The reign of the Tudors in England Henry 8. Women in history: the wives of Henry VIII

Henry VIII (1491-1547), English king (from 1509) from the Tudor dynasty.

Born June 28, 1491 in Greenwich. Son and heir of Henry VII. The main content of Henry VIII's policy was the strengthening of the absolute monarchy in England. At the same time, the king sought to rely on the support, on the one hand, of the townspeople and their representatives in parliament and local authorities, and on the other, the constantly strengthening bureaucracy.

Henry continued the reprisals against the baronial opposition begun by his father, and from the 30s. XV century went on the offensive against the Roman Catholic Church. He divorced his wife Catherine of Aragon, aunt of Charles V of Habsburg, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, to marry the lowly Anne Boleyn. Parliament, obedient to the king, approved the divorce, which was not approved by the Pope.

In 1534, the Pope demanded that Henry refuse the divorce and threatened excommunication. In response, Henry declared himself head of the Anglican Church, breaking all relations with the papacy and the empire. The “Royal Reformation” took place in England, leading to the emergence of the Protestant Church of England.

The reform of the Church was carried out with extreme cruelty, mass executions of “papists” took place, and the practice of Catholicism was actually banned.

In 1536-1539. By order of the king, English monasteries were destroyed, their property was completely confiscated in favor of the crown. The most powerful of the states that had fallen away from the Roman Catholic Church, England quickly became the center and support of the European Reformation.

Since the time of Henry VIII, it was in fact in a state of constant war with the Habsburgs.

The English kings now actively supported the reform movement on the continent and intervened in the affairs of Germany, France and other European countries.

Within the country, Henry VIII became famous as a “bloody” king, whose repressions were by no means directed only against the feudal nobility. Having prohibited the barons from seizing arable land for pastures, he at the same time fiercely persecuted the peasants who turned out to be vagabonds. All able-bodied tramps caught collecting alms three times were subject to the death penalty.

In 1535, the Lord Chancellor, the famous thinker and writer T. More, was executed for resistance to the Reformation. In the end, Anne Boleyn, whose marriage to Henry was once the reason for the Reformation, also became a victim of royal “justice.”

At the same time, it was Henry VIII, the creator of English absolutism, who consolidated the unity of the country and laid the foundations for its independent foreign policy and the new political role of England in Europe.

Interesting facts about Henry 8 will reveal unknown information about the king of England.

Henry 8: interesting facts

Henry was only 17 years old when he became king of England. He ruled the country for almost 38 years.

English chronicles write that during the reign of Henry VIII 72 thousand tramps and beggars were executed.

Total the king had six wives, of whom he divorced two, and executed two on charges of treason, one died during childbirth.

He lived with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, the niece of Emperor Charles V, for almost 20 years. But the absence of an heir to the throne drove Henry VIII into a frenzy. And when he fell in love with the court beauty Anne Boleyn, he decided to divorce his wife in order to marry Anne. But Anna did not give him an heir.

He had three children. His first daughter Mary Tudor became Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary). His second daughter became Queen Elizabeth I and his third son, Edward, became King Edward VI.

Henry's height is 8 - 194 cm.

The nature Henry was a tyrant- unbearable, despotic, vengeful, irritable, keeping his associates in constant fear.

To glorify his reign, he rebuilt the old royal residences. At the end of his reign Henry had 55 palaces. London has become one of the best cities in Europe. Famous artists, sculptors, and writers from Italy and Germany wanted to serve at the court of the English king. The king granted government positions in his kingdom to humanist scholars. He made the famous legal scholar and famous humanist Chancellor of England. However, when Thomas More refused to accept the Reformation carried out by the king and remained a Catholic, he was executed by order of Henry VIII.

During the time of Henry VIII, 3 thousand monasteries were closed in England, the king distributed their lands to his supporters or sold them, significantly enriching the treasury. New nobles and the bourgeoisie bought lands to create new profitable farms on them.

