Well, I've looked at everything. four seasons historical series "The Tudors", my goal was to see Natalie Dormer in the role Anne Boleyn- the second of the six wives of the king of the despot 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 have been distorted, the basic facts remain true. The action of 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 Game of Thrones series will seem like just a children's fairy tale.

By the time of meeting 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 the age 16 years and did not have time to lose by that time virginity because she is married to 15 year old Arthur only had time to visit for a few months. At 24, Catherine married 18-year-old Henry VIII. The cherished dream of the young king was the birth of a son-heir, but unfortunately Catherine dead children were born, and some, seemingly healthy, did not live long, and only one of her many births gave the spouses a daughter - the future queen Mary I- went down in history as Maria Bloody(an important role in the cruelty of which her father played Henry). For 16 years marriage, the king showed a love interest in his wife Catherine while having many mistresses.

Catherine of Aragon she turned a blind eye to all the adventures of her husband, she was patient and accommodating. One of the mistresses Henry – Bessie Blount gave birth to a son to the king, after which she was forgotten anyway for the sake of a new favorite - Mary Boleyn- sisters Anne Boleyn. Maria was dissolute and short-sighted, she quickly got bored with the king, and then Henry laid eyes on her sister - graceful, educated and flirtatious Anna (Natalie Dormer). At Anna Boleyn there was 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 could only love her future husband and would marry a virgin. Most likely, the seductress was cunning, because she spent a long time at the court of the French king, and frivolous customs reigned there, but in order to achieve her goal Anne Boleyn it was not difficult to pretend to be a chaste coquette. King so inflamed by the actions of this person that he decided to divorce his lawful wife. It should be noted that it was almost impossible to do this and the divorce proceedings dragged on for not a single year, and all this time Ann Bolein it pushed away, then drew closer to itself the ardent king.

In the end, not having received consent to divorce from the Pope, the king with the filing Anna declared himself supreme head of the church England, that is, broke with Rome and changed his faith from Catholic to Protestant. All this led to the division of the country into two camps, all the people objectionable to the king were executed, among them was his friend Thomas More. Why am I leading all this? Yes to that image Anne Boleyn very often earlier they romanticized and presented her simply as a victim of the king, but in fact she was a very prudent and cruel woman, she clearly went to her goal over the corpses of her enemies, she interfered in matters of national importance, contradicted the despotic king, threw reproaches at him, then there, 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 to the king, but a daughter was born - the future great queen - Elizabeth I.

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

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

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

Jane was the exact 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 wife of the king for long, because 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 (portrayed by Joss Stone), because the Heinrich because of the sad fate of his previous wives, it was very difficult to find a new wife for himself, he married an agreed chosen one at the persuasion of his associates, who showed the king a portrait of the future bride. But as it turned out, the portrait did not reflect reality, and it is possible that Anna Klevskaya the 49-year-old king simply didn’t like it, who by that time had already had enough wives and mistresses so that his sexual functions began to fade.

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

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

And last the sixth wife of the king was Catherine Parr (played by Joely Richardson). Interestingly, out of the six wives of the king, three were Catherine, and two Annami. So here it is Catherine Parr was at the time of marriage with Heinrich already twice a widow and became the wife of the king in 31 year but she was still beautiful and very pretty. Catherine Parr was several times on the verge of death, as she had many enemies. Meanwhile, the insanity of the king 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 to the Catholic faith again, and his wife was a Protestant. But in 1547 the king died. He was at that moment 55 years- it seems to be a little, but the health of the monarch 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 suppurated, as bone fragments came out. Due to problems with his leg, the king could no longer pay enough attention exercise, began to eat a lot and move little, as a result, he became obese and died.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers- He did an amazing job with the role. And though hardly a king Henry VIII looked like him, but that's not so important. The main thing is that the actor managed to convey the character of the medieval king - despotic, unbalanced, passionate and most importantly dangerous! In the final series Jonathan made up, and before us appeared and really tired, disappointed in the life of the sick king. All four seasons Jonathan Rhys Meyers was different, because events developed over the course of 30 years both the character and the views of the king changed, and the actor showed all this perfectly.

Natalie Dormer- She did an amazing job with the role. She got used to the role, and now Anne Boleyn many will be able to imagine just such a treacherous, prudent and undoubtedly very seductive and attractive queen, who laid down her lovely head within the walls of the Tower. Nude Natalie Dormer for GQ magazine photos

oil on panel, c. 1534-1536, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid

Dynasty: Tudors
Father: Henry VII
Mother: Elizabeth of York
Henry VIII Tudor (Eng. Henry VIII; June 28, 1491, Greenwich - January 28, 1547, London) - King of England from April 22, 1509, son and heir of King Henry VII, the second English monarch from the Tudor dynasty. With the consent of the Roman catholic church, 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, by the end of his reign he severely persecuted his real and imaginary political opponents. In later years he suffered from excess weight and other health problems.


German painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) - Portrait of Henry VIII, King of England,
oil on panel, c. 1539-1540, National Gallery of Ancient Art, Rome

Henry VIII is best known for: The English Reformation, which made England a largely Protestant nation; and an unusual number of marriages for a Christian - in total, the king had 6 wives, of which he divorced two, and executed two on charges of treason. The king sought to produce a male heir to consolidate the power of the Tudor dynasty.

German painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) - Portrait of Henry VIII, King of England,
oil on panel, c. 1538-47?, Royal Collection, Windsor Castle

The divorce of Henry VIII from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, led to the excommunication of the king from the Catholic Church and a series of church reforms in England, when the Anglican Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Besides, constant change the husband and favorite of the king and the church reformation turned out to be a serious arena for political struggle and led to a number of executions politicians, among which was, for example, Thomas More.

