This post is an attempt to present a historical narrative in a simple and digestible form, to "pack, pack" the history of the Tudors for all Russian-speaking compatriots who will have to take the new English Citizenship Exam 2013+

To write this article, I read various fiction books (Henry Morton, Oleg Perfilyev) and historical books on Britain in various editions, and also watched a great many documentaries and feature films. And I will tell you, dear readers, the best way for yourself memorizing historical figures I consider terrain matching, the castle in which the person lived and the image - outfits, occupation, character of this person So, it won't be boring - let's dive into history!

Henry VII Tudor and Elizabeth of York are the parents of Henry VIII.

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In the entire history of the English crown, the most famous king was Henry VIII with his six wives! Why was he so popular? Henry VIII was married six times. The fate of his spouse is memorized by English schoolchildren with the help of the mnemonic phrase "divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived." From the first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from the first marriage, Elizabeth from the second and Edward from the third. All of them subsequently reigned. Henry's last three marriages were childless.

Henry VIII (1) by Hans Holbein the Younger

Henry VIII was married six times. The fate of his spouse is memorized by English schoolchildren with the help of the mnemonic phrase "divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived." From the first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from the first marriage, Elizabeth from the second and Edward from the third. All of them subsequently reigned. Henry's last three marriages were childless.

His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was the youngest daughter of the Spanish king Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. As a sixteen-year-old princess, she came to England and became the wife of Crown Prince Arthur, son of King Henry VII. By that time, the prince was only 14 years old. Arthur was very sickly, suffered from consumption, and a year after the wedding he died, leaving Catherine a young widow and without an heir. Henry VIII married his brother Arthur's wife Catherine of Aragon for state reasons (she was six years older than Henry). According to Catholic laws, such marriages were prohibited, and Henry VIII had to ask permission from the Pope. Catherine gave birth to six children, five of them died, only one daughter Mary I Tudor survived. Henry VIII blamed Catherine for the death of his heirs, although the fault lay with his family, of the seven children of his father Henry VII, three also died in infancy, Princesses Margaret and Mary died in childhood, and Prince Arthur barely lived to adolescence.

Henry VIII was madly disappointed and could not imagine that his daughter - a woman - would be the heir to the throne! He certainly decided to divorce Catherine, intending to get heirs from another woman. At that time, he was already flirting with Betsy Blount and Mary Carrie (Anne Boleyn's sister). The Pope did not give consent to the divorce, Catherine of Aragon herself was also against it. Then he decided to give a damn about the opinion of the Pope, founded his Anglican Church, proclaiming himself the head, closed all the monasteries and confiscated their property, thereby replenishing the state treasury.

Having married Anne Boleyn, who did not want to be his mistress, like her sister Mary, and kept an impregnable fortress, Henry VIII expected heirs. But all of Anna's pregnancies ended unsuccessfully. In 1533, she bore him a daughter, Elizabeth I, instead of the long-awaited heir son. And again, Henry VIII was extremely disappointed and decided by hook or by crook to get rid of Anna, but this time in a more insidious way. With the help of accomplices, he accused Anna of treason, namely, treason against the king himself. Anne Boleyn was beheaded in 1536 in the Tower.

About Hever Castle It is known that in 1462 it was bought by Geoffrey Boleyn, Anna's great-great-grandfather, and the Boleyn family had been equipping their family nest for two centuries.

Soon Henry VIII married Jane Seymour, the maid of honor of Anne Boleyn, she gave birth to his long-awaited son, Edward VI, but she herself died in puerperal fever. Henry VIII could not get enough of his son, he jumped around him like a little boy, idolized him like a divine angel. Three years after the death of his third wife, Henry VIII remained unmarried, believing that his mission of producing a crown prince had been accomplished. But the tense international situation forced him to marry again. Henry VIII sent marriage proposals to Mary of Guise, Christina of Milan and Mary of Habsburg, but the proposals of the English king were politely rejected. The reputation of Henry VIII in Europe was too negative. Because of the fear of being beheaded, the girls did not want to marry him.

To seal the alliance with Francis I and the German Protestant princes, Henry VIII married the German princess Anna of Cleves according to the portrait of the great Holbein, whose image made a charming impression on Henry VIII. But upon personal acquaintance, he was extremely disappointed, and in the same 1540 the marriage was royally annulled. Anna of Cleves continued to live in England at Richmond Castle as "the King's sister".

Fifth wife Catherine Howard Immediately after the divorce, Henry VIII married for the fifth time out of passionate love a young nineteen-year-old beauty Catherine Howard, cousin of Anne Boleyn, and was extremely happy with her. He fluttered like a butterfly, indulging in the bliss of love. But the news of her betrayal, like a butt on the head, irrevocably overshadowed his elated state of euphoria and bliss. Two years after her marriage, Catherine was, like Anne Boleyn, beheaded on the scaffold in the Tower for treason to the king. Henry VIII was inconsolably worried about her loss ...

Sixth wife Catherine Parr

The sixth wife survived Henry VIII himself. By the time of her marriage to the king, Catherine Parr had already been widowed twice, and after the death of Henry VIII, she remarried Thomas Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour. The hereditary son of Henry VIII, as his father dreamed, immediately ascended the throne at the age of nine under the tutelage of the Duke of Somerset, an uncle by his mother Jane Seymour, but Edward VI did not reign for long, as he died of tuberculosis at the age of 16. Against the wishes of King Henry VIII, the female era of rule began. Edward VI was succeeded by Mary I or "Bloody Mary", the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, and then by Elizabeth I, his second daughter by Anne Boleyn, who reigned for 45 years. The reign of Elizabeth I went down in history as the "golden age of England", in connection with the flourishing of the culture of the Renaissance.

Small but perfect in appearance, Hever Castle was Anne Boleyn's childhood home, although it was later given to Henry VIII's fourth wife Anne of Cleves as part of their annulment agreement. In 1903, it was bought and restored by the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor, who also added gardens and a lake to the castle.

Read more about the royal castles of Britain here http://www.website/users/milendia_solomarina/post225342434/

William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle at Warwick in 1068, but the wooden fence and walls had nothing to do with the towered stone fortress that the castle is today. In the 15th century, when Richard Neville owned it, the castle was used to capture King Edward IV.

Under the Tudors, the Boleyns also owned Blickling Hall, the Norfolk manor house of the Earls of Buckinghamshire, famous for its ancient library and exemplary garden.



Tourists visiting Blickling Hall are told that every anniversary of Anne Boleyn's execution, her decapitated ghost is seen here. The belief that the unfortunate queen was born in Blickling has no basis. Her father, Thomas Boleyn, left Blickling shortly before she was born.

And 200 years later, the Boleyn family added a Tudor-style house to the internal architecture of Hever Castle. This place keeps the memory of the history of the English monarchy, love adventures and palace intrigues. There is a special spirit of antiquity and grandeur here. The history of the castle is closely intertwined with the Boleyn family. The castle was purchased by the great-great-grandfather of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII (1491-1547). Anna spent her childhood here. Here the young beauty was courted by Henry VIII, and it was from here that she was later taken to the gloomy Tower, by order of her husband.

When Anna got bored with the windy king and Henry gave Anna for "adultery and treason" on trial, which sentenced the unfortunate woman to death. (beheaded in the Tower on May 19, 1536) - Hever Castle was transferred to the control of the king.

From 1557 until 1903, Hever Castle had many different owners. By the beginning of the last century, it was abandoned and uninhabited, but since 1903 it began a different, happy story - it was restored to its former glory. William Waldorf Astor, a wealthy American who bought the estate in 1903, carefully recreated all the grandeur of this remarkable place for the history of England.

The shadow of Anne Boleyn, with whose name the history of Hever Castle is connected, does not frighten its visitors - after all, her childhood and youth passed here ...

The luminous ghost of the Lady with her head in her hands is usually observed in the Tower, where Anne Boleyn, Marquis of Pembroke and Queen of England, was executed "for treason" to the most despotic and cruel King Henry VIII in English history, who replaced one after another "in the interests of the state" six wives.
At the court of the English King Henry VIII Tudor, Anna was also considered smart, fashionable, very attractive and seductive, although she was not a beauty. Young Anne was engaged to a friend of childhood games, Henry Percy ... But the king (not without the help of the powerful court figure Lord Howard, who "part-time" was Anna's uncle and fought for the king's influence by any means) turned his attention to her, so Lord Percy was married on the other ... (it’s not to Sir Percy’s credit, it should be noted that at Anna’s trial he was silent like a fish and trembled like a hare’s tail - and he was among the Judges!

It is not customary to reject the attention of kings, but in response, the proud Anna set her own condition: only the crown - she does not agree to anything less! And the already married Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon, accusing her of being unable to give birth to a male heir. But Anna Boleyn also gave birth to a girl (although this girl later became Queen Elizabeth I, who glorified the country for 45 years of her reign, which was called the “golden age” of England), and the voluptuous king had already outlined a new victim - Jane Seymour, so Anna was accused of marital treason, sent to Khiver, and from there to the Tower, where they were executed in 1536 by beheading with a sword. The day after the execution, Henry married Jane Seymour.

Of course, to be absolutely honest, the name of another of the Boleyn family "shines" in English history - this is Mary, Anna's older sister, who also happened to be a royal mistress for two years before the whole tragic intrigue with Anna. This position weighed heavily on her, she was married to the courtier William Carey ... But powerful relatives, and relatives in general - remember Lord Howard - are not known to be chosen. And this "loving uncle" did not spare three nieces to satisfy his political ambitions!

And Mary's name is even more associated with Hever Castle, because it is known that she loved Hever very much and happily moved away from the court here, raised her two children here (some believed that these were royal offspring, but she never tried to prove it). The lady was interesting! With joy, she “transferred” the role of the royal mistress, and when she suddenly became a widow, she married for love a poor nobleman. Parents abandoned their "unreasonable" daughter, due to which she had to leave Hever before he was taken from the Boleyns, and on a small estate, in the wilderness, she safely lived to old age, giving birth to two more children to her second husband, and raising all four with him .