Henry VIII, as the main patron of the arts and luxury, collected a huge collection of colorful fabric tapestries. Currently, Heinrich's collection has been destroyed.

One of the most prominent political figures of the 16th century is undoubtedly the King of England Henry VIII (1491-1547). He ruled the country for almost 38 years. Over this long period of time, he proved himself to be a despotic and cruel ruler. It was under him that the “vagrancy law” was adopted. Ruined peasants who lost their property were simply hanged. It was much easier than helping people get back on their feet and regain material wealth.

To serve his personal interests, this king broke all relations with the Roman Catholic Church. He declared himself head of the English Church. Monasteries were closed and their lands were confiscated. Part went to the state, and the other was sold to the nobles. The Bible in the country was recognized only in English. But from the point of view of Catholics, the ruler of Foggy Albion became famous not only for these terrible sacrileges.

He was extremely loving. Only His Majesty had 6 official wives. At the same time, two of them had their heads cut off. That is, the person did not know how to restrain himself in anything. He indulged his passions and desires, which he put above the interests of the state. His actions were often inconsistent and his actions contradictory. The king did not value human life at all. Under him, people were executed for the slightest offense.

In 1577, the work of the English chronicler Raphael Holinshed was published entitled “Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland.” It said that during the reign of the extravagant king, 72 thousand people were executed in England. The torture of the Holy Inquisition and oprichnina pale in comparison to this figure. However, we will not take on faith everything that was written in the works of people who lived in the 16th century. Many of them were biased towards the cruel ruler and could biasedly reflect the true state of affairs.

Brief biography of Henry VIII

The future king of England was born on June 28, 1491. Place of birth - Greenwich. At that time it was a suburb of the British capital. It was not yet the prime meridian. This became the case in the 17th century, when the Greenwich Observatory was established in 1675.

The father of the newborn child was the English king Henry VII (1457-1509) - the founder of the Tudor dynasty. Mother was Elizabeth of York (1466-1503). In total, this woman gave birth to 7 children, but only 4 of them survived. Two daughters became queens, and a son became king. There was also the eldest son Arthur (1486-1502), who was supposed to ascend to the English throne. But he died at the age of 15 while his father was still alive.

As a result of all this, Henry VIII became king of England in 1509. At that time the young man was 17 years old. Therefore, at first, more mature courtiers helped him in conducting state affairs. In fact, from 1515 to 1529 the country was ruled by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (1473-1530). The king listened to his advice, although in some matters he showed independence. In 1529, he ordered the arrest of a powerful courtier. The time has come for independent rule, and the “gray cardinal” began to interfere.

Since 1512, the young king waged war with France. The hostilities continued for many years. Only in 1525 was a peace treaty signed. But he did not bring victory to England, and the state treasury was practically empty. During these same years, the country was filled with impoverished peasants as a result of the policy fencing.

In the country, arable land belonged to the nobles, the church and the king. Peasants were not owners. They paid rent and managed land plots. The rent was purely symbolic, and people quietly worked on the land, sowing and harvesting crops. But, starting from the 15th century, there was an increase in wool prices on the world market. It became profitable to keep sheep, but they needed pastures.

As a result, landowners began to increase rents. Peasants could no longer pay for land plots, since the sums of money were very high and exceeded the profit for the harvest. As a result of this, thousands of peasant families were ruined and turned into beggars. And the feudal lords fenced off the vacated lands and turned them into pastures for sheep. This is where the term “enclosure” came from, and in 1516 Thomas More immortalized the famous phrase in his Utopia: “Sheep eat men.”

Vagrants were caught and hanged, as if they themselves were to blame for their poverty. This showed the cruel character of the King of England. And his extravagance resulted in a conflict with the Catholic Church. The reason was trivial. The king needed a divorce from his wife because she could not give birth to a male heir.

This unfortunate woman was Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536). In 1510, she gave birth to a healthy boy, but he died before reaching 2 months. In 1516, the woman gave birth to a daughter, the future Queen Mary the Bloody. But England needed a boy-heir. In 1518, Catherine gave birth again. But a girl was born who lived only a few hours. After this, the woman no longer tried to give birth.