Wives of Henry VII
Henry VIII was married six times. The fate of his spouse is memorized by English schoolchildren with the help of the mnemonic phrase "divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived." From the first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from the first marriage, Elizabeth from the second and Edward from the third. All of them subsequently reigned. Henry's last three marriages were childless.


Painter Michel Sittow, Young Catherine of Aragon, 1503, oil on oak,
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
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, expecting either an impending or an upset marriage with Henry. Henry VIII married Catherine immediately after his accession to the throne in 1509. The first years of marriage were happy, but all the children of young spouses were either born dead or died in infancy. Mary (1516-1558) was the only surviving offspring.
Around 1525, marital relations actually ceased, and Henry, who wanted to have sons, began to think about the annulment of the marriage. The formal reason for the divorce proceedings was Catherine's previous marriage to Henry's brother. The process, stretching for years, complicated by the intervention of Emperor Charles V (Catherine's nephew) and the inconsistent position of Pope Clement VII, had no results. As a result, at the request of Henry, Parliament in 1532 passed a decision prohibiting any appeal to Rome. In January 1533, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, announced the annulment of Henry and Catherine's marriage. After that, Catherine in official documents was called the Dowager Princess of Wales, that is, the widow of Arthur. By refusing to acknowledge the dissolution of her marriage, Catherine condemned herself to exile, being transported from castle to castle several times. She died in January 1536.


Anne Boleyn (c. 1507 - 1536). For a long time she was Henry's unapproachable lover, refusing to become his mistress. After Cardinal Wolsey could not resolve the issue of Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Anna hired theologians who proved that the king is the lord of both the state and the church, and is responsible only to God, and not to the Pope in Rome (this was the beginning of the detachment of the English churches from Rome and the establishment of the Anglican Church). She became the wife of Henry in January 1533, was crowned on June 1, 1533, and in September of the same year gave birth to his daughter Elizabeth, instead of the son expected by the king. Subsequent pregnancies ended unsuccessfully. Soon Anna lost her husband's love, was accused of adultery and beheaded in the Tower in May 1536.


Painter Hans Holbein, Portrait of Jane Seymour, (c. 1536-1537),
tempera, wood, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Jane Seymour (c. 1508 - 1537). She was a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. Heinrich 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, the cannons in the Tower fired two thousand volleys.


German painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) - Betrothal portrait of Anne of Cleves,
Watercolor on parchment, Museum of Louvre, Paris
Anna of Cleves (Anne Cleves), (1515-1557). Daughter of Johann III of Cleves, sister of the reigning Duke of Cleves. Marriage with her was one of the ways to seal the alliance of Henry, Francis I and the German Protestant princes. As a prerequisite for marriage, Heinrich wished to see the portrait of the bride, for which Hans Holbein Jr. was sent to Kleve. Heinrich liked the portrait, the engagement took place in absentia. But the bride who arrived in England (unlike her portrait) categorically did not like Henry. Although the marriage was concluded 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 pre-existing engagement of Anna with the Duke of Lorraine became the reason. In addition, Heinrich stated that the actual marriage relationship between him and Anna did not work out. Anna remained in England as "the king's sister" and survived 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 mighty Duke of Norfolk, cousin 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 was cheating on Henry with Thomas Culpepper. The guilty were executed, after which, on February 13, 1542, the queen herself ascended the scaffold.


Catherine Parr, Portrait by an unknown artist,
The painting is in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Catherine Parr (ca. 1512 - 1548). By the time of her marriage to Henry (1543), she had already been widowed twice. At the age of 52, Henry married Katherine Parr. Heinrich 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 Maria to the court. Catherine Parr was a staunch Protestant and did much to promote Henry's new turn towards Protestantism. She was a reformer, he was a conservative, which gave rise to endless religious disputes between spouses. For her views, Henry ordered her to be arrested, but saw her in tears, had mercy and canceled the arrest order, after which Catherine never entered into a dispute with the king. Four years after her marriage 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 death of the queen, her coffin was opened. Eyewitnesses testified to the incredible safety of the body, Catherine's skin did not even lose its natural color. It was then that the queen's lock was cut off, which on January 15, 2008 was put up for auction in London at the Bonhams international auction.

Henry died on January 28, 1547. His coffin, on his way to Winndsor for burial, was opened at night, and in the morning his remains were found licked by dogs, which contemporaries regarded as divine punishment for defiling church customs.
Henry VIII worked hard on his image. He went down in history as a bloodthirsty monarch. He beheaded more people than anyone before or after him. Despite his cruelty, Henry until the end of his days considered himself a convinced humanist.
Tall, broad-shouldered Heinrich knew how to suppress any uprising. It was a king whose wealth and luxury of receptions were legendary. He loved hunting, horseback riding and all kinds of tournaments, in which he himself regularly took part. Among other things, Heinrich was a gambler, he especially liked 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, are inconsistent, until the end of his days he could not decide on his religious views, thanks to which he remains one of the most mysterious figures of the European Middle Ages.

Monarchy of England

Original entry and comments on

In 1509, King Henry VII Tudor died, having seized the English throne by force. His son, seventeen-year-old Henry VIII, takes power into his own hands. No one then could have imagined what the reign of this angelic king would turn out to be. Initially, the crown was supposed to go to Henry's older brother, Arthur, but just a few months after his wedding, Arthur died. The eldest son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York was always distinguished by very poor health. It is alleged that all these few months before the death of the heir, the young husband and wife lived separately at the request of the king, since Arthur was, according to Henry VII, at a “tender age” (at the time of the wedding, the boy was already 15 years old, at that time this age was considered normal for the start of a marital relationship). The royal couple for a very long time arranged a marriage between the heir to the English throne and Catalina (Catherine) of Aragon, the daughter of the king of Aragon. Through this marriage, tormented by civil war and having an ongoing threat from France, England wanted to establish diplomatic relations with Spain. Ten-year-old Heinrich was very visible at the wedding: active child he had fun without stopping and even danced a dance with his brother's sixteen-year-old wife. No one then imagined that in 7 years Catherine would marry Henry.