After the death of Anna of Klevskaya, for almost 350 years, several owners changed at Khiver Castle. By the beginning of the 20th century, it fell into complete decline. So in 1903 it was bought by American millionaire William Waldorf Astor.

He returned the castle to its former grandeur and beauty, restored not only the castle itself, but also the park that surrounded it, and the lake, investing many millions of US dollars in this event. The result was worth the effort!

remember again: King Henry, who ruled the country for 37 long years, was born on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich. He was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York and for this reason could not claim succession to the throne. The whole purpose of his life was to, by all means, produce an heir to the throne.
By all rights, the kingdom should have passed to his older brother Arthur, who was married to the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon.

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536). Daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. She was married to Arthur, the elder brother of Henry VIII. Having been widowed (1502), she remained in England, expecting either an impending or an upset marriage with Henry. Henry VIII married Catherine immediately after his accession to the throne in 1509. The first years of marriage were happy, but all the children of the young spouses were either born dead or died in infancy. Mary (1516-1558) was the only surviving offspring.
By refusing to acknowledge the dissolution of her marriage, Catherine condemned herself to exile, being transported from castle to castle several times. She died in January 1536.

However, Arthur suddenly died. At the insistence of his father, who believed that the marriage of his son and Catherine of Aragon was the best way to strengthen the alliance between England and Spain, he married a widowed princess. The fact that the bride was six years older than the groom did not bother anyone. Yes, in fact, neither Heinrich nor Catherine had a choice.

The young man, whom Catherine of Aragon married on a serene June day in 1509, was handsome, charming and full of energy. And hardly anyone could have guessed what his wayward habit of pursuing only his own goals would lead to.

Young Henry VIII

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Now for the details, Repetition is the mother of learning, again:

Henry VIII Tudor(Eng. Henry VIII; June 28, 1491, Greenwich - January 28, 1547, London) - King of England from April 22, 1509, son and heir of King Henry VII, the second English monarch from the Tudor dynasty. With the consent of the Roman Catholic Church, the English kings were also called "Lords of Ireland", but in 1541, at the request of the excommunicated Henry VIII, the Irish Parliament gave him the title "King of Ireland".

Educated and gifted, Henry ruled as a representative of European absolutism, by the end of his reign he severely persecuted his real and imaginary political opponents. In later years, he suffered from excess weight and other health problems.
The divorce of Henry VIII from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, led to the excommunication of the king from the Catholic Church and a series of church reforms in England, when the Anglican Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, the constant change of spouses and favorites of the king and the church reformation turned out to be a serious arena for political struggle and led to a number of executions of political figures, among which was, for example, Thomas More.

After the death in 1509 of Henry VII, it must be said, a rather stingy king, the eighteen-year-old Henry VIII took his place. At this point, he completely ceased to limit himself. The first years of his reign passed in an atmosphere of court festivities and military adventures. The two million pounds sterling taken from the royal treasury melted away with catastrophic rapidity. The young king enjoyed wealth and power, spending his time in non-stop entertainment. A well-educated and versatile person, Henry VIII at first aroused hope among people oriented towards humanistic ideals.

Catherine of Aragon
Catherine also counted on marital happiness with him. In contrast to the stormy temperament of the king, she was distinguished by a calm disposition, strictly observed religious precepts and preferred not to interfere in anything. Surprisingly, despite the differences in character, their marriage lasted 24 years. Heinrich, because of his amorousness, could not remain faithful for a long time.

A great admirer of female beauty, he constantly changed the objects of his passion, until he finally settled on the court lady Anne Boleyn, who did not want to hear about simple cohabitation and demanded marriage. The king needed to decide on something - either part with a young charming girl or divorce his wife. He chose the second option.
However, it was not so easy to get a divorce in those days, and even the monarch. Here not only ethical and religious principles came into force, but also the interests of high politics. The matter was complicated by the fact that Anne Boleyn, in fact, was nothing compared to the Spanish princess. In order to have a more or less suitable reason for a divorce, the king had to think carefully. At first, he explained his desire to divorce by the fact that he wanted to have an heir, and marriage with Catherine brought him only a sickly daughter, Maria

Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon - Mary I Tudor the Bloody

But this argument did not work, and Heinrich came up with another. He suddenly remembered after so many years of marriage that he had committed a great sin by marrying his brother's widow. The king began to prove with fervor and with references to church sources that he could not continue to commit this sin. But the Pope, fearing to quarrel with the rulers of Catholic countries, did not approve of the divorce. This only strengthened Henry in his intention to follow his own whims. Since Rome does not give consent to a divorce, then he is not a decree for him.

Divorce from Catherine of Aragon

From that time began the famous movement in the history of England and throughout the Christian world, which historians consider the beginning of the Reformation. Henry, spurred on by the restless Anne Boleyn, decided to break with Rome and declared himself head of the English Church. The obedient English hierarchs obeyed his will, seeing this as a benefit for themselves. It must be said that the Pope was not loved in England because of the large extortions that burdened the local church. The accommodating parliament put the king at the head of the English church, thus solving two problems: firstly, it was no longer necessary to send tribute to Rome, and secondly, the monarch could freely arrange his personal life.

After Cardinal Wolsey could not resolve the issue of Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, it was Anna who hired theologians who proved that the king was the lord of both the state and the church, and was responsible only to God, and not to the Pope in Rome (this was the beginning of the detachment the English Church from Rome and the creation of the Anglican Church). After the papal power was expelled from England, Henry in 1533 married Anne Boleyn, who for a long time was Henry's impregnable lover, refusing to become his mistress .. His former wife Catherine of Aragon lived in prison until 1536 and died quietly. .

Anne Boleyn in Taur before her execution.

What is the real reason for the speedy execution of Anne Boleyn? First of all, Anna gave birth to the king's daughter (by the way, the future Queen of England - Elizabeth I), and not the son he longed for, and after that had two more unsuccessful pregnancies. In addition, her character completely deteriorated - Anna allowed herself to interfere in political affairs and publicly made remarks to the king.

Thomas Sackville, cousin of Anne Boleyn, owned Knole House from 1566. Over the course of several centuries, the manor was rebuilt and expanded several times. Knowle House is based on Tudor architecture. This house has 365 rooms and 52 staircases.

Knowle House among all the noble estates of England is notable for the good preservation of the interiors of the 17th century. Almost all the walls of this amazing palace are decorated with brushes by Gainsborough, Van Dyck, Reynolds, and also Kneller. Knowle House is one of the most visited attractions in the UK.

But there was another reason: Heinrich fell in love with Jane Seymour, whom he married the day after Anna's execution. He was not even embarrassed by the fact that the girl belonged to a simple family.

Jane Seymour

As for Jane, it is unlikely that she could love Heinrich as a man. At this time, he was already a flabby, monstrously thick subject suffering from shortness of breath. But Jane was so afraid of him that she did not dare to think about betrayal.

To the immeasurable happiness of the king, she bore him a son, Prince Edward. This alone could ensure her safety for the rest of her life, out of love for his son, Heinrich would not dare to encroach on his mother, but fate would have decreed otherwise. For two days the young queen suffered in childbirth. In the end, the doctors came to the conclusion: it was necessary to choose - a mother or a child, however, knowing the terrible character of the sovereign, they were afraid to even hint about it. Fortunately for them, the king understood everything himself. "Save the child. I can get as many women as I like,” was his resolute and calm order. The third wife died in childbirth, and her husband was not at all saddened by this.

Portrait of King Edward VI, "Prince of Wales" the only surviving son of Henry VIII.

Very sickly from childhood, Edward took a detailed interest in all state affairs. He was well educated: he knew Latin, Greek and French, translated from Greek. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 16 after a long illness.

The next, fourth marriage of the English monarch, which he entered into just over two years after the death of Jane Seymour, could be called a comedy played out after a tragedy. This time, Henry decided to take as his wife not a subject, but a princess of one of the most influential houses in Europe. He was not guided by any political considerations, he was simply looking for a wife to his taste, for which he surrounded himself with portraits of different princesses, comparing and choosing in absentia.

The most interesting thing is that in 1537 the French ambassador at the court of Henry VIII received clear instructions - under no circumstances should any of the daughters of the French king be promised to the “English monster”. Following the example of France, Spain and Portugal also refused to marry their princesses to Henry. Rumors that the king was killing his wives spread like the plague.

Heinrich, who had become rather stout and flabby by the age of 48, besides suffering from a fistula in his leg, still remained greedy for female charms and did not leave the thought of marriage. His next wife was the German princess Anna of Cleves.

Anna Klevskaya

It should be said that the process of matchmaking took place in a very original way. Six weeks after the death of Jane Seymour, Henry offered his hand and heart to the widow, the Duchess of Longueville - the future mother of Mary Stuart. But the duchess did not agree, as she intended to marry the Scottish king. Then the first adviser, Thomas Cromwell, proposed the candidacy of Anna of Cleves, thinking that marrying a German princess would lead to an alliance between England and the German states. Heinrich, in order to find out what his future wife looked like, sent Hans Holbein, one of the greatest artists of that time, to her. Holbein liked the princess for her modesty and quiet nature, but he realized that a perverse, cruel, already aging king was unlikely to suit a girl if he depicted her as she really was. And then he drew Anna, embellishing her features a little. Seeing this portrait, Heinrich was inspired and sent ambassadors with a proposal, which was accepted by the German court.

When the king, burning with love, first met the girl, he was severely disappointed, and even thought about whether he should execute the artist? The difference between the portrait and reality was simply striking. A gloomy girl appeared before the king, small, with eyes wide open in surprise, and perhaps in fear, without elegant manners and dressed in a common German dress.

