King henry VIII and six wives

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King Henry VIII and His Six Wives
King Henry VIII, an ancient ruler of England, and a 17th-century leader in the English Monarchy was instrumental in shaping the Literature of Modern British through his influence and that of his hierarchy. King Henry VIII was considered to be polygamous, having six wives, with each of his wives going through the following transition during their courtship period: Divorced, beheaded, died or survived. King Henry VII primary desire for a constant search for a male heir was to inherit the power bestowed upon him. This driving force was the key factor that leads him to either divorce and beheads his wife for failure to meet his desires. This article focuses on the role King Henry VIII played in history and a brief analysis of his six wives.
According to Shakespeare literature, King Henry VIII had the same characteristics exhibited by King Henry V during his youthful years. King Henry VII main concern was women and courtship, rather than instituting the Monarchial power. King Henry VIII had a liking for arms, armor, swordplay and hunting (Loades 56-58). King Henry VIII loved composing songs and love poems with zeal and passion. Various examples during his reign include Pastime with Good Company. Besides composing songs and love poems, King Henry VIII had a greater enthusiasm for fashion. Moreover, artifacts of the ancient period are still being preserved at the London Museum. For Instance, ancient remains of King Henry VIII suit of armor can be found at Tower of London Museum.

Since King Henry VIII was much focused on courtship, fashion, and composing love poems, the British Empire had to have a ruler who would further the interests of the Commonwealth countries rather than one of those whose concern was taking care of his wives.
King Henry VIII married six times during his reign as England Monarch. First, King Henry VIII’s first wife was Queen Catherine of Aragon. She conceived a daughter who later succeeded the hierarchy as Queen Mary I. Queen Mary I, popularly referred to as Bloody Mary, due to her pronounced affiliation to the Roman Catholic prosecuted Protestant during her reign as The Queen of English Renaissance. During King Henry VIII marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon, the King fell in love with Anne Boleyn. The relationship between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn was intensified to the point of obsession that whoever brought rivalry against Anne Boleyn brought new order to the Kingdom (Johnson N.p). King Henry VIII expressed his desire to legally get divorced to finally court Anne Boleyn.
The intensity of the relationship between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn led to rivalry within the kingdom. Since King Henry VIII was affiliated to the Roman Catholic, he presented his predicament before the Catholic Church. However, the Pope and the Catholic Church clergy declined in granting his wishes. King Henry VIII decision was to break away from the Roman Catholic, a step that resulted in England being a Protestant country. King Henry VIII decision led to a religious revolution within England. The consequences led to the creation of Church of England. Other effects of religious revolution included: the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Religious Reformation. On the Contrary, King Henry VIII decision is believed to have played a part in shaping modern Britain.
King Henry VIII’s Second Wife was Queen Anne Boleyn. Queen Anne Boleyn conceived a beautiful girl who would later be named as Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I succeeded the hierarchy and became a great leader in the history of Britain. But, King Henry VIII was still in search for a male heir, a crown prince, and Anne’s Boleyn stature seems to be demeaning to the throne. Besides, Queen Anne Boleyn developed enemies within the court who wanted to bring her down. Queen Anne Boleyn main accusation was adultery, and an attempt to kill King Henry VIII, and treason. Angered by Queen Anne Boleyn deeds, King Henry VIII decided to court one of the ladies, Jane Seymour, whom he married shortly after brief instinct of dating.
King Henry VIII’s Third wife was Queen Jane Seymour. Queen Jane Seymour finally bore one of the heir of the Crown- Prince Edward VI who succeeded his father. But sadly, Queen Jane Seymour died several days after giving birth to Prince Edward VI. Following the advice of Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII’s advisor, he began to court Anne of Cleves. Anne becomes King Henry VIII’s fourth wife, but the King was not so much attracted to Anne. According to Weir (82), the main reason that resulted to the king not feeling attracted to Anne was her pervasive body odor. Shortly afterward, King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves divorced. Despite the divorce, Anne remained in England and maintained a reputable profile with all including the future Queens.
King Henry VIII’s Fifth wife was Catherine Howard. Catherine Howard was a young attractive, good looking lady who was pushed into marriage by her ambition combined with the constant pressure of her powerful family (“The Wives of King Henry VIII” N.pag). At this stage, the King was aging and hardly the romantic ideal of young love. This was a key factor that diminished King Henry Courtship with Catherine Howard. Queen Katherine Parr, the sixth wife, was well educated, an excellent writer, with keen intelligence, and excellent social, moral qualities. Queen Katherine Parr maintained the bad temper of King Henry VIII and rejuvenated the courtship life. Through her charisma, kindness and the fact that she was sweet-tempered ensured that the children of the King Henry VIII loved her so much.
After King Henry VIII had died, he was succeeded by Prince Edward VI. The leadership of Prince Edward VI didn’t last long. Therefore he was succeeded by Queen Mary I. Queen Mary I, a staunch Roman Catholic, married Philip II of Spain. This resulted in many conspiracies within the English Monarchy. Queen Mary, I didn’t trust anyone in her authority and was even suspicious of her subjects including Elizabeth – her sister. This resulted in the Wyatt rebellion under the leadership of Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger, son of Poet Thomas Wyatt. It is believed that Elizabeth was the mastermind behind the Wyatt rebellion. Elizabeth was taken to the tower of England and wrote many letters to her sister, Queen Mary I declaring her innocence (Weir 132). Eventually, Lady Elizabeth was freed, but Sir Thomas Wyatt suffered a traitor’s death.
After a few years, Queen Mary I died due to ovarian cancer. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth, I succeeded her as Queen Regnant. Under her leadership, the English Monarchy came to full bloom with the rise of art and literature. Furthermore, during her reign literature gained shining stars such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Queen Elizabeth is considered to have played a role in the advancement of literature.
This article focused on the role King Henry VIII played in the England monarch during his reign. Furthermore, the research paper provides a brief history of his wives and roles they played in shaping the modern Britain. Besides, the actions of King Henry VIII and his wives led to revolutions which resulted in the rise of Protestantism in England as also discussed within the paper.

Work Cited
“National Geographic Kids | The Wives Of King Henry VIII”. Ngkids.co.uk. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Johnson, Ben. “Henry VIII, King Of England And His Six Wives”. Historic-uk.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Loades, David M. The Six Wives of Henry Viii. Stroud: Amberley, 2014. Print.
Weir, Alison. The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. 1st ed. New York: Grove Press, 1991. Print.