Why did Henry VIII marry six times?

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Why did Henry VIII marry six times?

• Year 7

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Why did Henry keep on getting married?

• Did Henry VIII marry for PERSONAL reasons or
  POLITICAL reasons?
• PERSONAL to do with his emotions and own
  feelings.
• POLITICAL to do with running the country and
  keeping it under the kings control.

Click on Henry for more on the kind of man he was.
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Catherine of Aragon (1509-33)

• She was the daughter of the King of Spain.
• Henry knew that he might have to fight a war with
  the King of France and that he would need all the
  help he could get.
• Henry wanted a son to follow him as King.
• What happened?
• Catherine gave birth to a daughter Mary but
  by 1533 was too old to have any more children.
  (She had been married to Henry for 24 years.)
• Henry divorced her.

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Anne Boleyn (1533-36)

• She was a young and beautiful lady-in-waiting
  (assistant) to the queen.
• Henry wanted a son to follow him as King.
• What happened?
• Catherine gave birth to a daughter Elizabeth,
  but when she became pregnant again her baby boy
  was born already dead.
• Henry executed her.

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Jane Seymour (1536-37)

• She was a young and beautiful lady-in-waiting
  (assistant) to the queen.
• Henry wanted a son to follow him as King.
• What happened?
• Jane gave birth to a son Edward, but she became
  ill soon after his birth and died a few weeks
  later.

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Anne of Cleves (1540)

• She was the daughter of a powerful German prince.
• Henry thought the King of France might try to
  invade England. Henry needed all the help he
  could get to fight this threat.
• Henry was shown this picture of her and thought
  she was pretty.
• What happened?
• When Henry actually met her, he called her the
  Mare of Flanders in other words he thought
  she had a face like a horse.
• Henry divorced her.

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Catherine Howard (1540-42)

• She was a young and beautiful lady-in-waiting
  (assistant) to the queen.
• What happened?
• Katherine was accused of having affairs with
  other men.
• Henry executed her.

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Katherine Parr (1543-47)

• Henry was quite old now and often ill. He did not
  enjoy being on his own.
• Henry had three children and he wanted someone to
  help him look after them.
• What happened?
• Katherine was a good stepmother to Henrys
  children. She helped to patch up a big argument
  he had with his daughter Mary.
• Henry died before her, and she re-married, but
  she carried on looking after Henrys youngest
  daughter Elizabeth.

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Henry VIIIs England and other countries
SCOTLAND (FRANCES ally)
NETHERLANDS(belongs to SPAIN)
GERMAN PRINCES (Mostly PROTESTANT)
ENGLAND
English Channel
FRANCE
ITALIAN PRINCES (Allies with FRANCE or SPAIN
ROME (POPE)
SPAIN
Mediterranean Sea
NAPLES (belongs to SPAIN)
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Religion and Henrys six marriages

• Catherine of Aragon had been married to Henrys
  older brother, Arthur. When he died, the Pope
  gave special permission for Henry to marry his
  brothers widow. As time went on Henry wondered
  if God was punishing him for doing this by not
  giving him a son. He knew that parts of the Bible
  said it was wrong to marry your brothers widow.
• The Pope refused to allow Henry to divorce
  Catherine of Aragon. She was the King of Spains
  aunt and the Pope did not want to upset him.
  Henry got round this problem by making himself
  the head of the Church in England effectively
  he could now allow himself to get divorced! Those
  who followed the Protestant side of Christianity
  believed he could do this, so England became a
  Protestant country.
• The Protestant Church had started in Germany, so
  most of the German Princes were Protestants. They
  were the obvious rulers for Henry to try to make
  an alliance with after England became a
  Protestant country as they were also opposed to
  the Catholic Kings of Spain and France.
• Apart from Germany, there were very few other
  protestant countries, so it is not surprising
  that most of Henrys wives were English
  Catholic rulers were not keen to be related to
  the Protestant King of England.
• What were the religious beliefs of Henry VIIIs
  wives?
• Catherine of Aragon Catholic longest marriage
• Anne Boleyn - Protestant
• Jane Seymour - Protestant
• Anne of Cleves Protestant shortest marriage
• Catherine Howard - Catholic
• Katherine Parr - Protestant

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Why did Henry VIII marry six times?

• Year 7 History
• Summer Assessment Assignment

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How to do your assignment

• Look at the evidence for why Henry married each
  one of his six wives
• Ask yourself What do the different reasons for
  Henrys marriages tell me about why he married so
  many times? and What is the most convincing
  explanation for why he would do this?
• Complete the answer sheet on Why did Henry VIII
  marry six times?
• (If you type this on a computer it is easier to
  make your answers to the questions more detailed
  or improve your final conclusion.)
• You will talk about how you can improve your
  answers with other pupils and get advice on how
  to do this from your teacher.
• You will make the improvements to your answers
  and hand them in again to your teacher. Now you
  will be given a mark for your final piece of
  work.

