Who was the daughter of King Henry 8. Women in history: the wives of Henry VIII

Colorful figure of the English king Henry VIII Tudor (1491-1547) has long attracted the attention of not only educated readers, professional historians and writers, but also psychiatrists and physicians. The task of unraveling this most colorful personality of the 16th century is too attractive. Perhaps science has finally come closer to revealing the secrets of the English monarch, famous for his polygamy and the Reformation, which ended in a quarrel with the Pope and the proclamation of Henry as the head of the Anglican Church.

Henry VIII Tudor

In 1993, Oxford historian Vivian Hubert Howard Green’s book “Mad Kings” was published, where in the chapter dedicated to Henry (“Big Harry”), there is the following conclusion: “Whereas, obviously, it would be absurd assert that the personality of Henry VIII displays the disturbed genes of the mad French king and shows signs of mental and emotional imbalance." The author implies that big Harry was the great-great-grandson of the schizophrenic French king Charles VI. So, maybe all the shortcomings are not in the genes, but in the blood? As Goethe rightly noted, “blood is a juice of a very special nature.”

Eighteen years later his colleagues published in the Cambridge Historical Bulletin Historical Journal the results of your research. Bioarchaeologist Catrina Banks Whitley, a graduate student at Southern Methodist University (USA), and anthropologist Kyra Kramer argue that the repeated miscarriages that occurred among the king's wives could be due to what is in the king's blood. contained Kell antigen.

Let me remind you that Kell antigens (or Kell factors) are proteins found on the surface of red blood cells. There are about 24 of them, but the two most common are K and k. Moreover, almost all people have the latter, but the first is less common. Accordingly, depending on the presence or absence of it, people can be divided into three blood groups: Kell-positive (KK), Kell-neutral (Kk) and Kell-negative (kk). Among Europeans, representatives of the latter group are more common, but neutral and positive “Kellians” are extremely rare (according to some sources, there are only nine percent of them).

In principle, a woman who has only a negative Kell antigen in her blood can give birth to a man with a positive Kell antigen healthy child. However, during her first pregnancy, her body produces antibodies, which during subsequent pregnancies enter the placenta and attack the fetus with a positive Kell antigen. As a result, babies may suffer from excess tissue fluid, anemia, jaundice, an enlarged spleen or heart failure, often leading to miscarriage between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. So much for the monarch's "blue blood"!

Catherine of Aragon was five years older than her husband. Their first child, a daughter, was stillborn. The second child, Henry, Prince of Wales, born in 1511, lived for seven weeks. The remaining four children were either stillborn or died immediately after birth. The only surviving child was Mary, born in 1516. She became Queen of England in 1553 and remained in history under the nickname Bloody.

They tried to explain the premature birth as a mental shock caused by the deterioration of relations between Henry and the queen's father. Allegedly, the monarch endlessly reproached Catherine for the betrayal of King Ferdinand of Aragon and “vented his discontent on her.”

In 1518, one of his wife's ladies-in-waiting, Elizabeth Blount, bore him a son, later Duke of Richmond. She was succeeded by Mary Boleyn, and then by her sister Anne, a sophisticated and well-read lady who “radiated sex.” It was the marriage with Anne Boleyn that became the reason for the “divorce” from the throne of St. Peter. The Pope did not grant a divorce to the lustful English autocrat from the legitimate Spanish princess. Being a stronghold of Catholicism, Henry personally wrote sharp objections to Luther's teachings. The English monarch rebelled against the dictates of Rome only after the pontiff refused to sanction his second marriage.

On January 29, 1536, Anna miscarried a male infant. It was even suggested that the fetus was probably a freak. Henry allowed himself to be convinced that Anna had bewitched him in order to marry her. Boleyn, in turn, explained the miscarriage by the shock she experienced at the news she received about Henry's fall at the knightly tournament. Anna was worried not only for her husband’s life, but also because her husband loved not her, but his new passion, Jane Seymour.

If Henry was also sick with McLeod's syndrome, then this is the reason for the dramatic physical and psychological changes in the physical and moral appearance of Henry VIII. McLeod syndrome is a genetic disease characteristic of people with a positive K antigen, affecting the X chromosome. This disease is typical for men and appears from the age of 40. Accompanied by symptoms such as heart disease, movement disorders and underlying psychological symptoms, including paranoia and weakened mental abilities.

There is no written record of other symptoms consistent with McLeod syndrome. There is no evidence of prolonged muscle contractions (tics, spasms or convulsions) or abnormal increases in muscle activity (hyperfunction). However, scientists believe that significant psychological metamorphoses also speak in favor of their diagnosis: Henry's mental and emotional instability increased significantly in the years before his death. Researchers tend to diagnose it as psychosis.

In the early years of his reign (Henry was anointed king in 1509), the second of the Tudors on the throne was distinguished by his handsome appearance, enormous energy and endowed with charisma. The humanists placed big hopes on this versatile person, a brilliant athlete and player, as well as a gifted musician. Henry's ill health was later attributed to poor nutrition, which resulted in him developing scurvy and scurvy. In the 1540s, the king had already gained so much weight that he could not go up and down the stairs and had to be lifted and lowered using special devices.

“He ate too much meat, often with spices or pickles in winter, too little fruit and fresh vegetables, and therefore suffered from an acute deficiency of ascorbic acid or vitamin C,” stated Vivian Green. “It seems that the features of his illness are quite consistent with the characteristic symptoms of scurvy : ulceration of the leg with rapidly spreading tumors, pain and wounds, bad breath, fatigue, difficulty walking, shortness of breath, swelling, red complexion, irritability and depression And yet Henry was certainly not the only one of his contemporaries who was ill. due to poor nutrition."

It was also assumed that Henry VIII had diabetes, syphilis and extensive gout. However, all these diagnoses are unproven. Neither he nor his children showed signs of syphilis, and there is no mention in the records of the use of then-current drugs against this venereal disease, such as mercury.

Before the general public had time to get acquainted with the results of the study of two American women, criticism against them was not long in coming. Retha Warnicke of Arizona State University, author of The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Trial of Henry VIII, said that without analysis of genetic material there is hardly any chance of finding out the truth.

