The Six Wives of Henry VIII/The Children of Henry VIII

I have long been fascinated by Tudor-era history: the upheaval of religion, the reign of Elizabeth I, and of course, the martial affairs of the notorious Henry VIII.  I’ve seen all the movies, watched all the shows, read plenty of the fiction… but I had never read the experts, until I picked up Alison Weir’s Six Wives of Henry VIII a few weeks ago. 

A gigantic tome, the Six Wives chronicles the events, intrigues, controversies, and more behind Henry VIII’s love of women, along with his complication relationship with the Catholic Church and his quest for a legitimate male heir.

Like many others, I knew the basics of his story: His first wife, Katherine of Aragon, was older than him and unable to give birth to a surviving boy; their daughter, Mary, would one day become the first true Queen of England, but she was seen as unfit to rule by her father (and basically everyone else).  Henry sought to divorce Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn, with the hope of their union producing a son; eventually, when the Pope wouldn’t grant this request, Henry removed England from the realm of the Catholic Church and created the Church of England, declaring himself the rule of both church and country.

Eventually Katherine died, and Anne, unable to produce a baby boy (despite birthing Elizabeth I), was sent to the executioner under charges of adultery and treason.  Henry quickly wed Jane Seymour, who produced his only surviving son but died less than two weeks later.  From there, his marriages were in quick and unsuccessful succession: to Anne of Cleves, whom he claimed smelled poorly and divorced within 6 months; to Katherine Howard, who was much younger, cheated repeatedly, and was eventually beheaded; and to Katherine Parr, a woman who had been married several times before and who was the only wife to outlive Henry. 

Until I read this book, though, most of my knowledge came from social studies classes and historically-questionable TV shows like The Tudors, which might be tense and sexy and fascinating but definitely isn’t accurate.  So much of the Tudor story seems focused on Henry VIII’s desire to fuck Anne Boleyn (to put it extremely indelicately); too often, that is explained as the primary motivator behind his divorce and separation from the Catholic Church.  That, as it turns out, proves to be only semi-accurate; far more potent a motivator was Henry’s desire for a son, a desire that put all others to shame. 

Alison Weir’s talent for historical writing is unmatched by any others I’ve encountered.  She blends letters, court records, recovered journals, financial records, and more to bring each figure to life; each record provides insight into the intimate details of these figures’ lives, and each makes them feel much more real, more tangible, instead of over 400 years old.  As I read, I was hearing Henry’s voice in his love letters to Anne Boleyn, listening to Katherine of Aragon’s prayers, witnessing Wolsey’s struggle to persuade the Pope. 

In addition to this powerful ability, Weir has also conducted research far beyond the events and intrigues of the time. She pulls information from all areas to inform this story: religious documents and experts delineate Henry VIII’s case against Katherine of Aragon and various ambassadors offer insight into the treatments of Henry’s wives, children, and nobles at court.  Weir even pulls in medical texts to discuss the possible afflictions of some of these women; Anne Boleyn is suggested, for example, to have suffered from Rh negative blood issues, which would have affected her ability to bear a child after Elizabeth.  I realize that this theory isn’t new, but Weir’s care in analyzing its implications for not only the lives of any potential children but also Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII’s marriage show just how devastating it really was.  There is so much information out there that simply gets ignored in fiction and TV (and sadly, in classrooms), and Weir, by embedding it into her work, helps keep the mystery and intrigue of this era alive. 

I read this book in less than 72 hours; I quite literally sat reading during the slow songs of a Pearl Jam concert.  When I finished this whirlwind of history, I scoured libraries until I found a copy of The Children of Henry VIII, a shorter work that focuses on the facts and stories of the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I. 

Henry VIII’s son, Edward VI, was his final child and eventual heir, who took the throne at age nine.  His reign, cut short by a deadly bout of tuberculosis at 15, was overshadowed by political in-fighting and attempts by his Regents to gain power.  Mary I, his half-sister and Henry VIII’s eldest child, took the throne upon his death; her reign, also brief, was remembered for her ruthless persecution/execution of Protestants.  Mary tried hard to conceive a Catholic heir, but her marriage to Philip II of Spain occurred late in her life, and despite at least one full-blown phantom pregnancy, she never had any children.  When she died, her half-sister Elizabeth I took the throne, paving the way for a period of peace like never seen before in England.  Weir’s book The Children of Henry VIII is just as fascinating as The Six Wives, and I anticipate that The Life of Elizabeth I  (her next work) will be equally absorbing.