In 1527, the king wished to divorce his wife. But the Catholic Church, which did not want to grant a divorce, opposed it. Then the crown bearer declared himself head of the English church and divorced his wife. This happened in 1533 on May 23, and on May 28 the king’s new wife came out to the people. She became Anne Boleyn (1507-1536). She also gave birth to a daughter, and then she was accused of betraying her husband and was beheaded in May 1536.

After this sad event, the crowned lady married 4 more times. The third wife, Jane Seymour (1508-1537), gave birth to an heir. They named him Edward. But the woman herself died of childbed fever, and the boy left this world at the age of 15.

The last 10 years of Henry VIII's reign were characterized by tyrannical forms of government. In 1542, the king's 5th wife, Catherine Howard (1521-1542), was executed. Many noble nobles who were part of the political opposition also went to the chopping block. The situation was aggravated by illness.

The crown bearer has become very fat. There is speculation that he suffered from gout. Old wounds received in previous years while hunting began to make themselves felt. All this caused irritation and depression. Every day the king felt worse and worse. At the age of 55 he died. It happened on January 28, 1547 in London at the famous Whitehall Palace. This majestic structure was considered the largest in Europe. Burnt down in 1698. After the death of the ruler, troubled times followed in the country, until the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I came to power in 1558.

Known for his numerous marriages, Henry VIII, King of England (1491-1547) was nevertheless a very enlightened ruler for his time, so professional historians tend to view him as a reformer and polygamist.

In the pantheon of British monarchs, Henry (ruled the country from 1509 to 1547) represents the Tudor royal family. The youngest son of the first of the Tudors, Henry VII, this king in his first marriage was content with the wife Catherine of Aragon who passed on to him from his elder brother Arthur.

Arthur turned out to be unable to conduct the affairs of the state, was bedridden and practically did not touch his wife.

Therefore, when he died of a fever in 1502, an agreement was concluded between the courts of England and Spain, with the greatest permission of Pope Julius II, for the second marriage of the Spanish princess. Thus began the history of Henry 8’s marriages, in which wives replaced one another.

Enlightened mind, selfish disposition

Unlike his brother, Henry 8 had excellent health and excellent physique, was known in England as a wonderful horseman and an accurate archer. Therefore, his coronation aroused joyful hopes among the royal circle.

Henry was the direct opposite of his melancholy and sickly father. Therefore, from the very beginning of his reign, the capital of England became a place where noisy balls, cheerful masquerades and numerous tournaments replaced each other at the court.

Despite the exorbitant expenses, Henry 8 was loved by the public. He had a free and enlightened mind, spoke Spanish, Italian, French and Latin, and among musical instruments he adored the lute.

Unfortunately, like any other king, he was vicious and despotic, and his selfishness and selfishness knew no bounds.

However, Henry was lazy in carrying out his royal affairs, and always entrusted their execution to his favorites.

First lessons of political games

The new British king received his first political baptism in 1513, when the German Emperor Maximilian and his daughter Margaret involved English troops in a conflict with France. Henry8 invaded the enemy's possessions, and the siege of Terouan-ni followed.

Meanwhile, the German troops, united in one effort with the combat units of England, won a victory at Gingat, and Henry8 took possession of Tournai. However, the very next year of hostilities, his German ally, in agreement with Ferdinand of Spain, betrayed the British king and signed peace with Louis XII.

The unbalanced and impulsive king of England fell into anger, but immediately initiated the Anglo-French negotiations, marrying his sister Mary to the monarch of France.

After such an object lesson, Henry 8 perfectly grasped the very essence of politics, and since then treachery has become a distinctive feature of this king.