The large number of miscarriages in the family of the English monarch may be explained by other factors. Until the end of the 19th century, midwives had no idea about basic hygiene. For this reason, in the time of Henry VIII, up to half of all children died before reaching adolescence. Dramatic changes in the king's personality can be explained by physical inactivity - lack of movement, rabid appetite, which led to obesity and related diseases.

In general, a remarkable surge of scientific thought (the guess about blood) is again extinguished by traditionalists with “mossy” ideas about the mental disorder of the sovereign.

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 different editions, and also watched a great many documentaries and feature films. And I’ll tell you, dear readers, the best way for yourself by memorization historical figures I consider the comparison of terrain, 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 using the mnemonic phrase “divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived.” From his first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from his first marriage, Elizabeth from his second and Edward from his 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 using the mnemonic phrase “divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived.” From his first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from his first marriage, Elizabeth from his second and Edward from his 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 died a year after the wedding, leaving Catherine a young widow and without an heir. Henry VIII married the wife of his brother Arthur, Catherine of Aragon, for state reasons (she was six years older than Henry). According to Catholic law, 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 blame lay with his family, of the seven children of his father Henry VII, three children also died in infancy, princesses Margaret and Mary died in childhood, and Prince Arthur barely survived into adolescence.

Henry VIII was incredibly disappointed and could not imagine that the heir to the throne would be his daughter - a woman! He certainly decided to divorce Catherine, intending to receive 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 not give a damn about the opinion of the Pope, founded his own 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 held an impregnable fortress, Henry VIII expected heirs. But all of Anna's pregnancies ended unsuccessfully. In 1533, she gave birth to his daughter Elizabeth I, instead of the long-awaited heir son. Once again, Henry VIII was extremely disappointed and decided to get rid of Anne by hook or by crook, but this time in a more insidious way. With the help of his accomplices, he accused Anna of treason, namely, treason against the king himself. Anne Boleyn was beheaded in 1536 in the Tower of London.

About Hever Castle It is known that in 1462 it was bought by Geoffrey Boleyn, Anne's great-great-grandfather, and the Boleyn family spent two centuries building up their family nest.

Soon, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn's maid of honor, she gave birth to his long-awaited son, Edward VI, but she herself died of postpartum fever. Henry VIII could not get enough of his son, he galloped around him like a little boy, idolized him as a divine angel. For three years after the death of his third wife, Henry VIII remained unmarried, believing that his mission to produce a crown prince was completed. 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. Henry VIII's reputation in Europe was too negative. For fear of being beheaded, girls did not want to marry him.

To cement the alliance with Francis I and the German Protestant princes, Henry VIII married the German princess Anne of Cleves, based on a portrait by the great Holbein, whose image made a charming impression on Henry VIII. But upon meeting him personally, he was extremely disappointed and in the same 1540 the marriage was royally dissolved. Anna of Cleves continued to live in England at Richmond Castle as the “sister of the king.”

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

Sixth wife Catherine Parr

The sixth wife outlived 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 married again to Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour's brother. Henry VIII's hereditary son, as his father had dreamed, immediately ascended to the throne at the age of nine under the tutelage of the Duke of Somerset, Jane Seymour's maternal uncle, but Edward VI did not reign for long, as he died of tuberculosis at the age of 16. Contrary to the wishes of King Henry VIII, women's era board. Edward VI was succeeded by Mary I or "Bloody Mary" eldest daughter Henry VIII and then 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”, due to the flowering of Renaissance culture.

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 divorce settlement. In 1903, it was bought and restored by American millionaire William Waldorf Astor, who also added gardens and a lake to the castle.

Read more about royal castles Britain here http://www.site/users/milendia_solomarina/post225342434/

William the Conqueror ordered the construction of Warwick Castle in 1068, but the wooden fence and walls had nothing in common with the stone fortress with towers that the castle is now. In the 15th century, when it was owned by Richard Neville, 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 the execution of Anne Boleyn, her headless 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 her birth

And 200 years later, the Boleyn family added a Tudor-style house to the interior architecture of Hever Castle. This place preserves 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, on the orders of her husband.

When Anna got bored with the flighty king and Henry put Anna on trial for “adultery and high treason,” who sentenced the unfortunate woman to death. (beheaded in the Tower on May 19, 1536) - Hever Castle was transferred to the management 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 place, remarkable 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, she spent her childhood and youth here...

The glowing ghost of a Lady with her head in her hands is usually observed in the Tower, where Anne Boleyn, Marchioness of Pembroke and Queen of England, was executed “for treason to her husband” - the most despotic and cruel king in English history, Henry VIII, who replaced “in the interests of the state” one after another 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 childhood playmate, Henry Percy... But the king (not without the help of the powerful court figure Lord Howard, who was also Anne'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 is not to Sir Percy’s credit that at Anna’s trial he was silent like a fish and shook like a hare’s tail - and yet he was among the Judges!

It is not customary to reject the attention of kings, but in response, proud Anna set her condition: only the crown - she will 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 Anne Boleyn also gave birth to a girl (however, this girl later became Queen Elizabeth I, who glorified the country during the 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 Anne was accused of adultery treason, he was sent to Hever, and from there to the Tower, where he was executed in 1536, beheaded with a sword. The day after the execution, Henry married Jane Seymour.

Of course, to be completely honest, the name of another Boleyn family “shines” in English history - this is Mary, Anne’s elder sister, who, before the whole tragic intrigue with Anne, also happened to be the royal mistress for two years. This position weighed heavily on her, she was married to the courtier William Carey... But powerful relatives, and relatives in general - remember Lord Howard - as you know, are not 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 retired here from the court, raising her two children here (some believed that these were royal offspring, but she never sought to prove it). She was an interesting lady! She happily “passed on” the role of the royal mistress, and when she was suddenly widowed, she married a poor nobleman for love. Her parents abandoned their “unreasonable” daughter, thanks to which she had to leave Hever before it was taken away from the Boleyns, and on a small estate, in the wilderness, she happily lived to old age, giving birth to two more children to her second husband, and raising all four with him .

After the death of Anne of Cleves, Hever Castle had several owners over the course of almost 350 years. By the beginning of the 20th century it fell into complete decline. This is how it was bought by the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor in 1903.

