Five of the Six Wives
The Tudors and the Stuarts1485 to 1714
Anne Boleyn followed Catherine of Aragon as queen, and she was later executed, accused of taking lovers. Jane Seymour came next and fared differently: she gave Henry the son he had wanted for so long, but died shortly after the birth, having succeeded where the others had failed.
Anne of Cleves came next, a marriage arranged for political reasons, and it ended in divorce not long after it began. Catherine Howard, a cousin of Anne Boleyn, followed her and was executed, accused in a way that echoed the fate that had already ended her cousin's life. Catherine Parr came last and was the one wife to outlive Henry: she survived Henry VIII and married again once he had died, though she lived only a few more years herself.
What to remember
 Anne Boleyn | executed She was unpopular, was accused of taking lovers, and was executed at the Tower of London. |
|---|---|
| Jane Seymour | died She gave Henry the son he wanted, Edward, but died shortly after the birth. |
| Anne of Cleves | divorced Unlike Catherine of Aragon, this divorce was quick and the marriage was political rather than personal from the start. |
| Catherine Howard | executed She was a cousin of Anne Boleyn and met the same fate for the same accusation, a pairing worth revising together. |
| Catherine Parr | survived Henry VIII She was a widow who married Henry late in his life; she survived him, married again and died soon after. |
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