Henry's wife 8. King of England from the Tudor dynasty and his wife

King of England Henry 8 is one of the most famous and, perhaps, controversial rulers in the history of this country. On the one hand, he strongly strengthened the government, helped strengthen the state, but it was the years of his rule that were marked by executions, intrigues and the reorganization of the religious and social system.

General characteristic of the reign

The 16th century was the time of strengthening the authority of the center in England. The predecessor of this king made a lot of efforts in order to provide support for his authority. In part, he succeeded, but the need to continue the reforms was obvious. This was also explained by the fact that the state did not fully recover after the bloody civil war, which became a serious crisis. Under these conditions, the new King of England Henry entered the throne.

His main and paramount task was to provide a social base for his power. At first he supported Catholicism, the Pope and Austrian Habsburgs, marrying the aunt of Emperor Charles V. However, very soon he changed the course of his policy. Needing the inner support of the British nobility, he went on extremely radical measures, namely, the confiscation of monastic property and lands, which initiated the reformation in the country.

Family crisis and break with Rome

The first wife of Henry 8 was the aunt's aunt of the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs. She was several years his senior and did not give him male offspring. This was the reason for the king's desire to marry again: the country needed an heir to the throne. An important factor was played by the personal factor: the ruler fell in love with the queen's maid of honor, which demanded a legal marriage. All of the above reasons led to the fact that he asked the Pope for permission to divorce. However, the latter refused, largely because he was influenced by Charles V, who, of course, was not interested in the divorce of the English monarch with his blood relative. Then the king went on an open break with Rome, declaring himself the head of the church. He divorced his wife and married again.

Second marriage

Henry's new wife, 8 Anna became queen, but this alliance ended tragically for her. Initially, the spouses were in agreement, but the fact is that very soon the king found himself a new favorite, on which he subsequently married and who bore him the long-awaited heir. Literally a few years later, the young queen was accused of adultery and executed in the Tower. Her daughter Elizabeth later became Queen of England, and it was during her reign Anna Boleyn was fully rehabilitated.

Next marriage

The third wife of the king was Jane Seymour, who comes from a noble family of nobles. The monarch was carried away by her in the years of her marriage with Anna. He was already then openly take care of her, which provoked the anger and resentment of the wife. Immediately after her execution, he married his new favorite, proclaiming her the new queen. Henry's wife 8, unlike her predecessor, had a quiet and calm disposition and did not interfere in the affairs of politics and government. Only once she stood up for the participants of the Pious pilgrimage, an uprising that occurred due to the break of the monarch with the Catholic Church. She was gentle, pious, and sympathized with the disgraced princess Maria. The young queen liked everyone at the court, and only the Protestants were unhappy, fearing that she would approve the monarch's policy of reformation. However, Jane Seymour cared only about giving birth to the husband of the heir, which she did, but she herself died of a childbirth fever in a few days. She remained the beloved wife of the ruler, who bequeathed to bury herself next to her.

Torn marriage

The fourth wife of Henry 8 was the daughter of the Duke of Cleves. She was a Protestant, and therefore followers of the new religion counted on this marriage, hoping that the new queen would support them. Engagement took place in advance, and according to the description of the approximate king, the new bride was his good choice. Anna Klevskaya won the favor of the ambassadors, who assured their ruler that he made a worthy choice. The monarch himself decided to know in advance what his future spouse is, who has already arrived in the country. Soon, under the guise of a private person, the monarch arrived there as well. He talked with the princess for several hours, but she was very unhappy with her. All his anger he brought down on the ambassador who arranged this marriage. After some time, lawyers, despite the fact that the marriage contract was already signed, managed to terminate the engagement. Anna Klevskaya remained in the country as the beloved sister of the king, who gave her generous content and even visited her, having managed to find a common language with her.

The following marriages

Henry's wife 8, the fifth under the account, was the first cousin to the second wife of the king. She suffered the same fate, although at first marriage seemed successful. Young Queen Catherine Howard was a kind, but very simple-minded woman. So, she admitted to the court of her former favorites. In addition, her uncle had many enemies who sought to undermine his influence at court. Soon there was evidence against the young woman, it turned out that she had been engaged before. She was accused of marital infidelity, which was then equated with a state crime. She was arrested and executed in the Tower.