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 American 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, at all costs, produce an heir to the throne.
By all rights, the kingdom should have passed to his older brother Arthur, 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, waiting for her marriage with Henry, which was either planned or frustrated. Henry VIII married Catherine immediately after his accession to the throne in 1509. The first years of the marriage were happy, but all the children of the young couple were either stillborn or died in infancy. The only surviving offspring was Mary (1516–1558).
By refusing to acknowledge the dissolution of her marriage, Catherine doomed herself to exile and was transported from castle to castle several times. She died in January 1536.

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

The young man whom Catherine of Aragon married on a fine 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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And now with the details, because Repetition is the mother of learning, again:

Henry VIII Tudor(English Henry VIII; June 28, 1491, Greenwich - January 28, 1547, London) - King of England from April 22, 1509, son and heir of King Henry VII, 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 Henry VIII, who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, the Irish parliament gave him the title "King of Ireland".

Educated and gifted, Henry ruled as a representative of European absolutism, and by the end of his reign he harshly persecuted his real and imaginary political opponents. In his later years he suffered from excess weight and other health problems.
Henry VIII's divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, led to the king's excommunication 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 whom 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 stopped limiting himself. The first years of his reign passed in an atmosphere of court festivities and military adventures. Two million pounds sterling taken from the royal treasury melted away with catastrophic speed. The young king enjoyed wealth and power, spending his time in non-stop entertainment. A well-educated and versatile man, Henry VIII initially aroused hopes among people oriented towards humanistic ideals.

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

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 to part with a young charming girl or to divorce his wife. He chose the second option.
However, getting a divorce in those days, especially for a monarch, was not so easy. 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 divorce, the king had to think carefully. At first, he explained his desire to get a divorce by saying that he wanted to have an heir, and his marriage to Catherine brought him only a sickly daughter, Maria.

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

But this argument did not work, and Henry came up with another one. 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 ardently and with references to church sources prove that he was unable to continue committing this sin. But the Pope, fearing to quarrel with the rulers of Catholic countries, did not approve of the divorce. This only strengthened Henry's intention to follow his own whims. Since Rome does not consent to divorce, then it is not a decree for it.

Divorce from Catherine of Aragon

From this time began the famous in the history of England and throughout Christendom a movement that historians consider the beginning of the Reformation. Henry, incited by the restless Anne Boleyn, decided to break with Rome and declared himself head of the English church. The obedient English hierarchs submitted to 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. An accommodating parliament placed 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 arrange his personal life without hindrance.

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

Anne Boleyn in Tawra before her execution.

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

Thomas Sackville, Anne Boleyn's cousin, owned Knole House from 1566. Over the course of several centuries, the estate 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 its well-preserved 17th-century interiors. Almost all the walls of this amazing palace are decorated with the brushes of Gainsborough, Van Dyck, Reynolds, and Kneller. Knole House is one of the UK's most visited attractions.

But there was another reason: Henry fell in love with Jane Seymour, whom he married the day after Anne'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 Henry 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 immense happiness of the king, she gave birth to his son, Prince Edward. This alone could have ensured her safety for the rest of her life; out of love for her son, Henry would not have dared to encroach on his mother, but fate decided otherwise. The young queen suffered in labor for two days. In the end, the doctors came to the conclusion: they had to choose - mother or child, however, knowing the terrible character of the sovereign, they were afraid to even mention it. Fortunately for them, the king understood everything himself. “Save the child. I can get as many women as I want,” was his decisive and calm order. The third wife died during 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 since childhood, Edward took a detailed interest in all state affairs. He was well educated: he knew Latin, Greek and French, and 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 a little more than 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 influential houses of Europe. He was not guided by any political considerations, he was simply looking for a wife to suit 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 to the court of Henry VIII received clear instructions - under no circumstances should he promise any of the daughters of the French king 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 a plague.

Heinrich, who had become considerably overweight and flabby at the age of 48, and who also suffered from a fistula in his leg, was still enamored of female charms and did not give up the thought of marriage. His next wife was the German princess Anna of Cleves.

Anna Klevskaya

It should be said that the matchmaking process took place in a very original way. Six weeks after the death of Jane Seymour, Henry proposed marriage to the widow, 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 Anne of Cleves, thinking that marrying a German princess would lead to an alliance between England and the German states. Henry, 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 character, but he realized that a girl would hardly suit the perverted, cruel, already aging king if he portrayed her as she really was. And then he drew Anna, embellishing her features a little. Seeing this portrait, Henry was inspired and sent ambassadors with a proposal, which was accepted by the German court.

When the king, burning with love, met the girl for the first time, 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 graceful 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, very opportunely, the king fell in love with her once again. One fine day, Anna was asked to visit Richmond, supposedly her failing health required a change in climate. The girl left, and a few days later she learned that she was no longer the queen. Anna did not hide her joy. Of course, the royal servants reported everything to their master. Henry was angry, but, nevertheless, did not commit severe reprisals against her, as this could lead to war with Germany. Anna of Cleves, who received a palace in Richmond and a huge salary, outlived both her husband, with whom she was 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 dubious behavior.

After the wedding, the king seemed to look 20 years younger - tournaments, balls and other entertainment, to which Henry had lost interest after the execution of Anne Boleyn, resumed at court. The elderly monarch adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, simple-minded, sincerely loved gifts and rejoiced at them like a child. Henry called his Kate “a rose without thorns.” However, the young queen was in no hurry to fulfill her main duty - the birth of royal heirs. In addition, she showed extreme carelessness in her actions. As soon as her crowned husband left for business in the north of the country, her former beau began to court her again, which the frivolous girl was extremely happy about. At court, this, of course, did not go unnoticed, and Catherine’s enemies immediately took advantage of her weakness. When Henry was informed upon his return 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. Their meaning boiled down to the fact that fate did not grant him a happy family life, and all his women either cheat, die, or are simply disgusting. Having cried to his heart's content, Henry, after a short reflection, made the only correct decision, as it seemed to him. In February 1542, Lady Howard was executed.