In those days, marriage could be considered official only if the bride was deprived of her virginity. After the death of the heir, it was proved that the final consolidation of the marriage between Arthur and Catherine did not take place.

For seven years, Catherine lived in England, apart from the royal court. In the end, they even stopped inviting her to festive events. But something had to be done with diplomatic relations with Spain, besides, Ferdinand and Isabella, Catherine's parents, relentlessly insisted on her marriage to Henry. Dying, Henry VII said to his son: "Marry Catherine." In the year of accession to the throne, 17-year-old Henry VIII married 23-year-old Catherine of Aragon.

Henry's foreign policy fluctuated from one extreme to another: trying to achieve some kind of balance, he first fought with France, then made peace, then fought again. At the same time, he tried to maintain relations with the Habsburgs, the enemies of France, which he also did not succeed very well.

The marriage with Catherine was unsuccessful: Heinrich, obsessed with finding a male heir, received only stillborn children from Catherine. For 33 years of marriage (although intimate relationship they stopped long before the dissolution of the marriage) they had only one living child - the girl Maria, who would later go down in history under the nickname Bloody. When the king was 31 years old, the Lord Chancellor of England, Thomas Wolsey, introduces him to the young lady-in-waiting to the queen, Anne Boleyn. In fact, by this action Wolsey, the most influential person England after the king, set the stage for his own overthrow and subsequent death. Heinrich immediately noticed for himself a young and bright maid of honor. But Anne Boleyn wasn't going to give up so quickly into the arms of the king, so she actually played a game called "Marry me and I'm yours" for several years. But, setting such a condition, she could not help but understand that then the marriage with Queen Catherine should be annulled. Contemporaries claimed that Henry completely lost his head from Boleyn. Not a beauty, she exuded an incredible sexual energy that plagued the king. Anna grew up at the French court, where, apparently, she learned charming charm, refined manners, as well as foreign languages, possession of several musical instruments and excellent skill dance.

As Wolsey, who knew the king well, once said: "Always be careful what idea you put in the head of the king, for you will not take it out of there." Heinrich was determined to divorce Catherine. In childhood, before the death of his elder brother, he was prepared for a church career (such was the tradition in those days: the eldest son is the heir to the throne, and one of the subsequent ones occupies the main church post in the country), that is, Henry VIII had to be well versed in matters religion, even as an adult. In 1521, Henry (with the help of Thomas More) even wrote a treatise against Protestantism, defending the rights of the Catholic faith, entitled "In Defense of the Seven Sacraments." For this treatise, the Pope gave Henry the title of "Defender of the Faith."

In 1525, Henry seriously set out to get rid of the marriage with current wife. However, the Pope, Clement VII, never intended to give consent to divorce due to the lack of a sufficiently substantiated reason. Catherine of Aragon will definitely not give the king an heir, 18 years of relationship have shown this, but for the Catholic Church this is not a reason to dissolve a marriage fixed in heaven. The determined Henry surrounded himself with talented theologians and legates (lawyers), whose goal was to find in Holy Scriptures anything that would justify the illegitimacy of his marriage to Catherine.

In the end, the desired line was found. A saying from the Book of Leviticus read: “If a man takes his brother's wife, this is vile; he has revealed his brother's nakedness, they will be childless." Heinrich immediately orders Wolsey to prepare Required documents for a petition to Clement VII. At this time, the news comes that Emperor Charles V of Habsburg has captured Rome and the Pope is actually in his power. Unfortunately for Henry, Charles was Catherine's nephew, which is why the actually held hostage Clement VII did not agree to a divorce, but instead ordered a trial, which eventually lasted several years. At one of the meetings, Catherine said: “Sir, I conjure you, in the name of the love that was between us ... do not deprive me of justice, have pity and compassion for me ... I resort to you as the head of justice in this kingdom ... Lord and all I call the world to witness that I was a faithful, humble and obedient wife to you ... and I gave birth to many children for you, although it was pleasing to the Lord to call them to me from this world ... When you accepted me for the first time, then - I call the Lord as a judge - I She was an immaculate maiden, who did not know her husband. Whether this is true or not, I leave it to your conscience. If there is a fair case under the law that you charge against me ... then I agree to leave ... If there is no such case, then I implore you, let me remain in my former state.

As a result, the chief judge from Rome, Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio, said: “I will not pass any sentence until I submit an application to the pope ... the charge is too dubious, and the people involved in the proceedings are too high in position ... What can I achieve by incurring the wrath of God on your soul, for the sake of satisfying any ruler or noble person in this world. Henry VIII, as a small child, was used to getting everything he wanted as quickly as possible. After such "nothing" he took up arms against Wolsey, accusing him of not being able to negotiate a divorce with the Pope. The most powerful man in the kingdom was exiled to York and replaced by his secretary, Thomas Cromwell. He and several other close people found a "way out" of the situation: let's abolish Catholicism in England, make the king the head of the new church, and then he will be able to issue the decrees he wants. From that moment on, truly bloody times came for England.

Anglicanism was declared in the kingdom. In 1532, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn married in secret. In January of the following year, they repeated the procedure, more formally. From now on, Anna was considered the Queen of England. On June 11, 1533, Clement VII excommunicated the king from the church.

