King Henry VII had more wives than the average man during his time period. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Kathryn Howard, and Katherine Parr all shared a life with the king for a period of time, whether it was a few months or several years. He had a colorful divorce pattern as well, ranging from annulment to execution. Though the king blamed his wives for not giving him a son, it was actually almost entirely his fault but the women paid the price for his ignorance. His want of a male heir led him to many marriages, divorces, and affairs that are still remembered in history today.
Catherine of Aragon was born on December 16th, 1485 to Ferdinand and Isabella in Alcala de Henares, Spain, a princess who would be matched with her future husband at the age of three. This future husband was Prince Arthur, son of King Henry VII and older brother of King Henry VIII. The two were married later in their teens, but six months after the marriage, Arthur died, likely a victim of the fatal ‘sweating sickness’. Approximately four years later, she married King Henry VIII and became pregnant soon after. After several children, many of whom were stillborn or died shortly after birth, King Henry became impatient with his lack of a male heir. He requested a divorce to Catherine, but the attempt was in vain until he impregnated her mistress’s daughter, Anne Boleyn, and persuaded Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to annul the marriage. Catherine was forced to renounce her title as Queen of England, and became known as the Princess Dowager of Wales, a title that she never accepted. She and her daughter Mary were separated, and Catherine spent the rest of her life in dank castles, never ceasing in prayer. She d...
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...istory of England, no matter how short the marriage. Though his six wives had no control over the gender of their children, or Henry’s constantly shifting emotions, they still paid the price, some with their own lives. The courts of King Henry were also a dangerous place for the Queens, and malicious political rivals had to be dealt with along with the stress of producing a male heir for their king. The six Queens of King Henry VIII, with their wide array of different personalities, all made an impact on history, whether through their life experiences, their published works, or their outspoken behaviors.
Works Cited
Eakins, Lara. "Six Wives of Henry VIII." Tudor History. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. .
"The Six Wives of Henry VIII." PBS. Educational Broadcasting Organization, n.d. Web. 7 Apr 2014. .
In the beginning of their relationship, it is quite that Henry VIII was deeply infatuated with Anne, as she remained something unattainable in his eyes. The evidence of their love story remains as the letters Henry wrote to Anne prior to their marriage were left undamaged in the attempt to erase Anne from history. In his letter to her in 1528, Henry is not shy about calling Anne his sweetheart and discussing his desire to be with her as he begins to see the flaws in his marriage to Catherine of Aragon (N. Key & R. Bucholz (Eds.), 2009). He was hopeful for a new marriage, and a male heir, that would ensure his family’s claim to the throne. In part, it is this stage of hist...
King Henry II died leaving the throne to his son Phillip who immediately freed his mother, Queen Eleanor, from semi incarceration. Once free, she took over the throne and ruled while King Richard left, against his mother’s wish, to the third
The divorce case angered many people. Catherine of Aragon was a pious and popular Queen who was depicted as a devout Catholic and loyal wife. During the divorce Henry was not only faced with Papal opposition but also staunch resistance... ... middle of paper ... ... Such opposition was also given further momentum by individuals such as More, Fisher and Barton who created effective propaganda for the Queen’s cause.
Henry IV is a play that concerns itself with political power and kingship in English history. References to kingship are prevalent throughout the play, especially in the depiction of the characters. Although most of the characters in this play could teach us about kingship, I would like to focus my attention to Prince Henry. I think that this character helps us to best understand what kingship meant at this particular time in history.
Within the book Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, there are many moments of tragedy and loss, as well as certain moments where joy and love are present. A number of these scenes contain a connection to nature. Since the Romantics viewed Nature as a source of emotional experience and spiritual renewal. However Mary Shelley was not solely a Romantic, she also took literary cues from the Gothic tradition as well. This second impetus also stressed the importance of nature, especially the darker aspects of it. Particularly the rageful and turbulent characteristics of nature, this manner of guiding the emotions using nature is very obvious and abundant in Frankenstein.
Mary Tudor of England, Born on February 18, 1516, was always a precious lady.(Gairdner) According to the article “Queen Mary”: “Mary wanted to restore the catholic faith, and reunite England with Rome.” Queen Mary I was quite successful, she managed to rearrange “the royal household, and it was thought right to give Mary an establishment of her own along with a council on the borders of Whales, for the better government of the Marches.”(Gairdner) In real life Queen Mary was in fact a very kind hearted and happy lady, who in fact loved music, dancing, and gossiping with her court and followers. She often dressed in brightly colored cloths and very expensive jewelry.(Eamon) According to Amy Pollick’s article “Dispelling Myths about Queen”, “Mary did lay a solid governmental foundation.” Mary had a good head on her shoulders. She planned to further the peace and prosperity in England. (Pollick) Some of what caused her to “rebel from her father” was him depriving her of her faith, security, and happiness as a child. (Pearsall) In the book “Kings and Queens” it is stated that Mary married King Philip of Spain, but they had no children. (Pearsall) “He lived in England for only a year before returning to spain.” After that Mary began to bring back the old religion and faith of her time. Although the persecutions may have been exaggerated (Gull). From the same so...
Henry VIII was the King of England in the 17th century. He got married more than once, then later reproduced children. They all come out to be girl's and Henry wanted a son. Catherine could not bare children any more by the age of forty two. Henry
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a frail son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
When one thinks of Henry the eighth the first thing that comes up is fat, wife-killer, meat eater, old, mean and overall horrendous. But almost no one refers to him as misunderstood, manipulated or young man who was not meant to be King of England. This is how Suzannah Lipscomb portrays Henry VIII in her book, 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII, King Henry faces many tribulations in 1536 that shaped the rest of his reign; from his marriages, injuries, heirs, to his influence in the European spectrum.
The Book Catherine of Aragon written by Garrett Mattingly is about the life of Catherine of Aragon, the princess of Spain during the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. The book begins with Catherine’s life as a small child, before she became Queen. The first section of the book talks of Catherine’s upbringing as a princess and includes details on the duties of her and her siblings. A good example of this is described on page 17 as it shows how Catherine and her sisters had to be educated on their bloodline, heraldry and genealogy as well as dancing, cooking, and horsemanship which were the interests of her class) .
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
He is a man of complete integrity and strength. More has an extremely brave mind, loyalty to his king, and a love of his religion. He is a man of strong faith and deep trust in himself when dealing with one of the many difficult situations he is placed in. One of the biggest political issues dealt with by King Henry the 8th is that he needed a son. After nearly twenty years of marriage to Queen Catherine, Henry never got a son and therefore, had a divorce.
Greaves, Richard L. “Tudor, House of.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web. 6 Feb.
Both Victor and the monster had deep feelings for nature. Victor’s relationship with nature in his adulthood mainly derived from his childhood. He remembered how blissful nature made him feel as a child and wanted to feel the same way again, even after the deaths of William and Justine. This feeling that nature gave him healed him physically and mentally. However, later in the story, nature only made Victor more depressed as his relationship with the creature worsened. He even compared himself to a blasted tree, stating that he is one with the blasted tree in terms that they are both outcasts of their species. Eventually, nature lost its ability to heal him. Ironically, at the end of the story, it was nature that killed