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

Leeds Castle, near Maidstone in Kent, was a favorite residence royalty, from King Edward I to King Henry VIII. The rare black swans that inhabit its moat were supposedly 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 proposed marriage to her, which horrified the poor woman. And although she had many fans, it was dangerous and useless to resist. So, at the age of 31, Catherine Parr became the wife of the English monarch. She was the happiest of Henry VIII's wives. From the first days of her life together with the king, Catherine tried to create for him an atmosphere of peace and homeliness. The daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, Princess Elizabeth, enjoyed a special position of this woman, with whom she developed 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 bring the king to reason regarding religious issues, sincerely wishing that Henry would stop at the teachings of Luther, for which she almost paid with her head. The king decided to arrest Catherine several times, 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 said about him, so that he could get out of bed and take revenge on the talkers for their insolence and disobedience. And only when the first signs of decomposition of the body appeared, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the formidable monarch would no longer bring harm to anyone.

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

Jane Seymour (c. 1508 - 1537). She was Anne Boleyn's maid of honor. Henry 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, and the cannons in the Tower fired two thousand volleys.

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557). Daughter of Johann III of Cleves, sister of the reigning Duke of Cleves. Marriage to her was one of the ways to cement the alliance of Henry, Francis I and the German Protestant princes. As a prerequisite for marriage, Henry wanted to see a portrait of the bride, for which Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Kleve. Heinrich liked the portrait and the engagement took place in absentia. But Henry categorically did not like the bride who arrived in England (unlike her portrait). Although the marriage took place 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 reason was Anna's pre-existing engagement to the Duke of Lorraine. In addition, Henry stated that there was no actual marital relationship between him and Anna. Anne remained in England as the King's "sister" and outlived 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 powerful 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 cheated on Henry with Thomas Culpepper. The perpetrators were executed, after which the queen herself ascended the scaffold on February 13, 1542.

Catherine Parr

Catherine Parr (c. 1512 - 1548). By the time of her marriage to Henry (1543), she had already been widowed twice. At the age of 52, Henry married Catherine Parr. Henry 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 Mary to the court. Catherine Parr was a staunch Protestant and did a lot for Henry's new turn to Protestantism. She was a reformer, he was a conservative, which gave rise to endless religious disputes between the spouses. For her views, Henry ordered her arrest, but saw her in tears, had mercy and canceled the arrest order, after which Catherine never entered into an argument with the king. Four years after his wedding to Catherine, Henry VIII died and she married Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour's brother, 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 Queen's death, her coffin was opened. Eyewitnesses testified to the incredible preservation of the body; Catherine’s skin did not even lose its natural color. It was then that the queen’s lock of hair was cut off, which was put up for auction in London at the Bonhams international auction on January 15, 2008.

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

Henry VIII built his own Hampton Court from 1525. Cardinal Wolsey founded this palace in 1514, inspired by the layout of Italian palazzos of the Renaissance, and the king introduced elements of gloomy medieval architecture into the architecture and built Big hall for playing tennis (it is called the oldest tennis court in the world), its curious feature is a labyrinth covering an area of ​​60 acres.
Over the next century and a half, Hampton Court remained the main country residence of all English monarchs. King William III considered the palace not to meet modern tastes and invited Christopher Wren to renovate it in the then fashionable Baroque style.


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 from his 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 who lived in the palace. By the beginning of the 19th century, Hampton Court fell into disrepair, but during the Romantic era, the chambers of Henry VIII were renovated, and Queen Victoria opened the palace to the general public.

Tall, broad-shouldered Henry knew how to suppress any uprising; there were legends about his wealth and luxury of receptions... He loved hunting, horse riding and all kinds of tournaments, he was a gambler, he especially loved 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, were inconsistent; until the end of his days he was unable to decide on his religious views, thanks to which he remains one of the most mysterious figures of the European Middle Ages.


Syon House- the ancient mansion of the Dukes of Northumberland, according to legend, as a sign God's wrath On the occasion of the reformer king Henry VIII, the coffin with his body, being left overnight in the ruined Brigitte Abbey, opened on its own. 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 Mary Tudor’s unsuccessful attempt to return the Sion estate to the Brigittes, the Percy family, the English branch of the ancient House of Brabant, settled in the palace. For some time, the Duke of Somerset received Anna Stewart, who had quarreled with her sister, at Syon House, and here the future queen had a stillborn child.


In the middle of the 16th century, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, uncle and adviser to the young Edward VI, built his city residence on the site of the modern Somerset House building. Quite 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 wives 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.
Henry VIII's Union with Anne Boleyn was not accepted by the public, but living together was bright, allowing us to experience the whole range of feelings from love to hate...

Anne Boleyn turned out to be not as flexible and patient as the rejected Spaniard - Anne was demanding, ambitious and managed to alienate many people against her. The king, fulfilling the whims of his wife, expelled and executed all of Anne’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. Henry was disappointed.

Portrait with the Armada (1588, unknown art.)
The reign of Elizabeth is sometimes called the “golden age of England”, both in connection with the flourishing of culture (the so-called “Elizabethans”: 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 (7 September 1533 - 24 March 1603) was the daughter of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn. After the execution of her mother, the despotic and cruel Henry VIII declared baby Elizabeth illegitimate, forbade her to be called a princess and kept her away from the capital on the Hatfield estate. However, the fact that Elizabeth found herself in disgrace did her good in a certain sense, freeing her from the ceremonial fuss and intrigue of the royal court. She could devote more time to education; teachers sent from Cambridge taught her. Since childhood, she showed great zeal for science, brilliant abilities and excellent memory. Elizabeth was especially successful in languages: French, Italian, Latin and Greek. This was not about superficial knowledge. Latin, for example, she studied to such an extent that she could write and speak fluently in this classical language. Knowledge of languages ​​allowed her to subsequently 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 that year, she had completed a translation from French of one of Queen Margaret of Navarre's essays, and soon translated the psalms composed by Catherine into Latin, French and Italian. In the same year, she was able to provide lengthy annotations of the works of Plato, Thomas More, and 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 the works of this erudite Roman into English. Since childhood, the book has become Elizabeth’s usual companion, and this is reflected in her portrait, kept in Windsor Castle, painted during her years of study.