Soon after the wedding, Anne Boleyn gives birth to a girl. Then they didn’t know yet that this child would become the greatest queen in the history of England, so little Elizabeth was received coldly. Since the marriage with Catherine of Aragon was declared illegitimate, Mary, Henry's eldest child, was declared illegitimate, and Elizabeth became the heir to the throne. Anne Boleyn had another chance to correct her "mistake": in 1534 she becomes pregnant again, everyone hopes that this is finally a boy. But soon the queen loses her child, and this moment can be considered the beginning of the countdown to her death.

The fall of Anne Boleyn was fleeting. Disappointed in his new wife, Heinrich begins the most absurd process. But this time he is not divorced: he wants to execute Anna. More than five lovers were suddenly found, with whom the queen allegedly slept (her brother was recognized as one of them). All this is happening against the backdrop of endless executions of those who disagree with the new religion and with the policy of "fencing" (due to the fact that England could produce very high-quality sheep's wool, the king and his advisers were pleased with the decision to build manufactories and drive the peasants from their lands so that they would go to work 14 hours a day at these manufactories). With the opposing Catholics and wandering driven peasants, there was only one question - to hang. During the reign of Henry VIII, 75,000 people were hanged. Many then blamed Anna Boleyn for this, who became the cause of the church reformation in the country and, thus, one of the culprits of most deaths. A long-time friend of the king, Thomas More, also became a victim of terror. An ardent Catholic, he refused to accept new faith, for which Henry ordered to cut off his head.

The trial of the queen did not last long. Before judicial trial the king already had a new favorite, Jane Seymour, with whom he did not hesitate to openly appear in public and show her his sympathy. On May 2, 1536, the queen was arrested and taken to the Tower. Before that, her alleged lovers were arrested, some of them were tortured, extracting "truthful" testimony. On May 17, 1536, the Queen's brother George Boleyn and other "lovers" were executed. On May 19, Queen Anne Boleyn was led to the scaffold. Her head was cut off with a single blow of the sword.

Six days after the execution of his wife, Henry married Jane Seymour. Soon the new queen delighted everyone with the news of her pregnancy. Jane was a gentle, non-confrontational woman who wanted to create a cozy family environment for the king. She tried to unite all the children of Heinrich. In October 1537, Jane began a labor that was truly painful for the fragile queen: they lasted three days and ended with the birth of the heir to the English throne, Edward. A few days after giving birth, the queen died of puerperal fever.

Heinrich claimed that he loved no one as much as Jane. However, almost immediately after her death, he ordered Thomas Cromwell to look for new wife. But because of the reputation of the king, no one really wanted to become the new queen of England. Prominent ladies of Europe even had different jokes, for example: “My neck is too thin for the king of England” or “I would agree, but I don’t have a spare head.” Having been refused by all suitable applicants, at the persuasion of Thomas Cromwell, the king set out to enlist the support of some Protestant state. Henry was informed that the Duke of Cleves had two unmarried sisters. A court painter was sent to one of them, who, apparently, on the orders of Cromwell, slightly embellished the portrait. Seeing the appearance of Anna of Cleves, the king desired to marry her. The bride's brother was against it at first, but when he heard that Anna did not require a dowry, he agreed. At the end of 1539, the king met his bride under the guise of a stranger. Henry's disappointment knew no bounds. After meeting with Anna, he furiously informed Cromwell that he had brought him a "hefty Flemish mare" instead of his wife. From that time began the fall of Cromwell, due to the fact that he had chosen a wife poorly.

The morning after wedding night Heinrich publicly declared: “She is not at all cute, and she smells bad. I left her the same as she was before I lay with her." Nevertheless, Anna carried herself with dignity. She quickly mastered the English language and court manners, became a good stepmother to Henry's young children, and even became friends with Mary. Everyone liked Anna except her husband. Soon, Henry began a divorce proceeding on the basis that Anna was once engaged to the Duke of Lorraine, and therefore the current marriage has no right to exist. Thomas Cromwell, no longer wanted, was declared a traitor in 1540. Cromwell was first tortured to make him incriminate himself, but he pleaded not guilty. On July 28, 1540, he ascended the scaffold and was executed by decapitation.

Queen Anne signed the document annulling her marriage to Henry. The king left her a decent allowance and several estates in England, and he himself, according to the already bored pattern, soon married Anna's maid of honor, Catherine Howard.

The new queen (fifth in a row) was a very cheerful and sweet girl. Heinrich doted on her, called his new wife "a rose without thorns." However, unlike previous queens, she made an unthinkable mistake - she cheated on her husband more than once. When the king was informed that his wife was unfaithful to him, the reaction struck everyone: instead of the usual manifestation of anger, Henry began to cry and lament, complaining that fate did not give him a happy family life, so all his wives either cheat or die , or simply disgusting. On February 13, 1542, Catherine was executed in front of a curious crowd.

Even in old age, Henry did not want to be without a wife. At the age of 52, the flabby, almost immobile king asked for Catherine Parr's hand in marriage. Her first reaction was fright, but in the end she was forced to accept the offer. After the wedding, the new queen tried to improve the family life of the decrepit Henry. Like Jane Seymour, she united all the legitimate children of the king, Elizabeth enjoyed her special location. Being a highly educated woman, she could well bring to Elizabeth a piece of what helped her to become the greatest queen of England in the future.

Death came to Heinrich when he was 55 years old. By that time, he could only move with the help of servants, as he suffered from severe obesity (his waist circumference was 137 cm) and several tumors. With the rapid deterioration of health, the suspiciousness and tyranny of the king grew. Catherine literally walked on the edge of a knife: at court, like all queens, she had her enemies, regularly whispering to Henry about her. However, the king did not have time to do anything, even if he wanted to.