Anna Klevskaya

Anna's fate could have been sad, no one loved her in a foreign country, she was lonely and was waiting for salvation only from heaven, but then the king fell in love again very handy for her. One fine day, Anna was invited to visit Richmond, supposedly her failing health required a change in climate. The girl left, and a few days later she found out that she was no longer queen. Anna did not hide her joy. Of course, the royal servants reported everything to their master. Heinrich was angry, but, nevertheless, he did not inflict a severe reprisal on her, as this could lead to war with Germany. Anna of Klevskaya, who received a palace in Richmond and a huge salary, outlived both her husband, with whom she had been married for only six months, and all his wives.

Immediately after the divorce, in July 1540, Henry married, out of passionate love, Catherine Howard, a girl of noble birth, but of dubious behavior.

After the wedding, the king seemed to be 20 years younger - tournaments, balls and other entertainment resumed at the court, to which Henry lost interest after the execution of Anne Boleyn. The aged monarch adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, simple-hearted, sincerely loved gifts and rejoiced at them like a child. Heinrich called his Kate "a rose without thorns." However, the young queen was in no hurry to fulfill her main duty - with the birth of royal heirs. In addition, she showed extreme negligence in her actions. As soon as her crowned husband left on business to the north of the country, her former gentleman again began to court her, which the frivolous girl was extremely pleased with. At court, this, of course, did not go unnoticed, and Catherine's enemies immediately took advantage of her weakness. When Heinrich was informed upon his return that his naive Kate was not such a "rose" at all, he was simply taken aback. The reaction of the king was quite unexpected: instead of the usual anger - tears and complaints. Their meaning boiled down to the fact that fate did not give him a happy family life, and all his women either cheat, or die, or are simply disgusting. After weeping to his heart's content, Heinrich, after a brief reflection, made the only right decision, as it seemed to him. In February 1542, Lady Howard was executed.

After this incident, Henry VIII, in order to protect himself from being deceived by his future wife, promulgated a decree commanding everyone and everyone, if they knew about any sins of the royal wife before marriage, to immediately report it to the king, and the maidens to confess in advance .

Leeds Castle, near Maidstone in Kent, was a favorite residence of royalty from King Edward I to King Henry VIII. The rare black swans that inhabit its moat were allegedly given to Winston Churchill, who in turn donated them to the castle.

For the sixth time, Henry VIII married Catherine Parr, a pretty woman who had already been widowed twice, the first time when she was only sixteen years old.

As soon as her second husband died, the king offered her his hand and heart, from which the poor woman was horrified. And although she had many admirers, it was dangerous and useless to resist. So, at the age of 31, Catherine Parr became the wife of the English monarch. It was the happiest of the wives of Henry VIII. From the first days of her life together with the king, Catherine tried to create for him an atmosphere of peace and homeliness. The special position of this woman was enjoyed by the daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, Princess Elizabeth, with whom she struck up a strong friendship.

Princess Elizabeth

They corresponded animatedly and often had philosophical conversations. The new queen did not interfere in political affairs, but hoped to reason with the king on religious issues, sincerely wishing that Henry would stop on the teachings of Luther, for which she almost paid with her head. The king several times decided to arrest Catherine, and each time he refused this step.

In the last years of his life, Henry was especially suspicious and cruel, everyone suffered from this, and when he died on January 26, 1547, the courtiers did not dare to believe it. Many thought that the bloody king only pretended to be dead and listened to what they were saying about him in order to get out of bed to take revenge on the talkers for insolence and rebelliousness. And only when the first signs of decomposition of the body appeared, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the formidable monarch would not bring harm to anyone else.

Painter Hans Holbein, Portrait of Jane Seymour, (c. 1536-1537),

Jane Seymour (c. 1508 - 1537). She was a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. Heinrich married her a week after the execution of his previous wife. She died a year later from childbed fever. Mother of Henry's only surviving son, Edward VI. In honor of the birth of the prince, an amnesty was declared for thieves and pickpockets, the cannons in the Tower fired two thousand volleys.

Anna of Cleves (Anne Cleves), (1515-1557). Daughter of Johann III of Cleves, sister of the reigning Duke of Cleves. Marriage with her was one of the ways to seal the alliance of Henry, Francis I and the German Protestant princes. As a prerequisite for marriage, Heinrich wished to see the portrait of the bride, for which Hans Holbein Jr. was sent to Kleve. Heinrich liked the portrait, the engagement took place in absentia. But the bride who arrived in England (unlike her portrait) categorically did not like Henry. Although the marriage was concluded in January 1540, Henry immediately began to look for a way to get rid of his unloved wife. As a result, already in June 1540, the marriage was annulled - the pre-existing engagement of Anna with the Duke of Lorraine became the reason. In addition, Heinrich stated that the actual marriage relationship between him and Anna did not work out. Anna remained in England as "the king's sister" and survived both Henry and all his other wives. This marriage was arranged by Thomas Cromwell, for which he lost his head.

Catherine Howard (1521-1542) Niece of the mighty Duke of Norfolk, cousin of Anne Boleyn. Henry married her in July 1540 out of passionate love. It soon became clear that Catherine had a lover before marriage (Francis Durham) and was cheating on Henry with Thomas Culpepper. The guilty were executed, after which, on February 13, 1542, the queen herself ascended the scaffold.

Catherine Parr

Catherine Parr (ca. 1512 - 1548). By the time of her marriage to Henry (1543), she had already been widowed twice. At the age of 52, Henry married Katherine Parr. Heinrich was already old and sick, so Catherine was not so much a wife for him as a nurse. She was kind to him and his children. It was she who persuaded Henry to return his first daughter Maria to the court. Catherine Parr was a staunch Protestant and did much to promote Henry's new turn towards Protestantism. She was a reformer, he was a conservative, which gave rise to endless religious disputes between spouses. For her views, Henry ordered her to be arrested, but saw her in tears, had mercy and canceled the arrest order, after which Catherine never entered into a dispute with the king. Four years after her marriage to Catherine, Henry VIII died, and she married Thomas Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour, but died in childbirth the following year, 1548. In 1782, the forgotten grave of Catherine Parr was discovered in the chapel of Sandy Castle. 234 years after the death of the queen, her coffin was opened. Eyewitnesses testified to the incredible safety of the body, Catherine's skin did not even lose its natural color. It was then that the queen's lock was cut off, which on January 15, 2008 was put up for auction in London at the Bonhams international auction.

Henry died on January 28, 1547. His coffin, on his way to Winndsor for burial, was opened at night, and in the morning his remains were found licked by dogs, which contemporaries regarded as divine punishment for defiling church customs.

Henry VIII from 1525 built his own Hampton Court. Cardinal Wolsey founded this palace in 1514, inspired by the layout of Italian Renaissance palazzos, and the king brought elements of gloomy medieval architecture into architecture, and built a large tennis hall (it is called the oldest tennis court in the world), its curious feature is a maze of area in 60 acres.
Over the next century and a half, Hampton Court remained the main country residence of all English monarchs. King Wilhelm III found the palace not up to modern tastes and suggested to Christopher Wren that it be refurbished in the then fashionable Baroque style.

A large-scale reconstruction of the palace began in 1689, but five years later, when only the southern facade was redone, the king lost interest in this project. In 1702, he fell off a horse at Hampton Court, fell ill and soon died, after which the redevelopment of the residence was curtailed (individual work continued until 1737)

George II was the last king to live in the palace. By the beginning of the 19th century, Hampton Court fell into disrepair, but in the era of romanticism, the chambers of Henry VIII were renovated, and Queen Victoria opened the palace to the general public.

Tall, broad-shouldered Heinrich knew how to suppress any rebellion about his wealth and luxury of receptions were legendary .... He loved hunting, horseback riding and all kinds of tournaments, he was a gambler, he especially liked to play dice. Henry was the first truly erudite king. He had a huge library, and he personally wrote annotations for many books. He wrote pamphlets and lectures, music and plays. His reforms, including church ones, are inconsistent, until the end of his days he could not decide on his religious views, thanks to which he remains one of the most mysterious figures of the European Middle Ages.

Syon House- the old mansion of the Dukes of Northumberland, according to legend, as a sign of God's anger at the reformer king Henry VIII, the coffin with his body, being left for the night in the ruined briggit abbey, opened by itself. The next morning, his body was found gnawed by dogs.
After Henry's death, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, became regent and began building a country residence in Syon, Syon House, based on Italian models. A few years later, he fell into disgrace, and the palace was completed by the new owner, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. It was here that the crown was offered to his unfortunate daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey.

After an unsuccessful attempt by Mary Tudor to return the Sion Manor to the Brigittes, the Percy family, an English branch of the ancient Brabant house, settled in the palace. For some time, the Duke of Somerset received Anna Stewart, who had quarreled with her sister, at Sion House, and here the future queen had a dead child.

In the middle of the 16th century, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, the uncle and adviser of the young Edward VI, built his city residence on the site of the modern Somerset House building. Pretty soon, the wayward duke fell into disgrace, and Somerset House was seized into the state treasury. Under Mary Tudor, her sister Elizabeth lived here, and in the 17th century, the spouses of Kings James I, Charles I and Charles II. One of them, Anne of Denmark, invited the famous Inigo Jones to redevelop the palace, as a result of which it was temporarily renamed Denmark House. Jones died in this palace in 1652.
Union of Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn was not accepted by the public, but life together was bright, allowing you to experience the whole range of feelings from love to hate ...

Anne Boleyn turned out to be not as accommodating and patient as the rejected Spaniard - Anna was demanding, ambitious and managed to turn very many against herself. The king, fulfilling the whims of his wife, expelled and executed all Anna's opponents: one way or another, even Henry's friends & Cardinal Wolsey and the philosopher Thomas More became victims of repression.