Towards the end of his reign, Henry restored Elizabeth to the throne, appointing her to reign after her son Edward VI and elder sister Mary. In 1549, Thomas Seymour asked for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. 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 Elizabeth's life 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 taken to London and imprisoned in the Tower.

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

For two months, while the investigation was ongoing, 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 needed to 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 declared her younger sister as her heir (almost killing Elizabeth 1 in the Tower). Her long reign began. An unfortunate fate during the reign of her father and sister developed in Elizabeth a strength of character and judgment that novice rulers rarely possess. She did not want to sever ties with the papal throne or offend the king of Spain.

Only the harsh policy of Pope Paul IV, who declared the youngest daughter of Henry VIII illegitimate, finally pushed Elizabeth away from Catholicism. The queen herself did not like external forms of pure Protestantism. However, her minister Cecil convinced Elizabeth that it was in the best interests of her policy to stick to the reformed church.

Hatfield Palace The most significant surviving example of a Jacobean aristocratic residence was founded in 1497 by Cardinal John Morton. During 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 of Elizabeth's belongings are preserved in the palace - a pair of gloves, silk stockings, a family tree (down to Adam and Eve) and an "ermine" "Portrait of the Queen by miniaturist Hilliard.

Truly, the higher you rise, the more painful it is to fall. But bright personalities always remain in history, becoming a source of inspiration.

Name: Henry VIII Tudor

State: England

Field of activity: King of England

Greatest Achievement: Reformed the church. During the reign of Henry VIII, the English Church separated from the Roman Church.

Henry VIII, the English king, became famous for marrying six times, beheading two of his wives, and also brought about the Reformation in the country, separating the English church from the Roman one.

Childhood of Henry VIII

Henry VIII Tudor (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was born at Greenwich Palace in London. His parents, King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, had six children, but four survived: Henry himself, Arthur, Margaret and Mary. Athletically developed, the boy was keenly interested in art, music and culture in general, and even wrote. He was witty and received a good education with the help of private teachers and tutors.

A lover of gambling and knightly tournaments, he held countless feasts and balls. His father saw Arthur as King, and prepared Henry to be church career. Henry's fate could have been different, but in fact he inherited a kingdom that had just ended the War of the Roses.

Coronation

In 1502, Prince Arthur married the Spanish Infanta Catherine of Aragon. Having not been married for even four months, Arthur died at the age of 16, leaving the throne to ten-year-old Henry.

In 1509, 17-year-old Henry VIII ascended the throne. He was good-natured, but soon got a taste of power, indulging his every desire. Two days after his coronation, he arrested two of his father's courtiers and quickly executed them.

The English Reformation and the role of Henry VIII in its formation

When Henry realized that Queen Catherine was unable to bear him an heir, he attempted to divorce her. He asked permission from Pope Julius II, but according to church canons, if the pope did not find reasons not to enter into this marriage, then now he could not give permission for a divorce.

Henry convened parliament and put up for discussion the issue of annulment of the marriage. The officials who met at the meeting were ready to reform the church, but could not agree on what exactly this would look like. Time passed, but things did not move. Then the king decided to accuse the entire English clergy of encroaching on royal power.

In 1534, the English Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church. The King was declared "the only Supreme Head in the Land of the Church of England".

These macro-reforms have changed everything beyond recognition. Henry ordered the clergy to preach superstitions, miracles and pilgrimages, and to remove almost all candles from religious rites. His 1545 catechism abolished the saints.

Completely separated from the pope, the Church of England was located instead of Rome. From 1536 to 1537, the great northern revolt known as the Pilgrimage of Grace began, in which 30,000 people rebelled against the reforms.

This was the only serious threat to Henry's authority as monarch. The leader of the rebellion, Robert Aske, and 200 others were executed. When John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester and Henry's former Lord Chancellor, refused to swear an oath to the king, they were sentenced to death.

The result of these reforms was the loss of power by the pope in England, and the population gained the opportunity to read the Bible in their native language.

But Henry achieved his main goal - he divorced Catherine of Aragon and could now make decisions independently of Rome.

Catherine of Aragon

They were married in Westminster Abbey. Henry VIII's father wanted to establish his family's alliance with Spain, so Henry had to agree to the marriage. The families asked Pope Julius II to grant permission for their marriage, which took place 8 years later when Henry VII died in 1509.

After two stillborn children - a girl and a boy - Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Maria. Her fourth pregnancy ended in the death of another girl. Henry demanded an heir from her. Realizing that there was no longer any hope of having a son, he decided to divorce. The discussion, during which Catherine fought to maintain her position and that of her daughter, lasted six years.

Ann Bolein

Mary Boleyn introduced the king to her 25-year-old sister Anne. Henry and Anna began to meet secretly. Catherine was 42 years old, and the hope that she would conceive a child had evaporated, so Henry began to look for a woman who would bear him a son, and for this he needed to officially become single.

Henry decided to ignore the pope's permission, and in January 1533 he secretly remarried. Soon Anna became pregnant and gave birth to a girl, whom she named Elizaveta. Meanwhile, the new Archbishop of Canterbury announced that the king's first marriage had been annulled by a court decision. However, the new queen was also unable to give birth to a living heir. She miscarried twice, and the king switched to Jane Seymour. Now all that remained was to get rid of the second wife. They fabricated a complicated story, charging her with adultery, incest and attempted murder of her husband.

She soon appeared in court. Anna, regal and calm, denied all the charges against her. Four days later the marriage was declared invalid and annulled. Anne Boleyn was then taken to Tower Green where her head was cut off on May 19, 1536.

Jane Seymour

11 days after the execution of Anne, Henry VIII officially married for the third time. However, Jane never went through the coronation ceremony. In October 1537, she gave birth to the king's long-awaited son, Edward. Nine days later Jane died from the infection. Since she was Henry's only wife to bear a son, he considered her his only "true" wife. The people and the king mourned her for a long time.

Anna Klevskaya

Three years after Jane Seymour's death, Henry was ready to marry again, as having only one son was risky. He began to look for a suitable bride. Anna, the sister of the German Duke of Cleves, was proposed to him. The German artist Hans Holbein the Younger, who served as the king's official painter, was sent to paint her portrait. The king liked the portrait, but when Anna arrived at court, Henry was furious - she turned out to be not as pretty as he was described, and did not look at all like the portrait. However, they married in January 1540, but Henry divorced her six months later. She received the title “sister of the king” and lived all her life in the castle given to her.