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

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

About Hever Castle It is known that in 1462 it was bought by Geoffrey Boleyn, Anna's great-great-grandfather, and the Boleyn family had been equipping their family nest for two centuries.

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

To seal the alliance with Francis I and the German Protestant princes, Henry VIII married the German princess Anna of Cleves according to the portrait of the great Holbein, whose image made a charming impression on Henry VIII. But upon personal acquaintance, he was extremely disappointed, and in the same 1540 the marriage was royally annulled. Anna of Cleves continued to live in England at Richmond Castle as "the King's sister".

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

Sixth wife Catherine Parr

The sixth wife survived 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 remarried Thomas Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour. The hereditary son of Henry VIII, as his father dreamed, immediately ascended the throne at the age of nine under the tutelage of the Duke of Somerset, an uncle by his mother Jane Seymour, but Edward VI did not reign for long, as he died of tuberculosis at the age of 16. Against the wishes of King Henry VIII, the female era of rule began. Edward VI was succeeded by Mary I or "Bloody Mary", the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, and then by 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", in connection with the flourishing of the culture of the Renaissance.

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

Read more about the royal castles of Britain here http://www.website/users/milendia_solomarina/post225342434/

William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle at Warwick in 1068, but the wooden fence and walls had nothing to do with stone fortress with towers, which the castle is now. In the 15th century, when Richard Neville owned it, 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 Anne Boleyn's execution, her decapitated 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 she was born.

And 200 years later, the Boleyn family added a Tudor-style house to the internal architecture of Hever Castle. This place keeps 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, by order of her husband.

When Anna got bored with the windy king and Henry gave Anna for "adultery and treason" on trial, which sentenced the unfortunate woman to death. (beheaded in the Tower on May 19, 1536) - Hever Castle was transferred to the control 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 remarkable place 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, her childhood and youth passed here ...

The luminous ghost of the Lady with her head in her hands is usually observed in the Tower, where Anne Boleyn, Marquise of Pembroke and Queen of England, was executed "for treason" - the most despotic and cruel in English history King Henry VIII, who changed six wives one after another "in the interests of the state".
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 friend of childhood games, Henry Percy ... But the king (not without the help of the powerful court figure Lord Howard, who "part-time" was Anna'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’s not to Sir Percy’s credit, it should be noted that at Anna’s court he was silent like a fish and trembled like a hare’s tail - and he was among the Judges!

It is not customary to reject the attention of kings, but in response, the proud Anna set her own condition: only the crown - she does 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 Anna Boleyn also gave birth to a girl (although this girl later became Queen Elizabeth I, who glorified the country for 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 Anna was accused of marital treason, sent to Khiver, and from there to the Tower, where they were executed in 1536 by beheading with a sword. The day after the execution, Henry married Jane Seymour.

Of course, to be absolutely honest, the name of another of the Boleyn family "shines" in English history is Mary, elder sister Anna, who, before all the tragic intrigue with Anna, also happened to be a royal mistress for two years. This position weighed 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 moved away from the court here, raised her two children here (some believed that these were royal offspring, but she never tried to prove it). The lady was interesting! With joy, she “transferred” the role of the royal mistress, and when she suddenly became a widow, she married for love a poor nobleman. Parents abandoned their "unreasonable" daughter, due to which she had to leave Hever before he was taken from the Boleyns, and on a small estate, in the wilderness, she safely lived to old age, giving birth to two more children to her second husband, and raising all four with him .

After the death of Anna of Klevskaya, for almost 350 years, several owners changed at Khiver Castle. By the beginning of the 20th century, it fell into complete decline. So in 1903 it was bought by American millionaire William Waldorf Astor.

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 US 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, by all means, produce an heir to the throne.
By all rights, the kingdom should have passed to his older brother Arthur, who was 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, expecting either an impending or an upset marriage with Henry. Henry VIII married Catherine immediately after his accession to the throne in 1509. The first years of marriage were happy, but all the children of young spouses were either born dead or died in infancy. Mary (1516-1558) was the only surviving offspring.
By refusing to acknowledge the dissolution of her marriage, Catherine condemned herself to exile, being transported from castle to castle several times. She died in January 1536.

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

The young man, whom Catherine of Aragon married on a serene 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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Now for the details, Repetition is the mother of learning, again:

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

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

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

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

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

But this argument did not work, and Heinrich came up with another. 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 prove with fervor and with references to church sources that he could not continue to commit this sin. But the Pope, fearing to quarrel with the rulers of Catholic countries, did not approve of the divorce. This only strengthened Henry in his intention to follow his own whims. Since Rome does not give consent to a divorce, then he is not a decree for him.

Divorce from Catherine of Aragon

From that time began the famous movement in the history of England and throughout the Christian world, which historians consider the beginning of the Reformation. Henry, spurred on by the restless Anne Boleyn, decided to break with Rome and declared himself head of the English Church. The obedient English hierarchs obeyed his will, seeing this as a benefit for themselves. I must say that the Pope was not loved in England because of the large extortions that burdened the local church. The accommodating parliament put 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 freely arrange his personal life.

After Cardinal Wolsey could not resolve the issue of Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, it was Anna who hired theologians who proved that the king was the lord of both the state and the church, and was responsible only to God, and not to the Pope in Rome (this was the beginning of the detachment the English Church from Rome and the creation of the Anglican Church). After the papal power was expelled from England, Henry in 1533 married Anne Boleyn, who for a long time was Henry's impregnable lover, refusing to become his mistress. ex-wife Catherine of Aragon lived in prison until 1536 and died quietly.

Anne Boleyn in Taur before her execution.

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

Thomas Sackville, cousin of Anne Boleyn, owned Knole House from 1566. Over the course of several centuries, the manor 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 the good preservation of the interiors of the 17th century. Almost all the walls of this amazing palace are decorated with brushes by Gainsborough, Van Dyck, Reynolds, and also Kneller. Knowle House is one of the most visited attractions in the UK.