Contrary to Christian morality. Ann Bolein

Henry used the same methods in theology. In 1522, the pope received a pamphlet he had written, where the reformers were criticized. However, the king soon “changed his shoes”: for 20 years of marriage, Catherine did not give birth to an heir, several illegitimate children of Henry 8 could not lay claim to the throne, and by that time, Catherine’s maid of honor Anna Boleyn had become the subject of the king’s passion.

Contrary to the norms of Christian morality, without the permission of the pope, Henry divorced, at the same time declaring himself the head of the British church.

He initiated the adoption by Parliament of a number of resolutions, according to which England broke ties with the Roman Church.

Having assumed the rights of the head of the Church of Britain, Henry 8 appoints Thomas Cranmer to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury (1533). A few months later, grateful for his appointment, Cranmer announces that the king’s marriage alliance no longer has legal force.

It only took a few days for the loving and full-of-life Henry 8 to crown Anne Boleyn, adding her to the list, which will henceforth include more and more new wives.

Official Rome tried to object to such blasphemy. However, the treacherous Henry, in defiance of such discontent, declared that his first marriage was invalid, and not only deprived his legitimate daughter Maria of all rights to the throne, but also imprisoned him in a monastery.

Repressions and new political games

It is clear that many in England did not approve of such actions. However, Henry 8 undertook repressions unprecedented at that time against the oppositionists, the result of which was the subordination of the English clergy to the morals of the king.

One of the results of such “purges” was Cromwell’s actions against the opposition from among the monastic orders. Acting on behalf of Henry, he insisted that English monks took a new oath- recognizing the supremacy of the king as the head of the national church and at the same time refusing obedience to Rome.

As expected, the monastic orders began to resist, their leaders were hanged, and as a result a document appeared transferring their property to the state (1536).

Moreover, we were talking about a fairly substantial share of property, which was previously owned by 376 monasteries, and now passed into the possession of Henry 8.

Execution of the adulterous Anna. Marry Jane Seymour

At the same time, significant changes have emerged on the love front for the aging monarch of England. Anne Boleyn did not manage to stay on the throne for long.

Moreover, the reason for this was frivolous behavior, incompatible with the status of the wife of Henry 8. Almost immediately, as soon as the wedding took place, The new queen has attracted young fans. This did not escape the attention of the suspicious Heinrich, who, in turn, retained less and less affection for his half, and then became completely carried away by the new woman.

Now the beauty attracted all the attention of the first person of England Jane Seymour. And Anna’s indiscretion at the tournament in May 1536 was the last straw of Henry 8’s patience (or maybe this was the reason he was looking for for the final break).

The king's wife, who was sitting in the royal box, dropped her handkerchief, and the handsome courtier Norris, who was passing by, picked it up from the ground, and did this so imprudently that this act caught the eye of her husband.

The enraged Henry the very next day sanctioned the arrests of his wife, her brother Lord Rochester and several of Anne's suitors, who were suspected of committing adultery with her.

All this was presented as a secret plot to overthrow the king, as well as behavior incompatible with the name of the queen.

As a result of torture and interrogation, in particular, of the musician Smithton (he amused the queen by playing Henry's favorite instrument, the lute), evidence incriminating Anna was obtained. Twenty peers gathered at a meeting of the commission of inquiry on May 17, who found her guilty and decided to put her to death.

Three days later the sentence was carried out, and the cheerful Henry 8 married Jane Seymour the very next day. According to contemporaries, she remained in memory as a quiet, meek, submissive girl, who needed the crown least of all in her life.

The king's happiness was short-lived; 15 months later England said goodbye to Jane, who died, but managed to give birth to Henry's heir son Edward.

Reformism. Anna Klevskaya

Now the king began to understand that, having declared himself the first clergyman of England, he must carry out reforms in church teaching. The year 1536 was fateful for the British Catholic system.

Two years later, Henry 8 carried out the alienation in favor of the state of property that previously belonged to large monasteries. Money poured into the treasury like a wide river, and the king strengthened his fleet and ground forces at their expense.

In addition, the borders of England and Ireland were fortified with harbors and fortresses.