Catherine Howard

Within weeks of his divorce from Anne of Cleves, Henry married Catherine Howard on 28 July 1540. She had cousin his second wife Anna. The king was 49 years old, Catherine was 19, they were happy. By this time, Henry had become very fat, his leg wound was festering and would not heal, and his new wife gave him life. He gave her generous gifts.

But even here the happiness did not last long. It turned out that Catherine was more interesting in the company of her peers, and this extended to her bedroom. After an investigation, she was found guilty of adultery. On February 13, 1542, she repeated the fate of Anne Boleyn on Tower Green.

Catherine Parr

Independent and educated, twice widowed, Catherine Parr was Henry's sixth wife. Their marriage took place in 1543. Her mother, Lady Maud Greene, named her daughter after Queen Catherine of Aragon. The king, already seriously ill, still hoped for the birth of an heir, but their marriage remained childless. Catherine outlived the king by only a year.

Children of King Henry VIII

The fate of the three surviving children turned out to be very different.

Mary Tudor

Henry's first child to survive infancy. Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was born on February 18, 1516. Following her half-brother Edward in 1553, Mary ascended to the throne and reigned until 1558, until her death.

Elizabeth

On September 7, 1533, the second daughter, Elizabeth, was born. Although she was born a princess, Henry declared her illegitimate because she was the daughter of Anne Boleyn. After the death of Mary Tudor, she ascended the throne as Elizabeth I and remained there until 1603.

Edward

The only son of Henry VIII, born to his third wife Jane. In 1547, 10-year-old Edward (born October 12, 1537) took the throne as Edward VI after his father's death and died in 1553.

Death of Henry VIII

Towards the end of his life, Henry suffered from gout. His skin became covered with festering boils, and a non-healing wound opened on his leg, which he received as a result of an accident. In addition, he was obese and could not move without assistance, not to mention exercise and training, which he loved very much in his youth. He continued to overeat, having become accustomed to eating a lot of fatty meat, perhaps due to stress. There is an assumption that, among other things, he had type II diabetes. At the age of 55, Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547.

He is buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle next to Jane.

Story about six wives of Henry VIII worries directors, writers and just society almost 500 years later.

“It was the time of giants. We are all dwarfs compared to those people” (A. Dumas “Twenty Years Later”)

In June 1520, a meeting between the English and French kings took place near the port of Calais. The place of this meeting later received the name “Field of the Cloth of Gold.” But more on that later.

By the beginning of the 20s of the 16th century. Europe was simultaneously ruled by 3 strong and ambitious monarchs. They were approximately the same age and ascended to the throne at approximately the same time. They were the kings of England ( Henry VIII), France (Francis I) and Spain (Charles I), also the Holy Roman Emperor under the name Charles V. They got strong, centralized states, whose unification was completed just a couple of decades before their reign, with a strong royal power and subordinate feudal lords.

This happened in France first. Louis XI, the first king to reign after the end of the Hundred Years' War, in just over 20 years of his reign transformed a virtually destroyed country, divided by large feudal lords into spheres of influence, into the strongest state in Europe at that time with almost absolute power of the monarch. The Estates General (Parliament) was assembled only once during his reign. The process of unification of France was completed by 1483. Francis I was Louis's great-nephew.

In England, this was facilitated by Henry VIII's father, Henry VII. He seized the throne, overthrew Richard III, married his niece, and ended the Wars of the Roses. The date of accession to the throne of Henry VII is 1485.

And finally, the Reconquista ended in Spain, which led to the reconquest of Spanish lands from the Moors and their subsequent unification under the rule of the crown. This happened during the reign of Charles V's grandparents - the Catholic Kings Ferdinand II and Isabella I. 1492.

If the beginning of the Middle Ages has exact date down to a specific day - August 23, 476 - then the date of their end is much more controversial. Some believe that this is the English Revolution (1640), others - the day of the storming of the Bastille (1789), there are also dates for the fall of Constantinople (1453), the discovery of America (1492), the beginning of the Reformation (1517) , Battle of Pavia (1525), where firearms were first widely used. If we take the last 2 dates as a starting point, it turns out that Henry VIII, Francis I and Charles V are, among other things, the first monarchs of the New Age.

Charles V (I) was the youngest of the three kings. In 1520 he was 20 years old. At 16, he inherited the throne of Spain after the death of his grandfather Ferdinand. At 19 - the throne of the Roman Empire after the death of his second grandfather Maximilian I. Charles's father died very young, and his mother, Juana the Mad, was unable to rule. Karl's origin was the most "noble". His maternal grandparents were the Spanish kings Ferdinand and Isabella. On her father's side - Emperor Maximilian and the ruler of Burgundy, Maria, the only daughter of the last Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold. Charles inherited all these lands, receiving the unspoken title “Master of the Universe,” on whose empire the sun never set.

Henry VIII was the eldest. He was 29. At 18 he ascended the throne. On his mother's side, Henry was a descendant of ancient English kings from the Plantagenet dynasty. My father's origins were less noble. Here his ancestors were the Tudors and the Beauforts. Both families came from illegal marriages of their founders and were themselves considered illegitimate for a long time.

Francis I was 26. At 21 he became King of France. His background was the “worst” of all. He was the son of the Duke of Angoulême. He was the nephew of his predecessor Louis XII and the great-nephew of Louis XI. Francis ascended the throne only because there were no other male heirs. To secure his rights, he had to marry the daughter of Louis XII, Claude of France. However, Francis was a strong and charismatic personality. In addition, behind him stood his domineering mother Louise of Savoy and no less charismatic sister Margarita. These women supported the king in everything, and later, together with Charles V’s aunt Margaret of Austria, they concluded the so-called. Ladies' world (Paix des Dames). So it was a time of giants not only among men.

Throughout subsequent history in Europe there was a constant struggle for influence between the Habsburgs in Spain and the Valois and Bourbons in France. England stood a little to the side, but was considered by both as a possible ally. For this purpose, in June 1520, a meeting was organized between Henry and Francis. The latter was at war with Charles and sought support in England. Henry, in turn, had already met with Karl and - moreover - was married to his aunt Catherine of Aragon (which never really prevented him from conflicting with Karl).