The last wife of the king was Catherine Parr. She turned out to be a very smart woman. She showed remarkable diplomacy, seeking to enlist the support of relatives and close associates of her husband. And she succeeded. She had very good, almost friendly relations with Princess Elizabeth. She also succeeded in placing her heir, little Edward, in his side, although at first he was extremely unwilling to his new stepmother. And only with the elder daughter of the king, Maria, there was no friendly relationship. The monarch was still extremely suspicious and often rushed to arrest his wife, but each time postponed his decision. Perhaps, it contributed to the fact that his health was rapidly deteriorating. So, Catherine Parr was the only wife of the king, who escaped death and survived it.

Evaluation of family life

Such crises of the family life of the king became the object of close attention of scientists, historians, writers and composers. Many sought the reason for this behavior in the character of the king. In fact, the monarch's temper was quick-tempered and steep. But it is also certain that such crises were the result of a fierce court struggle for power, when each group sought to retain its influence and position. Therefore, Henry 8 and his 6 wives became the subject of close research of specialists. Undoubtedly, the cause of such problems should also be sought in the internal political crisis, which was associated with the reformation, a break with the Catholic Church and a change in the foreign policy course. Many view the family life of the king not only in the context of changes in his character, but also in a broader sense, namely in the context of opposing the Catholic and Protestant parties at the royal court. Thus, the reign of Henry 8, in addition to strengthening the authority of the center, was marked by serious internal political complications.

Successors of the ruler

After the death of the monarch, his son Edward began to rule , 6 who was extremely weak in health. In fact, with him regents were his relatives, representatives of the Protestant party. Therefore, for some time the positions of her adherents remained firm, but soon the young monarch died, and the throne took the daughter of Henry 8 from his first wife. She was Catholic and during the reign she began to restore the position of the Roman church. During this time the Protestants were persecuted, many were dissatisfied with the policy of the new queen, who married a Spanish monarch of Catholic faith. However, after her death, Protestant noblemen enthroned another daughter of the late monarch. Her mother was Anna Boleyn, but this did not stop the choice. The fact is that Elizabeth supported the supporters of the new faith. During the reign of her reign, the position of the Church of England strengthened. Moreover, she adopted a law according to which the new dogma became state. With it, the final formulation of the social and political system that began to form with its two successors took place.

Period value

In the history of England, this era played a decisive role. In these several decades, the royal government was formed, based on the new nobility, which was confiscated from the monasteries of the earth. This nobility became the mainstay of the English throne. The rulers, beginning with Henry 8, created that system of administrative management, which formed the basis of the socio-political system of the state. In addition, during the reign of Elizabeth I there was a flourishing of English culture. The queen herself patronized poets, writers, and cultural figures. With it, a national English theater was formed, which subsequently gained worldwide fame.

During the reign of this queen, England expanded its sphere of influence. A vivid example is the world tour of F. Drake. Also, diplomatic relations with Russia were established. The era of the reign of this queen is one of the leading places in the history not only of England, but of the entire early European new age in general.

Images in culture

Henry 8, his wives and coming successors became the object of artistic creativity of writers, composers, directors. One of the most famous novels about this time is the work of M. Twain "The Prince and the Pauper", where the protagonist is the son of the king, who accidentally switched places with a poor boy, very similar to him. The value of the novel lies in the fact that the English reality of the 16th century is very vividly and expressively described. Fame novel writer D. Plady "Sixth wife of Henry 8". This composition is distinguished by a dynamic and intriguing plot, interesting characters and original composition.

In music

In classical music, these images also found their expression. For example, the world famous is the composition of the Italian composer G. Donizetti "Anna Boleyn." The same author owns the opera Elizabeth, which is no less popular. It is significant that the Italian composer became interested in the plot of English history. This indicates the great popularity of these stories in European culture.

To the cinema

Time of dynasty rule attracts modern directors. As an example, you can cite the film "Another of the Kind of Boleyn", which occupies a prominent place in the cinema. Famous English serial, dedicated to the years of her reign. All the characters in it are real; For example, the heroine of one of the first series is Catherine of Aragon. "Tudors" became a very famous series, which clearly demonstrates the public's interest in the epoch in question. One of the most famous films is the picture "Elizabeth. Golden age". It is very colorful recreated the era of the reign of this queen. The reason for this interest is that the time under study was a transitional period in the history of England and of European history as a whole. It was then that the institution of royal power and the national identity of states and countries were formed.