But there was another reason: Heinrich fell in love with Jane Seymour, whom he married the day after Anna'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 Heinrich 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 immeasurable happiness of the king, she bore him a son, Prince Edward. This alone could ensure her safety for the rest of her life, out of love for his son, Heinrich would not dare to encroach on his mother, but fate would have decreed otherwise. For two days the young queen suffered in childbirth. In the end, the doctors came to the conclusion: it was necessary to choose - a mother or a child, however, knowing the terrible character of the sovereign, they were afraid to even hint about it. Fortunately for them, the king understood everything himself. "Save the child. I can get as many women as I like,” was his resolute and calm order. The third wife died in 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 from childhood, Edward took a detailed interest in all state affairs. He was well educated: he knew Latin, Greek and French, 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 just over 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 most influential houses in Europe. He was not guided by any political considerations, he was simply looking for a wife to 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 french ambassador at the court of Henry VIII, he received clear instructions - under no pretext to 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 the plague.

Heinrich, who had become rather stout and flabby by the age of 48, besides suffering from a fistula in his leg, still remained greedy for female charms and did not leave the thought of marriage. His next wife was the German princess Anna of Cleves.

Anna Klevskaya

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

When the king, burning with love, first met the girl, 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 elegant 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 the king fell in love again very handy for her. One fine day, Anna was invited to visit Richmond, supposedly her failing health required a change in climate. The girl left, and a few days later she found out that she was no longer queen. Anna did not hide her joy. Of course, the royal servants reported everything to their master. Heinrich was angry, but, nevertheless, he did not inflict a severe reprisal on her, as this could lead to war with Germany. Anna of Klevskaya, who received a palace in Richmond and a huge salary, outlived both her husband, with whom she had been 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 of dubious behavior.

After the wedding, the king seemed to be 20 years younger - tournaments, balls and other entertainment resumed at the court, to which Henry lost interest after the execution of Anne Boleyn. The aged monarch adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, simple-hearted, sincerely loved gifts and rejoiced at them like a child. Heinrich called his Kate "a rose without thorns." However young queen was in no hurry to fulfill her main duty - with the birth royal heirs. In addition, she showed extreme negligence in her actions. As soon as her crowned husband left on business to the north of the country, her former gentleman again began to court her, which the frivolous girl was extremely pleased with. At court, this, of course, did not go unnoticed, and Catherine's enemies immediately took advantage of her weakness. When Heinrich was informed upon his return that his naive Kate was not such a "rose" at all, he was simply taken aback. The reaction of the king was quite unexpected: instead of the usual anger - tears and complaints. Their meaning boiled down to the fact that fate did not give him a happy family life, and all his women either cheat, or die, or are simply disgusting. After weeping to his heart's content, Heinrich, after a brief reflection, made the only right 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 from future wife, promulgated a decree commanding everyone and everyone, if they know about any sins of the royal wife before marriage, to immediately report this to the king, and the girls to confess in advance.

Leeds Castle, near Maidstone in Kent, was a favorite residence of royalty from King Edward I to King Henry VIII. The rare black swans that inhabit its moat were allegedly 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 offered her his hand and heart, from which the poor woman was horrified. And although she had many admirers, it was dangerous and useless to resist. So, at the age of 31, Catherine Parr became the wife of the English monarch. It was the happiest of the wives of Henry VIII. From the first days of her life together with the king, Catherine tried to create for him an atmosphere of peace and homeliness. The special position of this woman was enjoyed by the daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, Princess Elizabeth, with whom she struck up 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 reason with the king on religious issues, sincerely wishing that Henry would stop on the teachings of Luther, for which she almost paid with her head. The king several times decided to arrest Catherine, and each time he refused this step.

IN last years Henry's life 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 were saying about him in order to get out of bed to take revenge on the talkers for insolence and rebelliousness. And only when the first signs of decomposition of the body appeared, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the formidable monarch would not bring harm to anyone else.

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

Jane Seymour (c. 1508 - 1537). She was a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. Heinrich 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, the cannons in the Tower fired two thousand volleys.

Anna of Cleves (Anne Cleves), (1515-1557). Daughter of Johann III of Cleves, sister of the reigning Duke of Cleves. Marriage with her was one of the ways to seal the alliance of Henry, Francis I and the German Protestant princes. As a prerequisite for marriage, Heinrich wished to see the portrait of the bride, for which Hans Holbein Jr. was sent to Kleve. Heinrich liked the portrait, the engagement took place in absentia. But the bride who arrived in England (unlike her portrait) categorically did not like Henry. Although the marriage was concluded 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 pre-existing engagement of Anna with the Duke of Lorraine became the reason. In addition, Heinrich stated that the actual marriage relationship between him and Anna did not work out. Anna remained in England as "the king's sister" and survived 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 mighty 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 was cheating on Henry with Thomas Culpepper. The guilty were executed, after which, on February 13, 1542, the queen herself ascended the scaffold.

Catherine Parr

Catherine Parr (ca. 1512 - 1548). By the time of her marriage to Henry (1543), she had already been widowed twice. At the age of 52, Henry married Katherine Parr. Heinrich 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 Maria to the court. Catherine Parr was a staunch Protestant and did much to promote Henry's new turn towards Protestantism. She was a reformer, he was a conservative, which gave rise to endless religious disputes between spouses. For her views, Henry ordered her to be arrested, but saw her in tears, had mercy and canceled the arrest order, after which Catherine never entered into a dispute with the king. Four years after her marriage 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 death of the queen, her coffin was opened. Eyewitnesses testified to the incredible safety of the body, Catherine's skin did not even lose its natural color. It was then that the queen's lock was cut off, which on January 15, 2008 was put up for auction in London at the Bonhams international auction.