Thus, by starting the reformation of the church, Henry thereby laid a solid foundation for the future power of England.

The reforms were so severe that during the last 17 years of the king’s stay on the throne, his courtiers executed him, burned him or rotted in orderly prisons. 70 thousand disobedient church workers.

At the same time, the despot began to think about a fourth marriage. The list, which included his wives, was replenished with Anna, daughter of the Duke of Cleves (the marriage treaty was signed in 1539).

However, having previously known her only from her portrait, Henry 8 was disappointed in his choice: the new Anna turned out to be a “Flemish mare”. He was married to her on January 6, 1540, and on July 9 a divorce followed: they say that the bride he got was not a virgin.

They did not execute Henry’s next passion; they gave him a good allowance and rewarded him with an estate.

Catherine Gotward and Catherine Parr

And by that time, the resilient Henry 8 was already in love again: Katherine Gotward became the next candidate for his wife. Despite the 30-year age difference, the king married her as soon as 3 weeks had passed since his divorce from “Anna number two.”

Alas, this time too, Henry’s wife (the fifth in a row) turned out to be of very frivolous behavior.

The evidence of betrayal presented to him was so upsetting that the monarch sobbed right during the meeting of the council that had gathered on this occasion.

The traitor was beheaded in February 1542, and a year and a half later... England learned about the new marriage of its monarch. This time the object of his interest was the 30-year-old widow Catherine Parr.

For Henry it was a quiet haven in which he could calmly meet old age. Unfortunately, the new lifestyle did not benefit him, and he died of obesity, unable to walk independently.

Peterborough Cathedral (Cambridgeshire). The majestic building evokes memories of Notre Dame Cathedral...

The abbey and cathedral of Saints Peter, Paul and Andrew were founded in 655. The current building is the third, standing on the site of two that burned down. Its construction began in 1118 and lasted 120 years. In addition to the magnificent west pediment and ancient interior decoration, the tomb of Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon (left side of the Cathedral, on the grave - flowers and a Christmas card, remember) is of historical interest. 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 suit with regalia, a face widening downwards, a portrait of his first wife Catherine of Aragon - a sweet feminine a rather strong-willed face, straight parting of hair hidden under a light brown cap; eyes downcast.

Brown dress, matching decoration - beads on the neck.

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 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 was only 14 years old at the time of his marriage. He was a sickly young man consumed by consumption. And a year after the wedding, he died without leaving an heir, since he never entered into an intimate relationship with his young wife. Catherine remained in England as a young widow, and in fact as a hostage, because by that time her father had not yet managed to pay her dowry in full, and besides, it seemed that he had no intention of paying. She lived in such uncertainty for the next eight years.

She saw salvation in renunciation of worldly vanity and turning to God (she had nothing but the title of dowager princess, a small allowance and a retinue consisting exclusively of Spanish nobles who came with her. She was a burden both for the King of England Henry VII and for her father, King Ferdinand. Her mother, the brave Queen Isabella, 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 an order immediately came from him: 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 obtain permission from the Pope - Julius. Church law prohibited 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 became 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 Anne. He never received the consent of either the Pope or Catherine. It was decided that from this moment on, the Pope's authority would not extend to England. Henry declared himself head of the Church (since 1534), and his 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 king's absence, the Scottish lords under the leadership of James IV invaded England. The Queen personally developed much of the defense plan. On September 9, 1513, the Scots were defeated on the hills near Flodden, and King James himself was killed. Catherine was proud of this victory.

Catherine did not recognize this marriage. She continued to call herself queen and responded to all threats that she was the legal wife of the king of England.

Catherine spent another two years in obscurity, spiteful critics continued to pester her, and she was not allowed to see her daughter. However, despite all the troubles, there was still a place in her heart for love for her husband. She wrote to the Pope, begging him not to forget about Henry and Mary.

