Henry VIII and his six wives

This novel deals with the King´s six wives. After the King´s death his sixth wife finds a box with old letters wich tell the story of what it was like to be the wife of Henry VIII of England.

1^st wife: Katherine of Aragon

She was from Spain and she first went to England to marry Henry´s brother Arthur, but he died and then she married Henry and was his wife and Queen for 24 years.

Henry divorced Katherin because he wanted a son, and she only gave him a daughter, Princess Mary. Years before, she had a son Henry, Prince of Wales, but he died when he was only seven weeks old. Henry divorced her although he broke with the Pope and the Catholic Church and that´s how the Church of England began.

2^nd wife: Anne Boleyn

Henry was in love with her for about seven years before they married. They were married less than three and a half years, because Henry soon became tired of her. He wanted a son and she only gave him a daughter, Princess Elisabeth. There were rumours about Anne´s lovers and Henry believed the stories because he wanted another wife. Finally he sent her to the Tower of London to be beheaded.

3^rd wife: Jane Saymour

She married the King just ten days after Anne´s death. She was quite and careful. She didn´t try to tell him what to do. She also gave him a baby boy, King Edward, but she died soon after Edward was born (twelve days later)

She was buried at Winsor, and Henry is now buried next to her.

4^th wife: Anne of Cleves

She was very ugly and was a German Princess. Henry couldn´t go to Germany to see her and he sent an artist to paint a picture of her. Henry fell in love with the beatiful woman in the picture and decided to marry her. She was really ugly but he couldn´t change the arrangements for the wedding. After six months he divorced her without any problems.

5^th wife: Katherine Howard

Henry still wanted to have another son. She was one of the ladies at Queen Anne´s Palace, although he was 30 years older than her. But Katherine wasn´t very clever and she had a lover about six months after Katherine married Henry. When Henry found out about this he sent her lover to prison and soon after he sent Katherine to the Tower. She would be beheaded in a few days.

6^th wife: Catherine Parr

She was very different to the Henry´s other wives because she was 31 years old and Henry was her third husband. Henry met her at a party at Hampton Court Palace.

They didn´t have any children. Catherine married a few months after Henry´s death and she had a baby girl called Mary.

In short, the only obssesion of Henry was to have a son and he was always looking for a wife who gave him a strong son to be the future King of England. But the lifes of almost all his wives were sad and dangerous.