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

Henry VIII from 1525 built his own Hampton Court. Cardinal Wolsey founded this palace in 1514, inspired by the layout of Italian Renaissance palazzos, and the king brought elements of gloomy medieval architecture into architecture, and built a large tennis hall (it is called the oldest tennis court in the world), its curious feature is a maze of area in 60 acres.
Over the next century and a half, Hampton Court remained the main country residence of all English monarchs. King Wilhelm III found the palace not up to modern tastes and suggested to Christopher Wren that it be refurbished in the then fashionable Baroque style.

A 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 off a 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 to live in the palace. TO early XIX century, Hampton Court fell into disrepair, but in the era of romanticism, the chambers of Henry VIII were renovated, and Queen Victoria opened the palace to the general public.

Tall, broad-shouldered Heinrich knew how to suppress any rebellion about his wealth and luxury of receptions were legendary .... He loved hunting, horseback riding and all kinds of tournaments, he was a gambler, he especially liked 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, are inconsistent, until the end of his days he could not decide on his religious views, thanks to which he remains one of the most mysterious figures of the European Middle Ages.

Syon House- the old mansion of the Dukes of Northumberland, according to legend, as a sign of God's anger at the reformer king Henry VIII, the coffin with his body, being left for the night in the ruined briggit abbey, opened by itself. 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 failed attempt Mary Tudor to return the Zion Manor to the Brigittes, the Percy family settled in the palace - the English branch of the ancient Brabant house. For some time, the Duke of Somerset received Anna Stewart, who had quarreled with her sister, at Sion House, and here the future queen had a dead child.

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

Anne Boleyn turned out to be not as accommodating and patient as the rejected Spaniard - Anna was demanding, ambitious and managed to turn very many against herself. The king, fulfilling the whims of his wife, expelled and executed all Anna'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. Heinrich was disappointed.

Portrait with Armada (1588, unknown artist)
The reign of Elizabeth is sometimes called the "golden age of England", both in connection with the flourishing of culture (the so-called "Elizabethians": Shakespeare, Marlowe, Bacon, etc.), and with the increased importance of England on the world stage (the defeat of Invincible Armada, Drake, Reilly, East India Company).

Elizabeth 1 (September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603) was the daughter of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn. After the execution of her mother, the despotic and cruel Henry VIII declared little Elizabeth illegitimate, forbade calling her a princess and kept her away from the capital at the Hatfield estate. However, the fact that Elizabeth was in disgrace benefited her in a certain sense, saving her from the ceremonial fuss and intrigues of the royal court. She could devote more time to education, she was taught by teachers sent from Cambridge. From childhood, she showed great zeal for the sciences, brilliant abilities and an excellent memory. Elizabeth was especially successful in languages: French, Italian, Latin and Greek. It was not about superficial knowledge. Latin, for example, she learned to such an extent that she wrote and spoke fluently in this classical language. Knowledge of languages ​​allowed her subsequently to 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 the same year, she had finished translating from French one of the essays of Queen Margaret of Navarre, and soon translated into Latin, French and Italian the psalms composed by Catherine. In the same year, she was able to do lengthy annotations of the works of Plato, Thomas More, 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 into English the works of this erudite Roman. Since childhood, the book has become a familiar companion of Elizabeth, and this is reflected in her portrait stored in Windsor Castle, painted during her studies.

Towards the end of his reign, Henry restored Elizabeth to the throne, appointing her to reign after her son Edward VI and older sister Mary. In 1549, Thomas Seymour, asking for the hand of Elizabeth. 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 the life of Elizabeth 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 brought to London and imprisoned in the Tower.

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

For two months, while the investigation was going on, 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 should 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 announced her younger sister as her heiress (nearly killing Elizabeth 1 in the Tower). Her long reign began. The unfortunate fate during the reign of her father and sister developed in Elizabeth a firmness of character and judgment, which novice rulers rarely possess. She did not want to break ties with the papacy, nor offend the king of Spain.

Only the tough 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 pure Protestantism. However, her minister Cecile convinced Elizabeth that it would be in the interests of her policy to stick with the reformed church.

Hatfield Palace The most significant example of a Jacobian aristocratic residence that has survived to this day was founded in 1497 by Cardinal John Morton. During the years of 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 things of Elizabeth are preserved in the palace - a pair of gloves, silk stockings, a family tree (up to Adam and Eve) and an "ermine » portrait of the queen by the miniaturist Hilliard.

Indeed, the higher you climb, the harder it is to fall. But bright personalities always remain in history, becoming a source of inspiration.

King Henry VIII Tudor ruled England in the 16th century. He became the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Known for his many marriages, one of them led him to rebel against the Catholic Church, break ties with the papacy, and become head of the Church of England.

The monarch suffered from mental disorders and by the end of his reign did not distinguish where his real political opponents were, and where imaginary ones. After the English Reformation, he made England a Protestant country. His influence on the country is still felt today. The life of the ruler was described in a dozen novels, films and TV shows.

Childhood and youth

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich, England. He became the third child in the family of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. The boy was raised by his grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. She instilled spiritual values ​​in the young monarch, attended masses with him and studied the Bible.

At the age of fifteen, his elder brother, Arthur, died. It was he who was supposed to ascend the throne, but after his death, Henry VIII became the first contender. He received the title of Prince of Wales and began to prepare for the coronation.

His father King Henry VII tried to expand the influence of England and strengthen alliances with neighboring countries, therefore, he insisted that his son marry Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the founders of the Spanish state and the widow of his brother. There is no documented confirmation, but there are rumors that the young man was categorically against this marriage.

