Henry VIII: The Six Wives, His Death & Legacy | Full Biography

Few figures in British history command the fascination Henry VIII does, with his six wives, break with Rome, and reign reshaping England. This article draws on primary archives and expert sources to separate known facts from historical uncertainties about his life, marriages, and death on 28 January 1547.

Reign: 1509–1547 (38 years) ·
Wives: 6 total: 2 divorced, 2 beheaded, 1 died, 1 survived ·
Age at Death: 55 years old ·
Date of Death: 28 January 1547

Six key facts about Henry VIII at a glance:

What Was the Cause of Henry VIII’s Death?

Medical theories and modern diagnosis

• The official cause is recorded as natural causes (Britannica (historical encyclopedia)). Modern historians suggest chronic obesity, type 2 diabetes, and septicemia from a leg ulcer may have contributed (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).
• No autopsy was performed, so the exact cause remains a subject of scholarly debate.

Obesity, gout, and leg ulcers as contributing factors

• By his mid-40s, Henry was severely overweight and suffered from gout (Britannica (historical encyclopedia)).
• Chronic leg ulcers became infected; the sepsis likely contributed to his death.

Historical records of his final illness

• Contemporary accounts describe a feverish, bedridden king in January 1547 (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).

Why Was Henry VIII So Famous?

Break from the Roman Catholic Church

• The pope’s refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was the trigger (Britannica (historical encyclopedia)).
• In 1534 he declared himself head of the Church of England (Canterbury Cathedral Learning (educational institution)).

Establishment of the Church of England

• The initial break was more about rejecting papal authority than changing doctrine (Biblical Training (educational resource)).
• The Dissolution of the Monasteries followed, redistributing enormous wealth.

His six marriages and personal life

• Henry VIII had six wives in pursuit of a male heir (Historic Royal Palaces (UK heritage authority)).
• His marital saga – two divorced, two beheaded, one died, one survived – is one of history’s most memorable rhymes.

The implication: Henry’s fame rests as much on his political revolution as on his personal dramas – the two were inseparable.

What Happened to Each of the Six Wives of Henry VIII?

Catherine of Aragon: divorced

• Married 1509–1533; annulled. She died in exile on 7 January 1536 (Wikipedia (user-contributed encyclopedia)).
• Her only surviving child with Henry was Mary, later Mary I (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).

Anne Boleyn: beheaded

• Married 1533–1536; executed on charges of treason and adultery (Britannica (historical encyclopedia)).
• Her only surviving child was Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).

Jane Seymour: died

• Married 1536–1537. Gave birth to Edward VI in October 1537 and died less than two weeks later (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).
• Her death is generally attributed to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.

Anne of Cleves: divorced

• Married January 1540; annulled later that year. She had no children with Henry (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).
• Henry reportedly called her a “Flanders mare” after first meeting her.

Catherine Howard: beheaded

• Married 1540; executed on 13 February 1542 for adultery and treason (Britannica (historical encyclopedia)).
• She had no surviving children with Henry.

Catherine Parr: survived

• Married 1543; outlived Henry. She had no children with him (Royal Museums Greenwich (official museum)).

Who Did King Henry VIII Regret Killing?

Thomas More

• Henry reportedly regretted executing his former Lord Chancellor, Thomas More, after More’s execution in 1535.

Anne Boleyn (disputed)

• Some historians question whether Henry ever felt genuine regret over Anne Boleyn, given he remarried within days of her execution (Historic Royal Palaces (UK heritage authority)).

Thomas Cromwell

• Henry executed Cromwell in 1540 on charges of heresy and treason, only to later doubt the case (Britannica (historical encyclopedia)).

What this means: Henry’s reported regrets were selective and politically convenient, but they hint at a king who could second-guess his own decisions.

How Old Was Mary Boleyn When She Slept with Henry?

Historical uncertainty of Mary Boleyn’s birth year

• Mary Boleyn’s birth year is uncertain (estimated 1499–1508) so her exact age when her affair with Henry began – likely in the early 1520s – cannot be determined (Historic Royal Palaces (UK heritage authority)).

Henry’s affair with Mary Boleyn before Anne

• Henry’s relationship with Mary preceded his pursuit of Anne Boleyn, but no definitive evidence of her age at the time survives.

The catch: without reliable birth records, any claim about Mary Boleyn’s age during the affair is speculative.

Who Was the Rudest Wife of Henry VIII?

Anne of Cleves’ reputation

• Henry considered Anne of Cleves unattractive and reportedly called her a “Flanders mare” after their first meeting (Historic Royal Palaces (UK heritage authority)).
• Historical records do not confirm she was rude; Henry’s dismissal was based on physical appearance rather than her behavior.

Contemporary accounts and modern perceptions

• Catherine Howard is sometimes described as flirtatious rather than rude, while Anne of Cleves is remembered more for her perceived plainness than any discourtesy (Historic Royal Palaces (UK heritage authority)).

The pattern: the “rudest” label stems from Henry’s own dismissive remarks, not from contemporary evidence of poor manners.

For the Tudor dynasty, Henry VIII’s relentless pursuit of a male heir ultimately produced three monarchs – Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth – each ruling very differently. The consequence for England was a century of religious flux and the permanent establishment of a separate Church of England.

Related reading: English Reformation · Henry VIII’s six wives

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