In September 1533, Anna gave birth to a girl, the future great Queen Elizabeth I. But at that moment, nothing foreshadowed the brilliant future of the newborn princess. Heinrich was disappointed.

Portrait with Armada (1588, unknown artist)
The reign of Elizabeth is sometimes called the "golden age of England", both in connection with the flourishing of culture (the so-called "Elizabethians": Shakespeare, Marlowe, Bacon, etc.), and with the increased importance of England on the world stage (the defeat of the Invincible Armada, Drake, Reilly, East India Company).

Elizabeth 1 (September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603) was the daughter of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn. After the execution of her mother, the despotic and cruel Henry VIII declared little Elizabeth illegitimate, forbade calling her a princess and kept her away from the capital at the Hatfield estate. However, the fact that Elizabeth was in disgrace benefited her in a certain sense, saving her from the ceremonial fuss and intrigues of the royal court. She could devote more time to education, she was taught by teachers sent from Cambridge. From childhood, she showed great zeal for the sciences, brilliant abilities and an excellent memory. Elizabeth was especially successful in languages: French, Italian, Latin and Greek. It was not about superficial knowledge. Latin, for example, she learned to such an extent that she wrote and spoke fluently in this classical language. Knowledge of languages ​​allowed her subsequently to do without translators when meeting with foreign ambassadors. In 1544, when she was eleven years old, Elizabeth sent a letter to her stepmother Catherine Parr, written in Italian.

Catherine Parr - Elizabeth's beloved stepmother

By the end of the same year, she had finished translating from French one of the essays of Queen Margaret of Navarre, and soon translated into Latin, French and Italian the psalms composed by Catherine. In the same year, she was able to do lengthy annotations of the works of Plato, Thomas More, Erasmus of Rotterdam. Already as an adult, she loved to read Seneca in the original and, when melancholy attacked her, she could spend hours translating into English the works of this erudite Roman. Since childhood, the book has become a familiar companion of Elizabeth, and this is reflected in her portrait stored in Windsor Castle, painted during her studies.

Towards the end of his reign, Henry restored Elizabeth to the throne, appointing her to reign after her son Edward VI and older sister Mary. In 1549, Thomas Seymour, asking for the hand of Elizabeth. was accused of minting counterfeit coins and beheaded.

Edward VI Portrait by Hans Eworth

Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudley

Mary I portrait by Antonis More

Mary I enters London...

But the most difficult time in the life of Elizabeth came when her older sister Mary, a Catholic, named Bloody Mary, ascended the throne. In January 1554, during the Protestant uprising led by Thomas White, Elizabeth was hastily brought to London and imprisoned in the Tower.

In St. James Prison (John Everett Millais, 1879).

For two months, while the investigation was going on, the princess was in prison. She was then exiled to Woodstock under strict supervision. In the autumn of 1555 Mary allowed her sister to return to Hatfield.
From that time on, there was again talk that she should be married off. However, Elizabeth stubbornly refused and insisted on being left alone.

Elizabeth I c 1558-60

In November 1558, Queen Mary (Bloody Mary) died. Before her death, she reluctantly announced her younger sister as her heiress (nearly killing Elizabeth 1 in the Tower). Her long reign began. The unfortunate fate during the reign of her father and sister developed in Elizabeth a firmness of character and judgment, which novice rulers rarely possess. She did not want to break ties with the papacy, nor offend the king of Spain.

Only the tough policy of Pope Paul IV, who declared the youngest daughter of Henry VIII illegitimate, finally pushed Elizabeth away from Catholicism. The Queen herself disliked outward forms of pure Protestantism. However, her minister Cecile convinced Elizabeth that it would be in the interest of her policy to stick with the reformed church.

Hatfield Palace The most significant example of a Jacobian aristocratic residence that has survived to this day was founded in 1497 by Cardinal John Morton. During the years of the Reformation, it was seized from the church by Henry VIII, who settled his children here - the future monarchs Edward VI and Elizabeth I. Many things of Elizabeth are preserved in the palace - a pair of gloves, silk stockings, a family tree (up to Adam and Eve) and an "ermine » portrait of the queen by the miniaturist Hilliard.

Indeed, the higher you climb, the harder it is to fall. But bright personalities always remain in history, becoming a source of inspiration.

So, we are with you at the Cathedral of Saints Peter, Paul and Andrew in Peterborough (UK, Cambridgeshire).

In addition to the magnificent facade (the temple was built for 120 years at the beginning of the 12th century) and ancient interior decoration (massive columns, an organ at the top, a beautiful priest's chair, commemorative plates on the walls and on the floor, on the stele are the names of all the priests who served in it, starting with those who served before the construction of the temple) of historical interest is the grave of the first wife of Henry VIII Catherine of Aragon - the left side of the Cathedral, on the grave - flowers and a postcard on Christmas, remember!).

Nearby is an exhibition-stand from the history of England and the Cathedral (apparently permanent: two years ago it was in the same place), a portrait of Henry VIII - a strong figure in a royal costume with regalia, a face expanding downwards, a portrait of his first wife Catherine of Aragon - a sweet female a rather strong-willed face, parted in the middle of the hair hidden under a light brown cap; downcast eyes. Brown dress, matching decoration - beads around the neck.

CATHERINE OF ARAGONSKAYA

She was the youngest daughter of the founders of the Spanish state, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England.
Catherine of Aragon arrived in England in 1501. She was 16 years old, and she was to become the wife of Crown Prince Arthur - the son of King Henry VII. Thus, the king wanted to protect himself from France and raise the authority of England among European states.
Arthur at the time of marriage was only 14 years old. He was a sickly, consumptive youth. And a year after the wedding, he died without leaving an heir, since he did not enter into an intimate relationship with his young wife.
Catherine remained in England as a young widow, but in fact as a hostage, because by that moment her father had not yet managed to pay her dowry in full, and besides, it seems that he was not going to pay. She lived in such uncertainty for the next eight years.
She saw salvation in renunciation of the worldly bustle and turning to God (she had nothing but the title of dowager princess, a small allowance and a retinue exclusively consisting of Spanish nobles who came with her. She was a burden both for King Henry VII of England and for her father, King Ferdinand.Her mother, the brave Queen Isabella, has died.
By the age of twenty, she indulged in severe asceticism - constant fasting and masses. One of the courtiers, fearing for her life, wrote to the Pope. And from him immediately came the order: to stop self-torture, since it could be life-threatening.

In fact, the same state considerations as during the marriage of Catherine and Arthur contributed to the marriage of Henry, the youngest son of the King of England, and now the heir, to Catherine, who was six years older than the groom. Negotiations regarding their marriage began during the life of Henry VII and continued after his death. Catherine became Queen of England two months after Henry VIII's accession to the throne. However, before the wedding, Henry had to get permission from the Pope - Julius. Church law forbade such marriages, but the Pope gave the English king special permission, largely because Catherine and Arthur never actually became husband and wife.
Due to Catherine's lack of surviving sons, Henry insisted, after 24 years of marriage, on a divorce (more precisely, annulment) in 1533. This step was one of the reasons for Henry's conflict with the Pope, the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the reformation in England.
In May 1533 Henry married Anna. He never received the consent of either the Pope or Catherine. It was decided that from that moment on, the power of the Pope did not extend to England. Henry declared himself the head of the Church (since 1534), and the marriage with Catherine was invalid.

The people loved Queen Catherine: when Henry decided to fight the French, he longed for the glory of an outstanding military leader, he left Catherine as regent. At this time, taking advantage of the absence of the king, the Scottish lords, led by James IV, invaded the territory of England. The Queen personally designed much of the defense plan. On September 9, 1513, the Scots were defeated in the hills near Flodden, King James himself was killed. Catherine was proud of this victory.
Catherine did not recognize this marriage. She continued to call herself queen and answered all threats that she was the legitimate wife of the king of England.
Catherine spent two more years in obscurity, spiteful critics continued to pester her, she was not allowed to see her daughter. However, despite all the troubles in her heart there was a place for love for her husband. She wrote to the Pope, imploring him not to forget Henry and Mary.

She lived in a small room, the windows of which overlooked the moat, filled with rotten water, and the neglected hunting park of Kimbolton. Her retinue consisted of three ladies-in-waiting, half a dozen maids, and a few devoted Spaniards looking after the household. In 1535, she fell ill, as it later became known, incurably.
On January 7, 1536, Catherine felt that she was dying. She managed to dictate a will, according to which she left all the money she had to her close associates. Daughters (eldest daughter of Henry VIII from marriage with Catherine of Aragon - Mary I Tudor
(1516-1558) - Queen of England from 1553, Also known as Bloody Mary (or Bloody Mary), Mary the Catholic. Not a single monument was erected to this queen in her homeland) she bequeathed her furs and a gold necklace, which was part of her dowry brought from Spain. She also wrote a farewell letter to Heinrich. In it, she asked him not to forget his daughter, reminded him of her legal title and said that she still loved him.

Henry VIII was married six times.
His wives, each of whom was backed by a certain political or religious faction, were sometimes forced to make changes in their political or religious views.
In 1524, in the retinue of Catherine of Aragon, who was already rather tired of the king, the monarch noticed a new pretty face.