The “Field of Cloth of Gold” got its name for the disproportionate luxury of the retinues of both monarchs, each of whom tried to look as rich as possible. The tents in the camp were made of gold and silver fabric. Henry's tent occupied an area of ​​10 thousand square meters. A wine fountain was installed in the camp, and tournaments were constantly held. In general, classic - who has it richer.

Henry, by the way, was terribly nervous, and a few weeks before the meeting he was constantly tormented by the question of whether he should go with a beard or vice versa, which would be more respectable and impressive. As a result, the queen advised him to go with a beard, Henry later regretted it.

However, the entire external gloss remained the same. The consequences of the meeting were minimal. Especially after Francis put Henry on his back in hand-to-hand combat at the tournament. The latter did not forgive the humiliation. After 2 years, Henry entered into an alliance with Charles and began a war with France.

In the same 1522, English nobles returned from France, among whom was the Queen’s 15-year-old maid of honor Claude Anna Boleyn - the second of six wives of Henry VIII.

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich. He was the third child and second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. His elder brother Arthur was considered the heir to the throne. It was no coincidence that Henry VII gave this name to his eldest son. Traditional royal names were Edward, Henry, and Richard. The latter, for obvious reasons, was not in honor among the Tudors - even distant royal relatives did not have sons with that name (God forbid, they would be accused of secret sympathy for the Yorks). Since the not very noble Henry VII had complexes all his life about his origins and the legitimacy of his rise to power, he tried by any means to emphasize the greatness of the new dynasty. Therefore, the eldest son and heir was named neither more nor less in honor of the legendary Arthur. He gave his second son the traditional name Henry.

Henry VIII's parents Henry VII and Elizabeth of York:

Arthur received the best education for that time, his parents had high hopes for him and purposefully prepared him for royal duties. Prince Henry was also well educated, but he received much less attention. Meanwhile, the difference between the brothers was significant. Arthur grew up as a fragile, sickly child. There is even a version that due to poor health he was never able to enter into a relationship with his wife Catherine. Henry, on the contrary, was distinguished by amazing health, was very strong and physically developed. Arthur's death in 1502 at the age of 15 left Henry VII in deep shock. The younger prince began to be urgently trained in the ability to rule the kingdom. At the same time, his parents decided to have more sons - this was extremely necessary, because... The Tudors had no more contenders, and the Yorks were left with plenty of representatives. But Queen Elizabeth died in childbirth along with her newborn daughter. Another 6 years later the king died. Henry VIII ascended the throne at the age of 18. At that time he had a beautiful appearance (not like in later years). He was athletically developed, tall and fair-haired, was well educated (thanks to the timely care of his parents), intelligent and had a cheerful disposition, although with periodic bouts of anger, he loved hunting and other entertainment. English humanists, among whom was Thomas More, had high hopes for Henry and called him the “Golden Prince of the Renaissance.” In those years, no one could have imagined in him a future tyrant and cruel killer.

The reign of Henry VIII was almost 40 years, the entire first half of the 16th century.

Still from the film " Henry VIII and his six wives“.It is clear that the actor is 2 times older, but, unfortunately, there are no portraits of Henry in his youth and youth to see what he was like before he became monstrously obese and sick. In addition, pay attention - in this frame Henry is still dressed in the fashion of the Italian Renaissance - this is the very beginning of the 16th century. — 1510s.

And this is already the 1520s. Fashion has changed, and is inspired by the costumes of the Landsknechts, the German mercenaries who became very popular after the Battle of Pavia.

The undershirt that comes out in the slits of the sleeves, the slits and puffs - everything is taken from the clothes of the Landsknechts. Many Englishmen, including Henry, were fascinated by this fashion. Landsknechts are the “glamorous scum” of the Renaissance. Their life was spent in wars and campaigns and was very short, so they tried to decorate themselves as brightly (and pretentiously) as possible during their lifetime. Well, initially, the predecessors of these trendy cuts were ordinary rags, into which the clothes of mercenaries turned into during strikes with swords or spears.

This fashion turned out to be very tenacious. Even later, when the English costume underwent changes under the influence of French and then Spanish fashion, elements of the mercenary costume remained in the clothes of Henry VIII and his son - for example, the slightly elongated “skirt” of the doublets was a reminder of the armor of the Landsknechts.

Although Henry ruled independently from the age of 18, his wife Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his brother Arthur, had a significant influence on foreign policy. Later, when her influence began to fade, Cardinal Wolsey took up the matter. This lasted approximately 15 years.

To be continued…

Well, I watched everything four seasons historical series "Tudors", my goal was to see Natalie Dormer in the role Anne Boleyn- second of the six wives of the despot king Henry VIII, but after watching this long series I achieved more, I learned about thirty years of bloody history of England, and it was very interesting and informative, despite the fact that some historical information was distorted, the basic facts remain true. The series takes place in Medieval England beginning with 1518 and ending with events 1547(date of death of the English king Henry VIII).

Compared to the reign of the cruel Henry VIII, the events of the series "Game of Thrones" will seem like just a children's fairy tale.

By the time we met Anne Boleyn the king was already married to Catherine of Aragon (played by Maria Doyle Kennedy), the widow of her older brother. Catherine widowed at age 16 years and did not have time to lose by that moment virginity because I'm married to 15 year old Arthur I only managed to visit for a few months. At 24, Catherine married 18-year-old Henry VIII. The young king’s cherished dream was the birth of a son-heir, but unfortunately Catherine children were stillborn, and some, apparently healthy, did not live long, and only one of her many births gave the spouses a daughter - the future queen Maria I- went down in history as Maria Bloody(her father played an important role in the cruelty Henry). For 16 years marriage, the king showed a love interest in his wife Ekaterina, while having many mistresses.