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Assignment Checklist What should your answer
include?

• Does your answer explain why Henry married six
  times?
• Do you trust what the answers tell you? Why?
• What needs to be added to your answers to make
  them more convincing?
• More detail about Henry and his wives?
• More detail about the specific reasons for
  Henrys marriages?
• More explanation in your conclusion about the
  reasons for Henrys marriages changed and why he
  married so many times?

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How your work will be marked

• LEVEL 3
• The answer does not follow the guidelines your
  teacher gave you for organising your answer.
  Little evidence is used to back up points made
  about Henrys marriages. The conclusion does not
  show how you have used the evidence to work out
  why Henry married six times, including the
  importance of different reasons.
• LEVEL 4
• The answer follows the guidelines your teacher
  gave you for organising your answer, including
  the conclusion. Enough evidence is used (at least
  four examples) to back up points made about
  Henrys marriages, but it is not explained in
  detail. The conclusion shows how you have used
  the evidence to work out why Henry married six
  times, including the importance of different
  reasons.
• LEVEL 5
• The answer follows the guidelines your teacher
  gave you for organising your answer, including
  the conclusion. Detailed evidence is used (at
  least six examples) to back up points made about
  Henrys marriages, and it is clearly explained.
  The parts played by political and personal
  reasons and religion in causing Henry to marry so
  many times and in deciding Henry whom was to
  marry have been discussed. The conclusion shows
  how you have used the evidence to work out why
  Henry married six times, including the importance
  of different reasons.
• LEVEL 6
• The answer follows the guidelines your teacher
  gave you for organising your answer, including
  the conclusion. Detailed evidence is used (at
  least six examples) to back up points made about
  Henrys marriages, and it is clearly explained.
  The parts played by political and personal
  reasons and religion in causing Henry to marry so
  many times and in deciding Henry whom was to
  marry have been explained thoroughly. The
  conclusion shows how you have used the evidence
  to work out why Henry married six times,
  including a highly convincing discussion of the
  importance of different reasons.

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Wars with France

• Henry did go to war with France twice (1511-14
  and 1523) along with Spain as his ally.
• 1511-14 Henry beat a French army at the Battle
  of the Spurs and captured two cities
  Therouanne Tournai. At the same time the Scots
  (Frances ally) were totally defeated at the
  Battle of Flodden, when they attacked the north
  of England.
• 1523 Henry attacked France again to help his
  ally the King of Spain the war did not go well
  for Henry and he gained nothing when he made
  peace with France.
• After that Henry was not so worried about France
  and started to wonder if he really needed Spain
  as an ally any more. The King of Spain (Charles
  V) certainly did not seem to need Henry by
  1529, Charles was the most powerful ruler in
  Europe.
• (Return to Catherine of Aragon)

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War with France again

• By 1538 Henry was worried that France might try
  to attack England. France was not at war with
  Spain at the time and so could threaten him. Now
  England was a Protestant country Henry was afraid
  that France and Spain (both Catholic countries)
  would join forces against him!
• Henry did all he could to get ready for the
  French invasion
• - He borrowed lots of money.
• - He built coastal castles and harbour defences
  all along the south coast.
• - He hired foreign mercenaries (soldiers who
  fight for money).
• - He strengthened the navy.
• - He tried to get the support of German
  Protestant princes, who could threaten France
  from the east. This included his marriage to Anne
  of Cleves (1540).
• - He attacked Scotland (Frances ally) in 1542
  1544 to stop them from helping the French.
• - Finally in 1544, he made a new alliance with
  the King of Spain (Charles V).
• In 1544, Henry attacked France before they
  attacked him he sent an army to take Boulogne.
• In 1545 France finally sent a fleet of ships to
  attack England. The English navy was waiting for
  them. The ships fired a few shots at each other
  and the French fleet turned round and went home.
  Henry had kept England safe from invasion.
• When Henry and the King of France made peace in
  1546, Henry kept Boulogne for the next 8 years.
  After that the King of France would buy the town
  back from him.
• (Return to Anne of Cleves)

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What kind of man was Henry VIII (1509 -1547)?

• Well-educated
• Religious
• Determined
• Liked to have good time
• Big muscular when young, fat when old
• (Back to Henrys picture)

• Proud
• Soldier brave strong
• Musician
• Sportsman
• Ambitious
• Liked fine clothes