She lived in a small room, the windows of which overlooked the fortress moat filled with rancid water and the neglected Kimbolton hunting park. Her retinue consisted of three ladies-in-waiting, half a dozen maids and several devoted Spaniards who looked 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 (Henry VIII’s eldest daughter from his marriage to 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 Henry. In it, she asked him not to forget his daughter, reminded him of her rightful title and said that she still loved him.

Henry VIII was married six times.

His wives, each of whom stood behind a certain political or religious group, sometimes forced him to make changes in their political or religious views.

In 1524, in the retinue of Catherine of Aragon, who was already quite tired of the king, the monarch noticed a new pretty face.

Daughter of one of the king's dignitaries, Earl Thomas Boleyn. The engagement to her former fiancé, Lord Percy, has been broken off, and preparations have begun for a new wedding. In 1533, Henry married Anne Boleyn, and in September their daughter Elizabeth was born. So, this passion of the king was worth the break with Rome, the liquidation of Catholicism and its institutions in the country and the cooling of relations with Spain.

The love for Anne Boleyn lasted only two years. In his wife's retinue, Henry meets a new object of adoration - Jane Seymour. Possessing her becomes his goal for the near future. As luck would have it, my wife won’t give me a divorce; it’s worse for her. You must understand that you cannot order your heart. The king finds a way to gain freedom. If you don’t disperse, then “remove” (in the modern language of criminal elements). The most convenient excuse 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 picked up and returned to her owner by Henry Noris, who is in love with her. The "Watching Eye" took note of this. Ease of communication with his brother, Lord Rochefort, provides a pretext for charges of incest. Several other nobles have been spotted in love with the queen. One of them, Smithox, promised to testify about adultery for a “moderate fee.”

Apparently Henry guessed that the church would not forgive him for his second divorce. Apart from divorce, only her death could free him from his former wife.

Henry called an executioner from France to execute his wife (the French succeeded in cutting off heads, because it was they who invented the guillotine - a device for quickly and painlessly cutting off heads). 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 the right to inherit the throne. Subsequently, the king recalled Anne Boleyn, not without regret.

A love letter from Henry VIII to his future second wife Anne Boleyn, in French, probably dated January 1528, has recently been published. The letter has been kept in the Vatican for five centuries and will be exhibited for the first time at the British Library in London.

“From now on, my heart will belong only to you.”
“Your expression of affection for me is so strong, and the beautiful words of your message are so heartfelt 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 to 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 Anglican Church, independent of Rome.

The British monarch holds the title

Supreme Ruler of the Church of England.

...The ghost of Anne Boleyn is known (let us remember that she was accused of adultery and incest, although, apparently, her only guilt was that she was tired of her husband) ... Anne Boleyn was executed in May 1536 directly 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 St. Peter's Chapel in the Tower. But the soul of the unfortunate queen did not calm down. Since then, her ghost has been regularly seen for several centuries at regular intervals, sometimes at the head of a procession heading to St. Peter's Chapel, sometimes alone in different places in the old fortress: at the place where the execution took place...

One of the most impressive ghost sightings occurred in the winter of 1864. One night they found a sentry lying unconscious. He was court-martialed on charges of falling asleep on duty. Then he said that before dawn he saw a white silhouette emerge from the fog. He was wearing a cap, under which his head was missing; the silhouette headed towards the sentry.

After three usual warning calls, the soldier approached the ghost, but when the bayonet of the gun pierced him through, lightning ran down the barrel, and the sentry himself fainted from shock.

All this would have seemed like just a clever excuse if two other soldiers and an officer who testified after the accused had not said that they, too, had noticed the ghost through the window. When it turned out that the ghost in all four cases appeared under the door of the room in which Anne Boleyn spent her last night on the eve of her execution, the tribunal decided to release the sentry.

The nightmare recurred from time to time until the beginning of the 19th century. One day, a completely atheistically inclined officer, late at night, noticed a bright glow pouring from the windows of the chapel, which he had personally locked at sunset. Having obtained a ladder, the officer climbed up it, looked out the window - and almost fell down from fear.