Catherine of Aragon She turned a blind eye to all her husband’s adventures; she was patient and flexible. One of the lovers Heinrich – Bessie Blount gave birth to a son for the king, after which she was still forgotten for the sake of a new favorite - Mary Boleyn– sisters Anne Boleyn. Maria was dissolute and short-sighted, she quickly became boring to the king, and then Henry had his eye on her sister - graceful, educated and flirtatious Anna (Natalie Dormer). U Anna Boleyn had an excellent upbringing, according to the description of contemporaries of that time, this woman did not have undeniable beauty, but she drove many men crazy and the reason for this was her sharp mind, refined manners, grace and beauty of fashionable and expensive outfits.

Ann Bolein (Natalie Dormer) was known as a real fashionista and charmer. Henry VIII offered to become Anna his favorite and only mistress, but Anna She said that she was only capable of loving her future husband and would marry a virgin. Most likely, the seductress was disingenuous, because she spent a long time at the court of the French king, and the morals there were frivolous, but in order to achieve her goal Anne Boleyn It wasn’t difficult to pretend to be a chaste coquette. King I was so incensed by the actions of this person that I decided to divorce my legal wife. It should be noted that it was almost impossible to do this and the divorce process dragged on for more than a year, and all this time Ann Bolein she either pushed away or brought the ardent king closer to her.

In the end, without receiving consent for divorce from the Pope, the king Anna declared himself the supreme head of the church England, that is, broke up with Rome and changed his faith from Catholic to Protestant. All this led to the division of the country into two camps, all people disliked by the king were executed, among them was his friend Thomas More. Where am I leading with all this? Yes, besides, the image Anne Boleyn very often previously they romanticized and presented her as simply a victim of the king, but in fact she was a very calculating and cruel woman, she clearly walked towards her goal over the corpses of her enemies, she interfered in matters of national importance, contradicted the oppressive king, reproached him, then Having become the queen and wife of Henry 8, she revealed her true face and was no longer as careful as before. Everything could have turned out differently for her if she had given birth to a son for the king, but a daughter was born - the future great queen - Elizabeth I.

Further at Anne Boleyn 2 miscarriages followed, after which the king finally became furious and decided to get rid of his wife who was boring him in a cruel way– he accused her of treason. The case was completely fabricated - the queen Anna She was accused not only of having affairs with court men, but also of having an incestuous relationship with her brother.

AND 19 May 1526 Henry 8's wife Anne Boleyn(Natalie Dormer) was beheaded and remained queen for just under three years. For her execution from Calais an experienced swordsman was assigned, who painlessly took the life of his victim. By the way, the rest were less fortunate, and were executed over the course of four seasons of the series "Tudors" a lot of people. Could you Anna avoid this death? Yes, she could, but most likely she did not realize that everything was already lost, that the king was already longing for affection and a long-awaited son from the new queen she had become Anna's maid of honor - Jane Seymour (played by Annabelle Wallis).

Henry VIII, his third wife Jane Seymour, daughter Mary and one of his mistresses in the background.

Jane was the complete opposite of her predecessor Anna- she was shy, kind and did not delve into the affairs of the state, but she did not manage to be the king’s wife for long, since after giving birth to the king Henry VIII long-awaited son Edward- she died from puerperal fever.

The fourth wife of the loving king was Anna of Cleves (played by Joss Stone), because the Henry Because of the sad fate of his previous wives, it was very difficult to find a new wife; he married a willing chosen one at the persuasion of his associates, who showed the king a portrait of his future bride. But as it turned out, the portrait did not reflect reality, and it is possible that Anna Klevskaya it simply didn’t suit the 49-year-old king’s taste, who by that time had already had enough wives and mistresses for his sexual functions to begin to fade.

Catherine Howard stands behind and watches the execution of her lady-in-waiting, the queen in line for the scaffold.

Having divorced his fourth wife, Henry began the search for the fifth. It should be noted that Anna Klevskaya she got off very easily and, moreover, remained on friendly terms with the king, and all thanks to her kind and flexible character. That is, we conclude that if you did not weave intrigues at the medieval court, it was quite possible to save your head and die from prickly heat (a disease that was rampant in the Middle Ages and killed tens of thousands of people), plague, typhoid, or puerperal fever. Fifth wife became the king Catherine Howard(played Tamzin Merchant) is a dissolute and short-sighted young woman. She cheated on the king after the wedding with his page, to which there were numerous witnesses, and if in the case with Anne Boleyn the facts were far-fetched, because if Anna and had some sins, then skillfully hid them, then the young Katherine Howard acted very recklessly. IN In 1542, Catherine Howard was executed.

Tamzin Merchant could have become Daenerys Targaryen - she even starred in the pilot episode, but by the will of the directors and fate - now the Stormborn is played by Emilia Clarke.

And the last one The king's sixth wife was Catherine Parr (played by Joely Richardson). It’s interesting, but out of the king’s six wives, three were Catherine, and two Annami. So, Catherine Parr was at the time of marriage with Henry already twice a widow and became the king's wife in 31 year, but she was still beautiful and very pretty. Catherine Parr She was several times on the verge of death, since she had many enemies. Meanwhile, the king’s insanity progressed towards old age, Henry became very suspicious and suspicious, many executions were carried out throughout the country and the last queen could also be accused of heresy. After all, the king decided to return again to the Catholic faith, and his wife was a Protestant. But in 1547 the king died. He was at that moment 55 years- It seems like a little, but the monarch’s health was undermined. In his mature years, the king injured his leg while hunting, the wound festered and did not heal, perhaps the bone was crushed and periodically the leg festered, as bone fragments came out. Due to problems with his leg, the king could no longer pay sufficient attention to physical exercise, began to eat a lot and move little, as a result he became obese and died.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers– did an amazing job with the role. And although hardly a king Henry VIII was similar in appearance to him, but this is not so important. The main thing is that the actor managed to convey the character of a medieval king - despotic, unbalanced, passionate and most importantly dangerous! In the final episode Jonathan They put on make-up, and a truly tired, sick king, disillusioned with life, appeared before us. In all four seasons Jonathan Rhys Meyers was different, because events developed throughout 30 years both the character and views of the king changed and the actor showed all this perfectly.

Natalie Dormer– she also coped amazingly with the role. She got used to the role, and now Anne Boleyn many will be able to imagine just like this - an insidious, calculating and undoubtedly very seductive and attractive queen, laying her pretty head within the walls of the Tower. naked Natalie Dormer for GQ magazine photos