ANN BOLEIN -

Daughter of one of the king's dignitaries, Earl Thomas Boleyn. The engagement to her former fiancé, Lord Percy, is broken off and preparations are made for a new wedding.
In 1533, Henry married Anne Boleyn, in September their daughter Elizabeth was born. So, this passion of the king was worth the break with Rome, the elimination of Catholicism and its institutions in the country and the cooling of relations with Spain.
Only two years lasted love for Anne Boleyn. In his wife's retinue, Heinrich meets a new object of adoration - Jane Saymour. Possession of it becomes his goal for the near future. The wife, as luck would have it, does not give a divorce, it is worse for her. You have to understand that you can't command your heart. The king finds a way to gain freedom. If you do not disperse, then "remove" (in the modern language of criminal elements). The most convenient pretext is adultery. And "well-wishers", always ready to help their beloved king, begin to look for "evidence". At one of the balls, the queen drops her glove. She is raised and returned to her owner by Henry Noris, who is in love with her. The "Watching Eye" took note of this. Ease in communication with his brother, Lord Rochefort, provides a pretext for accusations of incest. Several more nobles are seen falling in love with the queen. One of them, Smytoks, promised to testify about adultery for a "moderate fee".
Apparently, Henry guessed that the church would not forgive him for a second divorce. In addition to divorce, only her death could free her from her former wife.
Henry called an executioner from France to execute his wife (the French succeeded in chopping off the head, because it was they who invented the guillotine - a device for quickly and painlessly chopping off the head). On May 15, 1536, the executioner cut off Anna's head not with an ax, but with a sharp and long sword, the first time. Anna did not suffer for long.
Her daughter Elizabeth was deprived of her right to inherit the throne.
Subsequently, the king, not without regret, remembered Anne Boleyn.

Recently published a love letter from Henry VIII to his future second wife Anne Boleyn, in French, believed to be January 1528.
This letter has been kept in the Vatican for five centuries, it will be exhibited for the first time in the British Library in London.

"From now on, my heart will belong only to you."
“The expression of your affection for me is so strong, and the beautiful words of your message are so cordial that I am simply obliged to respect, love and serve you forever,” the king writes. “For my part, I am ready, if possible, to surpass you in loyalty and desire please you."
The letter ends with the signature: "G. loves A.B." And
the initials of the beloved enclosed in a heart.

After Pope Clement VII refused to invalidate Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon (in order to marry Anne Boleyn), the English monarch broke with the Vatican and eventually created the Church of England, independent of Rome.
The British monarch holds the title of Sovereign of the Church of England.

Anne Boleyn was executed in May 1536 in the Tower (the towers of the fortress were a state prison), where she was kept. After the execution, her body was hastily buried in the chapel of St. Peter, in the Tower. But the soul of the unfortunate queen did not calm down. Since then, her ghost appears regularly for several centuries at regular intervals, sometimes at the head of a procession heading to the chapel of St. Peter, sometimes alone in different places in the old fortress: at the place where the execution took place ...

JANE SAYMOUR

In September 1535, while traveling through the country, the King and Queen stopped at Wulfhall, the Seymours' hereditary domain. It was there that Henry first paid close attention to the owner's daughter, Lady Jane Seymour. She was the complete opposite of Anna, both in appearance and in character: a blond, pale, calm and modest girl. If Anna was compared with a witch - she was thin, dark-haired and dark-eyed, and besides, impudent and capricious, then Jane looked more like a bright angel, the embodiment of peace and humility.

Jane was educated just enough to be able to read and write. The main emphasis in the education of girls from noble families in the 16th century was on traditional women's activities, such as needlework and housekeeping.

She first appeared at court as a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon in the mid-1520s. Her older brother, Edward Seymour, by that time had already achieved some success in the career of a courtier: as a child, he served as a page in the retinue of the "French Queen" Mary Tudor, and upon his return to England, he held various positions under the king and cardinal Wolsey.

After the annulment of his marriage to Catherine and Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn in 1533, Jane and her sister Elizabeth moved into the new queen's staff.

Lady Jane's brothers, Thomas and Edward, on the contrary, were brought up at the king's court from childhood (they were pages), and subsequently occupied various lucrative positions. Therefore, there was nothing surprising in the fact that from the mid-1520s, their sister Jane was adopted as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon.

After Anne Boleyn became queen, Lady Jane passed "at the disposal" of the new lady.
On Christmas Day 1533, the King gave gifts to several ladies-in-waiting, Lady Seymour among those honored.

After Anne Boleyn "disappointed" the king - instead of the desired son she gave birth to a girl (the future Elizabeth I), relations between Henry and the queen began to noticeably worsen. Moreover, Anna was intolerant, quick-tempered and ambitious. Having made many enemies at court, the queen gradually turned Henry and Henry away from herself. The years 1534 and 1535 passed in family scandals, stormy showdowns and the vain expectation of another queen's pregnancy.

It was at this time, in 1535, that the king became interested in the modest maid of honor Seymour. She was the complete opposite of Anna: blond, pale, very quiet and in agreement with everyone. If Anna was compared with a witch, and even with a witch - she was thin, dark-haired and black-eyed, then Jane looked much more like a bright angel.

The King marries Jane Cymour. The royal wedding of 1536 was unusually modest. In the spring of 1537, Jane informed Henry of her pregnancy. The king surrounded his wife with unprecedented care and fulfilled all her requirements and whims.

The heir was born healthy, handsome and similar to both spouses. But only Jane was not destined to rejoice ...
For two days the young queen suffered in childbirth. I had to choose - mother or child. Doctors, knowing the explosive nature of the sovereign, were even afraid to hint about it. "Save the child. I can get as many women as I like,” was the decisive and calm answer.
Jane died of puerperal fever. According to Henry VIII, Jane Seymour was his most beloved wife. Before his death, he bequeathed to bury himself next to her.

Known portrait of Jane Saymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII Tudor of England (her years of life: c. 1508/1509 - October 24, 1537) by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1536-37
The famous ballad of the English group The Rolling Stones "Lady Jane" is dedicated to Jane Seymour and is based on the letters of King Henry VIII. The song also mentions Anna Boleyn (lady Ann) and Mary Boleyn (Mary). Each of the three women has their own verse.

ANNA KLEVSKAYA

In Europe, the monarch, so cold-bloodedly getting rid of his wives, began to be afraid.
In 1539, Henry VIII met his "beloved", Princess Anna of Cleves, from a portrait. The daughter of the Duke of Cleves - Johann III and Maria von Geldern - was born on September 22, 1515, in Düsseldorf.
The portrait of Anna, painted by the great artist Holbein, made an excellent impression on the 48-year-old Heinrich. He was not embarrassed by the fact that his chosen one was engaged to the Duke of Lorraine for a short time - according to English laws, a new marriage could not be considered legitimate.

On September 4, 1539, the marriage contract was signed. At the very beginning of 1540, Anna arrived in England. The first meeting of the bride and groom took place in Rochester, where Henry arrived as a private person.

One look at Anna was enough - the king was disappointed. Instead of the pale and graceful beauty that Holbein portrayed, Heinrich was confronted by a large, massive woman with rather rough features. Straightforward Henry took out all his anger on Cromwell, who allegedly "slipped him a hefty Flemish mare."
The original was quite disappointing. Probably, it was not Anna's appearance that was repulsive at all, but her stiffness, inability to stay in society, the cut of her clothes, unusual for the king's eyes, and the lack of proper grace.
"Where did you find this scarecrow? Send her back immediately! ”He got angry at Cromwell (the Protestant party, led by the favorite and first minister of the king, Thomas Cromwell, found the bride for the king). "It's impossible, Your Majesty! If you break the marriage contract, Europe may declare war on England."
Anna did not like Heinrich either, besides, she heard rumors about the ruined Anne Boleyn even in Kleve.
Heinrich resigned himself, but he could not fulfill his conjugal duty. For six months, the Princess of Cleves lived in England - her husband did not honor her with his attention.
Anna was a kind stepmother to both Prince Edward and Princesses Betsy and Mary.
She got used to the English court: she fell in love with music and dancing, got herself dogs and parrots.
The divorce of the spouses went, surprisingly, calmly. Anna, having judged everything sensibly and sorted out all the pros and cons, gathered the Privy Council to give an answer to the divorce proposal.
Heinrich left Anna in his family - as a "sister". This was dictated by a number of circumstances: Anna of Klevskaya fell in love with the children of the king, a number of courtiers found her an extremely amiable and pleasant woman. Heinrich did not want to come into conflict with Anna's brother, the Duke of Berg-Julig-Cleve, who was one of the most influential rulers of Germany. And Anna herself sincerely fell in love with her new homeland.

Henry proclaimed Anna his "sister" and thus she remained the most noble lady after the new queen and princesses Mary and Betsy. Anna received generous gifts from the king: the castles of Richmond and Hever, as well as a solid annual income.

The correspondence between Heinrich and Anna suggests that the former spouses lived very friendly. The king always signed his messages "Loving Brother Heinrich".

The instigator of this marriage, Thomas Cromwell, was arrested and placed in the Tower. He lived only to testify in the divorce case - on June 28, 1540, he was executed on charges of treason and heresy.
Anna did not remarry. She survived both Henry VIII and his son Edward VI. Anna von Cleve died on July 16, 1557 in London.

Anna of Cleves was buried in Westminster Abbey.

KATE HOWARD

In July 1540, Henry married 19-year-old Kate Howard. The wedding was modest.
After the wedding, Henry seemed to be 20 years younger - tournaments, balls and other entertainment resumed at the court, to which Henry remained indifferent after the execution of Anne Boleyn. He adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, simple-minded, sincerely loved gifts and rejoiced at them like a child. Heinrich called Kate "a rose without thorns."
However, young Howard was extremely careless in her actions - Kate took all her "friends of youth" to the court, and they knew too much about the queen's life before marriage. In addition, Kate renewed her relationship with Francis Dirham, whom she made her personal secretary.
Then another gentleman from the "past life" appeared at the court - Thomas Kelpeper (Kate's distant relative on the maternal side, whom she once wanted to marry).

