The six wives of Henry VIII want you to know some things
In honor of seeing the musical SIX and because my piece for Vulture about Catherine of Aragon came out today, here are some quick facts about the multifaceted, complex women who were subject to the whims of an aging monarch:
Catherine of Aragon was very interested in academics! Education among women became fashionable in the early to mid-1500s, partially due to her influence. She could read and write in Spanish and Latin, and spoke French and Greek.
Anne Boleyn did not have great people skills sometimes, mostly due to her temper. She played chess and enjoyed falconry. She did not have six fingers and her murder by the State emotionally scarred her three-year-old daughter Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I).
Jane Seymour died at 29 after giving birth to the king’s only son, later Edward VI. No one talks about her much because there doesn’t seem to be a lot known. She was very very good at needlework, meaning if she lived today and hadn’t been pressured to marry the king one day after his second wife’s murder, she could have a thriving Etsy business.
Anne of Cleves, after her annulment, was given Richmond Palace and precedence over all women in England except whichever queen was currently in place and the king’s daughters (whenever he decided to not disinherit them). She outlived all of Henry VIII’s wives and died at 42.
Katherine Howard was Anne Boleyn’s cousin and was 16 when she was married to the 49 year old king with the pus-filled leg. She was also murdered by the State after accusations of adultery, and was beheaded at age 19. Francis I of France wrote to Henry that “the lightness of women cannot bend the honour of men.” So. Let that sink in.
Catherine Parr was the first woman to publish in English under her own name. She stopped Henry from plundering universities as he did to monasteries, and promoted English translations of the Bible. Because of this, Henry thought she was too independent and her enemies at court tried to have her arrested for heresy, but she dodged this by having “publicly submitted to her husband’s supreme authority.” She was awesome and after Henry’s death she married a douchebag who cheated on her and then she died in childbirth.
Listen to the cast recording of SIX the Musical. It’s basically the six wives as a girl group, all supporting each other and there’s not a Henry in sight. Bliss.