Governing body

In 1509, after the death of his father, the seventeen-year-old Henry VIII ascended the throne. For the first two years of his reign, all state affairs were handled by Richard Fox and William Wareham. After them, power passed to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who later became the Lord Chancellor of England. Traditionally, a young king could not rule himself, so while he gained experience and matured, the real power was in the hands of experienced assistants who dealt with important issues even during the reign of the previous king.

In 1512, Henry VIII won the first victory in his biography. He led his fleet on its way to the shores of France. There, the English army defeated the French and returned home with a victory.

In general, the war with France continued until 1525 with varying success. The monarch managed to reach the capital of the enemy country, but soon the military treasury of England was empty, and he had no choice but to conclude a truce. It is worth noting that the king himself often appeared on the battlefield. He was an archer and ordered all his subjects to practice archery for an hour a week.

Domestic politics country was far from ideal. Henry VIII ruined small peasants with his decrees, as a result of which tens of thousands of vagabonds appeared in England. To deal with this problem, the king issued a decree "On vagrancy." Because of him, thousands of former peasants were hanged.

Of course, the most significant contribution to the development of England is the church reform. Due to the disagreement of the Catholic Church with the divorce of the monarch, he completely severed his connection with the papacy. After that, he accused the Pope of Rome - Clement VII of treason.

He also appointed Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury, who easily invalidated the marriage of Henry and Catherine. Soon the king married. He went on to eradicate the Roman Church in England. All temples, cathedrals and churches were closed. All property was confiscated in favor of the state, all priests and preachers were executed, and Bibles not in English were burned. By order of the king, the graves of the saints were opened and plundered.

In 1540, Henry VIII executed Thomas Cromwell, who had been the king's chief reform assistant. After that, he again returned to the Catholic faith and issued the Six Articles Act, which was supported by the Parliament of England. According to the act, all the inhabitants of the kingdom had to bring gifts during the mass, take communion, confess. He obliged spiritual servants to observe the vow of celibacy and other monastic vows. Anyone who disagreed with the act was executed for treason.

After the monarch executed his fifth Catholic wife, he again decided to change the church faith in England. Banned Catholic rites and brought back Protestant ones. The reforms of Henry VIII were inconsistent and illogical, but they managed to create their own, independent of Rome, the English Church.

At the end of his reign, Henry VIII became even more ruthless. Historians say that he had a genetic disease that affected his psyche - made him suspicious, quick-tempered and cruel. He executed everyone who was objectionable to him.

Personal life

The English king was married six times. His first wife was chosen by his father. He divorced Catherine of Aragon, leaving her the title of her brother's widow. The reason for the divorce was that all of Catherine's children died during her pregnancy or immediately after. Only her daughter, Mary, managed to survive, but Henry VIII dreamed of an heir. In 1553, his daughter became the first queen of England, known as Mary the Bloody.

Anne Boleyn became the second wife of the king. She refused to be his mistress, so the monarch decided to divorce Catherine. It was Anna who inspired Henry VIII that the king was responsible only to himself and the crown, and the opinion of the clergy in Rome should not bother him. After that, the king decided to reform.

In 1533, Anna became the legal wife of the head of state. In the same year, the girl was crowned. Exactly nine months after the wedding, Anna gave birth to a daughter to the king. All subsequent pregnancies ended unsuccessfully, and the king became disillusioned with his wife. He accused her of treason and executed her in the spring of 1536.

The next wife of Henry VIII was the maid of honor of Anna -. The wedding took place a week after the execution of the king's second wife. It was Jane who managed to give birth to the long-awaited heir to the monarch in 1537. The Queen died shortly after the birth of her son due to birth complications.

The next marriage was a political move. The English king married Anna of Cleves, daughter of Johann III of Cleves, who was a German duke. Heinrich decided that he wanted to see the girl first and only then make a decision, so he commissioned her portrait.

The appearance of Anna liked the king, and he decided on the wedding. When they met, the monarch did not like the bride at all, and he tried to get rid of his wife as soon as possible. In 1540, the marriage was annulled due to the girl's previous engagement. For the fact that the marriage was unsuccessful, the one who organized it, Thomas Cromwell, was executed.

In the summer of 1540, Henry VIII married his second wife's sister, Catherine Howard. The king fell in love with the girl, but did not know that she had a lover before marriage. With him, she cheated on the monarch even after the wedding. Also, the girl was seen in connection with the page of the head of state. In 1542, Catherine and all those responsible were executed.

sixth and last wife Catherine Parr became king of England. The Englishwoman became a widow twice before her marriage to the monarch. She was a Protestant and her husband persuaded her to her faith. After the death of Henry VIII, she married twice more.

Death

The King of England suffered from a dozen illnesses. Obesity became his main problem. He began to move less, his waist exceeded the volume of 1.5 meters. He moved only with the help of special devices.

During the hunt, Henry was injured, which later became fatal. The doctors healed her, but after a leg injury, an infection got into the wound, and the wound began to grow.

Doctors shrugged and said that the disease was fatal. The wound festered, the king's mood deteriorated, and his despotic inclinations manifested themselves more and more.

He changed his diet - almost completely removed vegetables and fruits, leaving only red meat. Doctors are sure that this is what caused the death of the king on January 28, 1547.

Memory

• 1702 - a statue in the hospital of St. Bartholomew;
• 1911 - the film "Henry VIII";
• 1993 - film " Private life Henry VIII";
• 2003 - series "Henry VIII";
• 2006 - the novel "Inheritance of the Boleyn family";
• 2008 - the film "Another Boleyn Girl";
• 2012 - book "Henry VIII and his six wives: The autobiography of Henry VIII with comments by his jester Will Somers".