on more than one occasion at court,\u201d says Norton. On October 12, 1537, Jane gave birth to Edward VI and died from complications of the birth several weeks later. At the wishes of the king, Jane is buried at St. John\u2019s Chapel alongside him.<\/p>\n![\"Anne](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Anne-of-Cleves.jpg\")
4. Anne of Cleves (1515-1557): Strategic, Six-Month Marriage<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Catherine](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Catherine-Howard-2.jpg\")
5. Catherine Howard (1523-1542): Treasured, Then Executed<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Catherine](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Catherine_Parr.jpg\")
Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, in July 1543. A spirited and educated widow, when Catherine showed an interest in Protestantism, Henry had her arrested. She managed to avoid the fate of her predecessors, bringing stability and peace to the court, while serving as a kind and caring stepmother to Henry\u2019s children.<\/p>\n
\nYasujiro Ozu’s Camera Style<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/Games\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Yasujiro-Ozu-Films.jpg\")
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