Inside he saw a whole retinue of the Tudor court, led by Anne. The eerie procession moved towards the altar and, reaching it, gradually seemed to go under the floor... After some time, the officer managed to open the floor of the chapel, and under the slabs they found the remains of the queen along with her murdered retinue... After the remains were reburied with appropriate royal honors , the ghost of the innocently injured queen disappeared from the Tower forever.

The king marries Jane Seymour. She could not boast of an excellent education and “gallant” manners, since in the 16th century the education of an English girl was limited to religion, needlework and the basics of housekeeping. The ability to read and write was considered sufficient for a young aristocrat wishing to make a career at court.

Lady Jane's brothers, Thomas and Edward, on the contrary, were raised at the king's court from childhood (they were pages), and subsequently occupied various lucrative positions. Therefore, it was not surprising that from the mid-1520s their sister Jane was accepted into the staff of ladies-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon. After Anne Boleyn became queen, Lady Jane came “at the disposal” of the new mistress.

At Christmas 1533, the king presented gifts to several ladies-in-waiting, including Lady Seymour.

After Anne Boleyn “upset” the king - instead of the desired son, she gave birth to only a girl (the future Elizabeth I), relations between Henry and the queen began to deteriorate noticeably. Moreover, Anna was intolerant, hot-tempered and ambitious. Having made many enemies at court, the queen gradually alienated Henry and herself. The years 1534 and 1535 were spent in family scandals, stormy showdowns and vain anticipation of the queen's next 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 agreed with everyone on everything. If Anna was compared to a witch, and even a witch - she was thin, dark-haired and dark-eyed, then Jane was much more like a bright angel.

The royal wedding of 1536 was extremely modest. in the spring of 1537, Jane informed Henry of her pregnancy. The king surrounded his wife with unprecedented care and fulfilled all her demands and whims.

The heir was born healthy, handsome and similar to both spouses. But Jane was not destined to rejoice...

The young queen suffered in labor for two days. It was necessary to choose - mother or child. The doctors, knowing the explosive nature of the sovereign, were even afraid to mention it. “Save the child. I can get as many women as I want,” was the decisive and calm answer.

Jane died of childbed fever.

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 Anne Boleyn (Lady Ann) and Mary Boleyn (Mary). Each of the three women is dedicated to their own verse.

In Europe, people began to fear the monarch, who so coldly got rid of his wives. In 1539, Henry VIII met his “beloved”, Princess Anne of Cleves, through 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 48-year-old Henry. He was not embarrassed by the fact that his chosen one was engaged for a short time to the Duke of Lorraine - according to English laws, the new marriage could not be considered legitimate.

On September 4, 1539, a 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 citizen.

One glance at Anna was enough - the king was disappointed. Instead of the pale and graceful beauty that Holbein portrayed, before Henry stood a large, massive woman with rather rough features. The straightforward Henry took out all his anger on Cromwell, who allegedly “slipped him a hefty Flemish mare.”

The original was a total disappointment. It was probably not Anna’s appearance that was repulsive at all, but her stiffness, inability to behave in society, the unusual cut of her clothes for the king’s eyes, and lack of proper grace.

“Where did you find this stuffed animal? Send her back immediately!” he became angry with Cromwell (the Protestant party, led by the king’s favorite and first minister, Thomas Cromwell, found the bride for the king). “This is impossible, Your Majesty! If you break the marriage contract, Europe may declare war on England.”

Anna didn’t like Henry either, and besides, she had heard rumors about the murdered Anne Boleyn back in Kleve.

Henry resigned himself, but he could not fulfill his marital duty. For six months, the Princess of Cleves lived in England - her husband did not deign her with his attention. Anne was a kind stepmother to both Prince Edward and Princesses Betsy and Mary. She settled into the English court: she fell in love with music and dancing, and got herself dogs and parrots.

The divorce of the spouses was surprisingly calm. Anna, having judged everything sensibly and sorted out all the pros and cons, gathered the Privy Council to give a response to the divorce proposal.