However, the young woman had enemies at court (or rather, they were the enemies of her influential uncle Norfolk...
The innocence of the young "rose" began to irritate the elderly king.
When Heinrich was informed that his naive Kate was not such a "rose" at all, he was simply confused. The reaction of the king was quite unexpected - instead of the usual anger, there were tears and complaints. The meaning of the complaints boiled down to the fact that fate did not give him a happy family life, and all his women either cheat, or die, or are simply disgusting.
In early February 1542, Lady Howard was transferred to the Tower, and two days later she was beheaded in front of a curious crowd. The young woman met her death in a state of deep shock - she had to be carried to the place of execution.
After the execution, the body of Lady Kate was buried next to the remains of Anne Boleyn, another executed queen, who, by the way, was also a relative of the Howards.

Feeling in my heart that I am unloved,
Henry the Eighth executed his wives.

KATERINA PARR

Henry's sixth wife is Katherine Parr, daughter of a baronet, widow of the elderly Lord Edward Borough. Young Kat Parr was only 14 or 15 years old when she was married in 1526 to an elderly, sixty-three-year-old lord. The family life of the spouses was quite happy. Moreover, Catherine managed to become a true friend for the children of Lord Borough, who were almost twice as old as their stepmother. However, in 1529 Lady Borough became a widow.
In 1530, the young widow received a new marriage proposal. It came from John Neville, Lord Latimer, a widower. Accepting this offer, Lady Catherine moved to her husband in Snape Castle. Here she again found herself in the role of a stepmother - Latimer had a daughter, Margaret, from her first marriage.
In the second half of the 1530s, the Latimers were often at the court of the king, and Henry VIII treated this couple very friendly.

After the execution of his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, Henry increasingly drew attention to the smart and friendly Lady Latimer. She was already thirty-one years old, which by the standards of the 16th century was not considered the age of youth, however, the king himself was far from young.

Lord Latimer at that time was already seriously ill and, alas, there was no hope of recovery. When he died in 1543, the king began to aggressively court Lady Latimer.
Lady Latimer's first reaction to the King's offer to be his "comfort in old age" was fright. However, Heinrich did not abandon his intention to marry Catherine and, in the end, she gave her consent.

On July 12, 1543, the wedding took place in the royal chapel of Hampton Court. The wedding was played in Windsor.
From the very first days of her life together with Heinrich, Catherine tried to create conditions for a normal family life for him. Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, enjoyed her special disposition.
A strong friendship developed between the stepmother and stepdaughter - they corresponded actively and often had philosophical conversations.
Clever and energetic, Catherine skillfully neutralizes the court intrigues weaving against her. Despite the increased suspicion of her husband, Katerina throughout the four years of marriage does not give him a reason for discontent.
In 1545 - 1546, the king's health deteriorated so much that he could no longer fully engage in solving state problems. However, the suspiciousness and suspicion of the king, on the contrary, began to acquire a threatening character. Catherine was several times, as they say, on the verge of death: the queen had influential enemies, and, in the end, the king could believe them, and not his wife. The king several times decided to arrest Catherine, and each time he refused this step. The reason for the royal disfavor was mainly the radical Protestantism of Catherine, who was carried away by the ideas of Luther. January 28, 1547, at two o'clock in the morning, Henry VIII died. And already in May of the same year, the Dowager Queen married Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour's brother.

Who knows, perhaps Henry VIII served as a prototype for the character of Charles Perrault's fairy tale "Bluebeard" (Perrault wrote it down in the 17th century in France, the name of the hero is Gilles de Ré.
The last wife of Bluebeard does not have a name in the fairy tale, but her older sister's name is Anna)?..

"Once upon a time there was a man who had beautiful houses both in the city and in the countryside, dishes, gold and silver, furniture all embroidered and gilded carriages from top to bottom. But, unfortunately, this man had a blue beard ..."

Heinrich and his wives:
By The king "s Singer" s Greensleeves ... A ballad written by Henry VIII for his second wife, Anne Boleyn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmOb5H8kL30&feature=share
http://elkipalki.net/author/lavinia/2009-02-19/

Photo: "mysterious" woman... amazing Hans Holbein.
Portrait of a Lady 1535-40
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio
Portraits of Henry VIII and his (Family)
JANE SAYMOUR?

King Henry VIII Tudor ruled England in the 16th century. He became the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Known for his many marriages, one of them led him to rebel against the Catholic Church, break ties with the papacy, and become head of the Church of England.

The monarch suffered from mental disorders and by the end of his reign did not distinguish where his real political opponents were, and where imaginary ones. After the English Reformation, he made England a Protestant country. His influence on the country is still felt today. The life of the ruler was described in a dozen novels, films and TV shows.

Childhood and youth

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich, England. He became the third child in the family of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. The boy was raised by his grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. She instilled spiritual values ​​in the young monarch, attended masses with him and studied the Bible.

At the age of fifteen, his elder brother, Arthur, died. It was he who was supposed to ascend the throne, but after his death, Henry VIII became the first contender. He received the title of Prince of Wales and began to prepare for the coronation.

His father, King Henry VII, tried to expand the influence of England and strengthen alliances with neighboring countries, so he insisted that his son marry Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the founders of the Spanish state and the widow of his brother. There is no documented confirmation, but there are rumors that the young man was categorically against this marriage.

Governing body

In 1509, after the death of his father, the seventeen-year-old Henry VIII ascended the throne. For the first two years of his reign, all state affairs were handled by Richard Fox and William Wareham. After them, power passed to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who later became the Lord Chancellor of England. Traditionally, a young king could not rule himself, so while he gained experience and matured, the real power was in the hands of experienced assistants who dealt with important issues even during the reign of the previous king.

In 1512, Henry VIII won the first victory in his biography. He led his fleet on its way to the shores of France. There, the English army defeated the French and returned home with a victory.

In general, the war with France continued until 1525 with varying success. The monarch managed to reach the capital of the enemy country, but soon the military treasury of England was empty, and he had no choice but to conclude a truce. It is worth noting that the king himself often appeared on the battlefield. He was an archer and ordered all his subjects to practice archery for an hour a week.

The domestic policy of the country was far from ideal. Henry VIII ruined small peasants with his decrees, as a result of which tens of thousands of vagabonds appeared in England. To deal with this problem, the king issued a decree "On vagrancy." Because of him, thousands of former peasants were hanged.

Of course, the most significant contribution to the development of England is the church reform. Due to the disagreement of the Catholic Church with the divorce of the monarch, he completely severed his connection with the papacy. After that, he accused the Pope of Rome - Clement VII of treason.

He also appointed Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury, who easily invalidated the marriage of Henry and Catherine. Soon the king married. He went on to eradicate the Roman Church in England. All temples, cathedrals and churches were closed. All property was confiscated in favor of the state, all priests and preachers were executed, and Bibles not in English were burned. By order of the king, the graves of the saints were opened and plundered.

In 1540, Henry VIII executed Thomas Cromwell, who had been the king's chief reform assistant. After that, he again returned to the Catholic faith and issued the Six Articles Act, which was supported by the Parliament of England. According to the act, all the inhabitants of the kingdom had to bring gifts during the mass, take communion, confess. He obliged spiritual servants to observe the vow of celibacy and other monastic vows. Anyone who disagreed with the act was executed for treason.

After the monarch executed his fifth Catholic wife, he again decided to change the church faith in England. Banned Catholic rites and brought back Protestant ones. The reforms of Henry VIII were inconsistent and illogical, but they managed to create their own, independent of Rome, the English Church.

At the end of his reign, Henry VIII became even more ruthless. Historians say that he had a genetic disease that affected his psyche - made him suspicious, quick-tempered and cruel. He executed everyone who was objectionable to him.

Personal life

The English king was married six times. His first wife was chosen by his father. He divorced Catherine of Aragon, leaving her the title of her brother's widow. The reason for the divorce was that all of Catherine's children died during her pregnancy or immediately after. Only her daughter, Mary, managed to survive, but Henry VIII dreamed of an heir. In 1553, his daughter became the first queen of England, known as Mary the Bloody.

Anne Boleyn became the second wife of the king. She refused to be his mistress, so the monarch decided to divorce Catherine. It was Anna who inspired Henry VIII that the king was responsible only to himself and the crown, and the opinion of the clergy in Rome should not bother him. After that, the king decided to reform.

In 1533, Anna became the legal wife of the head of state. In the same year, the girl was crowned. Exactly nine months after the wedding, Anna gave birth to a daughter to the king. All subsequent pregnancies ended unsuccessfully, and the king became disillusioned with his wife. He accused her of treason and executed her in the spring of 1536.

The next wife of Henry VIII was the maid of honor of Anna -. The wedding took place a week after the execution of the king's second wife. It was Jane who managed to give birth to the long-awaited heir to the monarch in 1537. The Queen died shortly after the birth of her son due to birth complications.

The next marriage was a political move. The English king married Anna of Cleves, daughter of Johann III of Cleves, who was a German duke. Heinrich decided that he wanted to see the girl first and only then make a decision, so he commissioned her portrait.

The appearance of Anna liked the king, and he decided on the wedding. When they met, the monarch did not like the bride at all, and he tried to get rid of his wife as soon as possible. In 1540, the marriage was annulled due to the girl's previous engagement. For the fact that the marriage was unsuccessful, the one who organized it, Thomas Cromwell, was executed.

In the summer of 1540, Henry VIII married his second wife's sister, Catherine Howard. The king fell in love with the girl, but did not know that she had a lover before marriage. With him, she cheated on the monarch even after the wedding. Also, the girl was seen in connection with the page of the head of state. In 1542, Catherine and all those responsible were executed.

The sixth and last wife of the English king was Catherine Parr. The Englishwoman became a widow twice before her marriage to the monarch. She was a Protestant and her husband persuaded her to her faith. After the death of Henry VIII, she married twice more.

Death

The King of England suffered from a dozen illnesses. Obesity became his main problem. He began to move less, his waist exceeded the volume of 1.5 meters. He moved only with the help of special devices.

During the hunt, Henry was injured, which later became fatal. The doctors healed her, but after a leg injury, an infection got into the wound, and the wound began to grow.

Doctors shrugged and said that the disease was fatal. The wound festered, the king's mood deteriorated, and his despotic inclinations manifested themselves more and more.

He changed his diet - almost completely removed vegetables and fruits, leaving only red meat. Doctors are sure that this is what caused the death of the king on January 28, 1547.

Memory

• 1702 - a statue in the hospital of St. Bartholomew;
• 1911 - the film "Henry VIII";
• 1993 - the film "The Private Life of Henry VIII";
• 2003 - series "Henry VIII";
• 2006 - the novel "Inheritance of the Boleyn family";
• 2008 - the film "Another Boleyn Girl";
• 2012 - book "Henry VIII and his six wives: The autobiography of Henry VIII with comments by his jester Will Somers".

The throne was inherited by the son of Henry and Jane, Edward IV (1537-1553). A responsible and well-read young man would have made a good monarch, but Edward was in poor health and died at the age of 15. At the instigation of the nobleman John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, Edward bequeathed the crown to his cousin Lady Jane Gray (Dudley married her son in time). Against her wishes, Lady Jane was proclaimed queen, but nine days later she was overthrown by the legitimate heiress Mary Tudor (1516-1558). Under Mary, the Reformation in England turned 180 degrees: a devout Catholic made every effort to restore Catholicism in her state. Since Protestantism had not yet taken root, the English took the return of the Latin Mass calmly. But the intention of Mary to marry the Spanish Prince Philip alerted them. The queen was fascinated by Philip, but the twenty-seven-year-old Spaniard was not attracted by the withered virgin (38 years old by those standards - already a respectable age).

Pretty soon, he began to hang around for her ladies-in-waiting, and then completely left his wife, returning to his native Spain. Suffering from loneliness and the inability to get pregnant, Mary took revenge on heretics. For 4 years, about 300 Protestants were burned. The Anglican Bishop Latimer was right when he proclaimed from the scaffold; "Today we will light a candle that will never go out." With her atrocities, Mary earned the nickname "Bloody", and her subjects finally hated Catholicism - you won't be forced to be nice. The end of Mary's reign was overshadowed both by the loss of Calais, England's last possession on French soil, and by a personal drama: the ailment that she took for a long-awaited pregnancy turned out to be uterine cancer. "Bloody Mary" was inherited by her half-sister Elizabeth, whose reign the British call century." That was the era of poets and playwrights (Shakespeare's star rose), far-sighted politicians and brave pirates. In childhood and adolescence, Elizabeth suffered many hardships - the death of her mother on the chopping block, her father's decision to recognize her as illegitimate, the execution of her stepfather Thomas Seymour, the fourth husband of Catherine Parr.

In 1554, suspicious Mary kept her younger sister for a couple of months, and then exiled her to Oxfordshire. The death of Mary was a gift of fate for Elizabeth. The new queen was not at all like a closed sister, exhausting herself with fasting and vigil. Elizabeth turned out to be an active, wise and insightful woman, an inflexible politician and a witty interlocutor. She knew French, Italian, Ancient Greek and Latin, she was excellent in the saddle, she loved grandiose balls, but at the same time she was distinguished by economy. Only one feature of the queen caused concern - she was in no hurry to get married. Perhaps the trauma received at the court of Henry VIII affected. Death from childbirth or on the scaffold, the situation of a thing that is brought to the bride and sent away as unnecessary - this is the fate of a married woman. Elizabeth wanted to be in control of her own destiny. In the end, the British accepted her choice and even admired the Virgin Queen, married to her state. Poets compared her to the chaste Diana, goddess of the hunt, and sailors named the American colony of Virginia after her. The queen bathed in the rays of popular love. Although Scotland also converted to Protestantism and became much closer to England than to her longtime ally France, Elizabeth did not trust the Scottish Queen Mary Stuart (1542-1587). She remained faithful to Catholicism and considered herself the rightful heir to the English throne. In 1567, Mary was deposed and fled to England in search of protection, but the presence of a high-born Catholic is too great a temptation for the English "papists." Elizabeth considered it reasonable to put Mary under arrest, and in 1587 she signed her death warrant. England's main enemy remained Spain, the stronghold of Catholicism and the mistress of the seas. The Spaniards reacted nervously to the development of the English fleet, especially since England supported Francis Drake and other pirates who robbed Spanish ships. In 1588, a serious threat loomed over England: the "Invincible Armada", 130 heavy ships, sailed to its shores. But the English ships, albeit not numerous, were distinguished by maneuverability and well beaten up the clumsy Spanish ships It seemed that nature itself protected Britain: a powerful wind carried the Spanish ships north, away from the English coast.

The remnants of the Armada had to go around Scotland and Ireland, losing ships in storms and wrecks. The English, on the other hand, were convinced of God's protection and the power of their state. As soon as Elizabeth breathed her last, the messengers galloped at full speed to Scotland, where King James VI (1566-1625) was waiting for news. Ironically, the son of Mary Stuart, who was executed by her, became Elizabeth's successor: the Scottish king ascended the English throne under the name of James I. Opinions about the new monarch were divided. On the one hand, the British had difficulty understanding his accent, mocking his untidy manners and unsightly appearance. In addition, Yakov showed homosexual inclinations. George Villiers (1592-1628), the first Duke of Buckingham, became his favorite, and the whole country rejoiced when in 1628 the royal favorite fell victim to an assassination attempt (Alexandre Dumas very freely described this episode in The Three Musketeers), On the other hand, Jacob maintained stability at home and abroad. One of the greatest achievements of his reign was the translation of the Bible into English, which was used by all English-speaking countries for several centuries. From the pious king, both the witches (wedding trials flourished under him) and the Catholics got it. In 1605, the Gunpowder Plot was uncovered to blow up parliament and kill the king. In memory of the miraculous rescue of the monarch, every November 5, the British burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes, one of the participants in the conspiracy.

Defending the "divine right" of kings, James I quarreled with parliament, and his son Charles I (1600-1649) brought the conflict to a qualitatively new level. Timid and withdrawn, Charles did not get along well with those around him, with the exception of Buckingham, who managed to lose several important battles to the French. The British were even more upset by the marriage of Charles to the French Catholic Henrietta Maria. Several times parliamentarians expressed their indignation to the monarch, until in 1629, tired of complaints, he dissolved parliament. The next 11 years the king ruled alone, but in 1639 and 1640. was forced to convene advisers again. The crown needed funds for the war with Scotland, where a serious conflict flared up due to the introduction of Anglican worship there (the Scots belonged to an even stricter branch of Protestantism - Presbyterianism). Taught by bitter experience, the parliamentarians were in no hurry to disperse. The "Long Parliament" began, the majority of which belonged to the Puritans, ardent opponents of any Catholic vestiges (including such cute customs as Christmas pudding and May Day festivities). In 1642, the confrontation between the king and parliament turned into a civil war (in Soviet historiography it was called the "English bourgeois revolution").

The war split the country: the west sided with the king, while the east, including London, supported the "roundheads" (the soldiers of Parliament received such a nickname for short haircuts). The leader of the rebels was the landowner from Cambridge Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), a brilliant military leader and adamant politician. After the defeat at Marstonmoor, the king lost the north, and in 1646 surrendered to the Scots, who a year later handed him over to the parliamentarians. In January 1649, Charles appeared before the court on charges of crimes against the fatherland. Although the king denied to the last that mere mortals could judge him, the anointed of God, this did not prevent parliament from signing his death warrant. On a frosty day in January, the king went to Whitehall Palace for the last time. In order not to shiver from the cold, he put on two undershirts in case onlookers would decide that the monarch was shaking with fear. After his execution, England was proclaimed a republic, and in 1653 Cromwell was granted the title of Lord Protector.

Henry VIII is remembered in world history primarily for his incredible debauchery. Although he could be remembered as a strong politician and diplomat who made unexpected moves on a chessboard called Europe. Or like a terrible tyrant who launched a real war against the most disadvantaged of his subjects.

Initially, Henry did not rely on the throne. The son of Henry VII Tudor, who won the War of the Scarlet and White Roses, and the representative of the losing dynasty, Elizabeth of York, was born on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich.

Prince without perspective

The heir to the throne was the elder brother Arthur, who received the name in honor of the legendary king, who became a model of chivalry. And Prince Harry (as he was called in the family) from childhood studied the works of the Holy Fathers in order to take the holy orders at the appointed hour, and in a few years to become the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Knowing the subsequent biography of Henry, it is difficult to imagine this cheerful guy in a cassock, "although ... Considering that at the time of his youth the Borgia family of poisoners ruled the Roman church, he would probably correspond to the spirit of the era.

Everything changed on April 2, 1502, when Prince Arthur died from an illness that the then doctors called "prickly heat". After him, a widow remained - Catherine of Aragon, whose presence sealed the alliance with Spain. And Henry VII decided to marry her to his second son. Such an alliance could be interpreted as incest, but everyone unanimously agreed that during the four months of marriage, Arthur and Catherine never entered into an intimate relationship. True, Catherine was six years older than Prince Harry, so the wedding was
laid down until he came of age.

The marriage took place in June 1509, two weeks before the newlywed became the British monarch.

This day is the end of slavery!

At the coronation of Henry VIII, the famous educator and popular lawyer Thomas More wrote an ode: "This day is the end of slavery, this day is the beginning of freedom."

The yard was in the Renaissance, and the new king seemed to be going to become a kind of "philosopher on the throne." Is it possible to expect bad things from a person who easily speaks several languages, owns perhaps the best library in Europe, writes good poems and plays, as well as works in which he talks about the need for strict observance of the legality and sanctity of marriage?