Henry kept Anna in his family - as a "sister". This was dictated by a number of circumstances: Anna of Cleves fell in love with the king’s children, a number of courtiers found her an extremely kind and pleasant woman. Henry did not want to come into conflict with Anna's brother, Duke of Berg-Julig-Cleves, who was one of the most influential rulers of Germany. And Anna herself sincerely fell in love with her new homeland.

Henry proclaimed Anne his "sister" and thus she remained the highest-born 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 substantial annual income.

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

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 outlived both Henry VIII and his son Edward VI. Anna von Kleve died on July 16, 1557 in London. Anne of Cleves was buried in Westminster Abbey.

In July 1540, Henry married 19-year-old Kate Howard. The wedding was modest. After the wedding, Henry seemed to look 20 years younger - tournaments, balls and other entertainment, to which Henry remained indifferent after the execution of Anne Boleyn, resumed at court. He adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, simple-minded, sincerely loved gifts and rejoiced at them like a child. Henry called Kate "a rose without thorns."

However, young Howard was extremely careless in her actions - Kate accepted all her “friends of her youth” to the court, and they knew too much about the queen’s life before her marriage. In addition, Kate resumed her relationship with Francis Dirham, whom she made her personal secretary.

Then another gentleman from a “past life” appeared at court - Thomas Kelpeper (Kate’s distant relative on her mother’s 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 middle-aged king.

When Henry was informed that his naive Kate was not such a “rose” at all, he was simply confused. The king's reaction 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 grant him a happy family life, and all his women either cheated, or died, or were 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, Lady Kate's body 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.

Henry's sixth wife is Katherine Parr, daughter of a baronet, widow of the elderly Lord Edward Borough. Young Kate Parr was only 14 or 15 years old when she was married in 1526 to an elderly, sixty-three-year-old lord. The couple's family life was quite happy. Moreover, Catherine managed to become a true friend for the children of Lord Boro, who were almost twice the age of their stepmother. However, in 1529 Lady Borough became a widow.

In 1530, the young widow received a new proposal for marriage. It came from John Neville, Lord Latimer, a widower. Having accepted 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 his first marriage.

In the second half of the 1530s, the Latimers often visited the king's court, and Henry VIII was very friendly towards the couple.

In the second half of the 1530s, the Latimers often visited the king's court, and Henry VIII treated this couple very friendly. After the execution of his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, Henry increasingly paid attention to the intelligent 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 was already seriously ill at that time and, alas, there was no hope for recovery. When he died in 1543, the king began to persistently court Lady Latimer.

Lady Latimer's first reaction to the king's offer to become his “comfort in old age” was fear. However, Henry did not abandon his intention to marry Catherine and, ultimately, she gave her consent.

On July 12, 1543, the wedding took place at the royal chapel at Hampton Court. The wedding took place in Windsor.

From the very first days of her life together with Henry, Catherine tried to create for him the conditions for a normal family life. Princess Elizabeth, daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, enjoyed her special favor.

A strong friendship began between the stepmother and stepdaughter - they conducted active correspondence and often had philosophical conversations.

Smart and energetic, Catherine skillfully neutralizes the court intrigues weaving against her. Despite her husband’s increased suspicion, Katerina, throughout the four years of their marriage, gives him no reason to be dissatisfied.

In 1545–1546, the king’s health deteriorated so much that he could no longer fully deal with state problems. However, the king’s suspiciousness and suspiciousness, on the contrary, began to acquire a threatening character. Catherine was, as they say, on the verge of death several times: the queen had influential enemies, and, ultimately, the king could believe them rather than his wife. The king decided to arrest Catherine several times, 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. On 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 the prototype for the character in Charles Perrault's fairy tale "Bluebeard" (Perrault wrote it down in the 17th century in France, the hero's name is Gilles de Rés. Bluebeard's last wife has no name in the fairy tale, but her older sister is called Anna )?..

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