Outraged by the anti-Catholic preaching of Martin Luther, the king wrote the work "In Defense of the Seven Sacraments." In response, Luther called Henry "a pig, a fool and a liar", but the Pope gave the king the title of "Defender of the Faith." And when in 1516 Thomas More published his book on the ideal state of Utopia, the monarch was delighted with her and spoke more than once of his desire to turn Britain into the same happy island.

For subjects, the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII looked promising. It was he who began to pursue a foreign policy, which England continued with success until the time of Churchill. As soon as one of the great powers claimed leadership in Europe, the British immediately entered into an alliance with its enemies.

Possessing the most powerful fleet, England could speak down to the land powers. And this fleet also began to be created under Henry. His pride was the powerful four- and three-deck ships Great Harry and Mary Rose, which no foreign ship could withstand single combat with. England fought almost continuously, although King Harry personally did not mark himself in military campaigns.

Perhaps his most resonant foreign policy operation was a meeting in 1520 with King Francis I. Two monarchs who loved to show off sought to impress each other with luxury, so the place where they met was called the Field of Golden Brocade. But Henry still outdid his colleague, firstly, with his lush chestnut beard, and secondly, with a huge temporary palace erected on a stone foundation. True, the walls of the palace were made of fabric painted to look like stone. Contemporaries admired this majestic building, in which a hole could be made with a finger.

In general, Heinrich worked on his image with pleasure and success. At least until he gave vent to his whims.

"I have the right to execute"

At the beginning of his reign, he was generally very liberal. The first person Henry sent to the chopping block was Father Edmund Dudley's treasurer, thanks to whose efforts he got a treasury stuffed to overflowing with two million pounds sterling. But the execution of the Minister of Finance has never upset anyone in the world.

The next victim didn't come as a surprise either. Edmund de la Pole was one of the last representatives of the York dynasty to lose the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. He went to Harry as a prisoner by inheritance from the father, who could not execute him, being bound by an oath. Henry VIII did not take oaths, which means that he had every right to execute.

Then they began to execute more often, and the “good king” tried to ensure that in the most doubtful cases any massacre looked formalized according to the law. The total number of people executed during his reign amounted to 72 thousand people, or 2.5% of the population of England. This record was not broken by any other European tyrant of the 16th century, although it took place in a country considered the stronghold of democracy.

In England, the cloth industry developed, which needed raw materials - sheep's wool. The owners of the land raised the rent to an unbearable size for the peasants, and when they went bankrupt, they transferred arable land to pastures. Ruined peasants became vagabonds, and in the case of a third capture, vagrancy was punishable by death. “Sheep devour people,” said Thomas More on this occasion, although the sheep, of course, were not to blame.

Noble people, unlike vagrants, were usually sentenced to death for high treason, and new legal acts expanded this concept to the point of absurdity. For example, in 1540 a certain Lord Walter Hargenford was executed for "high treason against sodomy".

The most cruel, but very common, was the execution to which Thomas More was sentenced. “Drag on the ground through the whole of the City of London, hang him there so that he is tortured half to death, take him off the noose before he is dead, cut off his genitals, cut open his stomach, tear out and burn the insides. Then quarter him and nail one quarter of his body over the four gates of the City, and put his head on London Bridge.

But why did good King Harry decide to be so harsh on his favorite author? Of course because of the woman.

"Divorce" with the Pope

It is believed that evil inclinations began to gush in Henry in 1522, when the beauty Anne Boleyn appeared at court, having lived for several years in France and brought continental charm to her island homeland.

The king was known as a gallant cavalier and ladies' man, used to easy victories. But Anna turned his head, making it clear that she loves, but at the same time insisted on the status of a legal wife.

Lawyers suggested to the king a move: to prove that Catherine was the wife of the late Prince Arthur, not only de jure, but also de facto. In this case, her marriage to Heinrich could be interpreted as incestuous, and therefore subject to termination. They especially pressed on the testimony of witnesses that after the wedding night, Prince Arthur boasted: “I went to!” It remained to ask the permission of the Pope, but Clement VII rested. The case ended with the fact that in 1532 the king decided to break off relations with the pope and, of course, marry Anna. Parliament, who walked on the line with Henry VIII, did not even chirp.

Now the monarch was considered the head of an independent Anglican church, the daily leadership of which was carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury. And those who did not agree with the reform began to be persecuted. The Catholic Church has new martyrs. The most famous of them were those executed in 1535, Thomas More and Bishop of Rochester John Fisher.

It was not difficult to send the straightforward Fischer to the chopping block, but the duel with an experienced lawyer Thomas More required great efforts from the judges. For example, when they tried to accuse him of high treason on the grounds that by his silence he expressed disapproval of the actions of the monarch, More wittily noted that, in general, silence was always considered a sign of consent. He was convicted on the basis of false evidence about the allegedly said phrase: "Parliament cannot make the king the head of the church."

However, they still did not subject the revered educator to savage torture. They just cut off his head. The king, when he was informed of the execution of Thomas More, threw to Anne Boleyn: "It's all your fault." In 1533, Anna bore him a daughter, not a son. And she bored him.

Voluptuary with magnificent horns

This time, instead of a divorce, the king preferred to send his wife to the chopping block - on charges of adultery, which was equivalent to high treason. One of his contemporaries noted with surprise: “The king loudly says that more than a hundred people had a criminal connection with her. Never has any sovereign, or any husband at all, exhibited his horns so everywhere and carried them with such a light heart.

True, the lawyers had to tinker so that all the facts of Anne Boleyn's alleged betrayals fit together, but on the whole the indictment was read quite convincingly. However, no one really believed in him, but it was enough for the death penalty.

Since the professionalism of the English executioners was considered low, Anna, in order not to suffer for a long time, ordered the executioner from France at her own expense. And he did his job meticulously.

On May 20, 1536, the day after her execution, the King became engaged to Lady Jane Seymour. In due time, she gave birth to the long-awaited son-heir. Having fulfilled her duty, she died.

The second and third spouses were ladies-in-waiting of previous queens, and Henry decided, for a change, to marry for the fourth time a representative of some royal house.

Princess Mary of Guise of Lorraine replied to the marriage proposal that although she was tall, her neck was short - clearly hinting that she did not want to put her under the axe. In a similar spirit, Heinrich and the Danish princess Christiana kicked off: “If I had two heads, I would definitely put one at Your Majesty’s disposal, but I don’t want to risk one.”

However, the portraits of several brides were delivered to England. Heinrich most of all liked the image of Princess Anna of Cleves. Consent to the marriage was given, but during a personal meeting it turned out that the portrait was too far from the original, and not for the better. Calling his wife after the wedding night "a hefty Flemish mare", the king soon annulled the marriage, and in order not to spoil relations with the politically important duchy of Cleve and Berg, he assigned a good maintenance to the fourth wife.

Dr. Kondom products

Heinrich again launched into all serious. The fat, cruel, capricious monarch bore little resemblance to the former gallant cavalier, but, as a rule, he was not refused. Especially for the voluptuous old man, the court physician Charles Condom made condoms - it was by the name of the doctor that they began to be called condoms, although this product itself was known in antiquity.

In the end, another maid of honor Catherine Howard, a representative of an influential family at court, became Henry's new legal wife. The Howards managed to remove Chancellor Thomas Cromwell from the helm and send him to the chopping block, but they did not rejoice for long.

In her youth, Catherine had many hobbies, and not all of them quietly disappeared into the past. As a result, Henry walked again and shook his horns, and his fifth wife was executed for treason.

The last wife of Henry VIII was Catherine Parr - twice a widow, a pretty and charming woman who knew how to get along with her husband, and with his relatives, and with the courtiers. It is not clear, however, how much these abilities would be enough for her. A year after the wedding, Henry quarreled with his wife on religious grounds and ordered her to be executed as a heretic. Accidentally learning about the verdict, Catherine rushed to her husband and persuaded him to forgive her at the very last moment, when a detachment of guards had already come to arrest her.

On January 28, 1547, King Harry, who had greatly tired his subjects, died. The cause of his death was a wound that had been received a long time ago while hunting and continued to fester, as well as terrible obesity - for the last five years of his life, the king could not even walk himself, he was driven in a wheelchair.

The writer Charles Dickens considered Henry VIII "the most unbearable bastard, a disgrace to human nature, a bloody and greasy stain in the history of England." However, it was under him that Britain, if not become, then at least prepared for the role of a great power. So he was a winner, and winners are not judged too harshly.

Six wives of Henry VIII

To memorize the biographies of the six wives of the "good King Harry", British schoolchildren use a rhyme-counter: "Divorced, decapitated, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."

1. Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536)

Her first marriage was to Prince Arthur, and after his sudden death, to his younger brother, the future King Henry VIII. After her divorce from Henry, she spent the rest of her life on the estate allocated to her.

2. Anne Boleyn (1507-1536)

Having married the monarch, Anna chose the motto: "The happiest." Going to the chopping block, she said: “You, Your Majesty, have raised me to an unattainable height. Now you want to elevate me even more. You will make me a saint."

3. Jane Seymour (1508-1537)

She had a beneficial effect on her husband and fulfilled his main desire by giving birth to a son and heir. Edward VI ruled England from 1547-1553 and became the subject of Mark Twain's famous story The Prince and the Pauper.

4. Anna of Cleves (1515-1557)

After their wedding night with her, Henry VIII declared: “She is not at all pretty and she smells bad. I left her the same as she was before I lay down with her." And soon he insisted on the dissolution of the marriage.

5. Catherine Howard (1520-1542)

By marrying her, Heinrich seemed to be younger; tournaments, balls and other entertainments began again at the court. However, Catherine resumed contact with her former lovers, which led her to the chopping block.

6. Catherine Parr (1512-1548)

At 15, she married the elderly Lord Edward Borough. Widowed three years later, she became the wife of Lord Latimer, who died in 1543. From these marriages, as well as from her marriage to Henry, she had no children.