Katherine of Aragon (mother of Queen 'Bloody' Mary) was a loving and devoted wife to Henry for 24 years. When he ultimately cast her aside in hopes of finding a more fruitful wife (one who would provide him with a male heir, which Katherine had failed to do), she firmly maintained that she was the King's true wife, the Queen, and always would be. For the rest of her life, she never permitted anyone to call her anything but 'Queen', even though she lived out her last miserable years in a dank, unhealthy estate, with insufficient resources.

Anne Boleyn (mother of Queen Elizabeth I) was an outspoken and ambitious young woman, originally one of Katherine's waiting women. She caught the King's attention and Henry developed an overwhelming passion for her. His desire to rid himself of Katherine and marry Anne ultimately led the King to break with the Roman Catholic Church, something scandalous and unthinkable to most of his contemporaries. Unfortunately for her, Anne lacked sufficient discretion, and her political oponents found it all too easy to lay upon her false accusations that would result in her execution.

Henry once said that he loved Jane Seymour best of all his wives, perhaps because she succeeded where his other wives had failed - she gave Henry his heir, Edward VI. But Jane, much loved by many Englanders, did not occupy the position of Queen for long. Shortly after the birth of her son, she succumbed to infection and died. Henry remembered her as his favorite for the rest of his life, and ordered that he be buried at her side when he died.

Anne of Cleves, the shortest-lasting of Henry's Queens, was ultimately the most successful of the six women. Henry arranged to marry the German princess based solely on seeing one portrait of her. This portrait, however, had exaggerated her appearance, and when the King saw his new wife he was repulsed. He immediately sought a way out of the marriage. Anne could have faced a grimmer fate, except that she was cheerfully compliant where Katherine had been stubborn. The marriage was annulled with ease and the King, grateful for her cooperation, provided Anne with property, funds, and a title as his honorary sister.

Henry's next wife was not so fortunate. Katherine Howard was was only a young girl when she married the King, who thought of her as 'a rose without a thorn.' In Katherine, he found a way to recapture his youth. But Katherine was young and silly, and worst of all, sexually promiscuous. When the king found out, he was shattered, and Katherine soon followed in the footsteps of her predecessor and cousin, Anne Boleyn, and was executed before the age of 17.

Katherine Parr, Henry's sixth and final wife, served a different function than those who had come before her. By this time the aging King was in failing health and exceedingly fat. Katherine became more of a nursemaid for him, as well as a companion with whom he could converse. Within a few years, the King died, leaving Katherine a widow, free and in charge of her own fate. She re-married and had a daughter by her new husband, but died shortly afterward.

The book is long, but well worth the read. Weir has done an extraordinary job of introducing us to these vibrant, diverse women. The book is full of information, facts, quotes - but the writing is very digestible and flows smoothly. Henry's first two wives are given the most attention - Katherine because she lasted the longest, and Anne because she has been saddled with such an infamous reputation. The other wives are not described in so much detail, but we still get to know them quite well. Weir takes us through the entire lives of these women, from their childhood and time before marrying the king, through the ends of their lives (which, in the cases of Anne of Cleves and Katherine Parr, extended beyond the King's own death).

Included in the book are several black and white images - mostly paintings of Henry, his family, his advisors, and of course, his wives. I would have liked to see these printed in color, but they are nice enough as is. At the back of the book, Weir has included genealogical tables of England's royal dynasties, the Tudor family, and each of Henry's wives. This is an extremely helpful reference for keeping track of the connections between various nobles that involved in the lives of the King and the women he married. 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' was a great read, and I would highly recommend it.


A Superb Composite Biography Of The 6 Women Who Married Henry VIII   July 15, 2005
 49 out of 49 found this review helpful

I love English history, especially the period from King Edward IV's reign through the Tudor's. Henry VIII was one of the most powerful monarchs in British history, who ruled England in unprecedented splendor. He has long been one of my favorite historical characters, as have three of his six wives, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr. For better and for worse, he was certainly a larger than life figure. (quite literally so - at his death, he was obese). I know of very few fictional personages who are as complex and fascinating as this man, (and the women who attracted him). Born to Elizabeth of York and King Henry VII on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. Henry was a second son and not expected to rule. But rule he did. He became heir to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in 1502, and succeeded in 1509. Sir Thomas More once said of him, "If a lion knew his strength, it were hard for any man to hold him."

Henry was highly intelligent, and, as a youth, quite athletic. Described by a contemporary: "He speaks good French, Latin and Spanish; is very religious; heard three masses daily when he hunted ... He is extremely fond of hunting, and never takes that diversion without tiring eight or ten horses ... He is also fond of tennis." He wrote books and composed music, and was a lavish patron of the arts. As the author of a best-selling book, which went through 20 editions in England and Europe, attacking Martin Luther and supporting the Roman Catholic Church, Henry was given the title "Defender of the Faith" in 1521 by the Pope.

"The second half of Henry's reign was dominated by two major issues, very important for the future of England and the monarchy: the succession and the Protestant Reformation, which led to the formation of the Church of England." Women and the role they played in the King's life, impacted many of his policies and actions - but the Protestant Reformation and the succession, in particular, had their roots in Henry's relationships with women. He was perhaps England's most infamous monarch, especially when it came to matters of lust, love, marriage, and the unusually cruel and ruthless ways he invented to terminate soured relationships. He was married to six distinctly different women. Author Alison Weir chronicles Henry VIII's metamorphosis from vibrant young prince to despotic, paranoid old king through his marital history, in this richly detailed and meticulously researched composite biography. She has used many public records, diaries, diplomatic sources, and personal letters of the early 1500's to offer a comprehensive, factual version of the private and public lives of Henry VIII and his wives.

Ms. Weir writes, with great elegance, wit and insight, about each of the women, and how their lives impacted their times and history. She also describes each of these complex women, their unique characters as individuals, (not just as consorts to a king), their motivations and ambitions. She outlines their ascent and decline, and how they related to one another, their peers and families...and to their husband.

Catherine of Aragon dominates the first part of the book, but that is to be expected. She was married to Henry for 24 years, and prior to their marriage, she was wed to his older brother Arthur, a cause for future problems for the realm and much heartbreak for Catherine. Queen Catherine is portrayed most sympathetically, and that is my inclination also. She was a noble lady, raised to serve as Queen, who loved her husband, almost as much as she loved God and the Catholic Church. I have always wondered how Henry's character, his country and history would have changed if Catherine had born him a healthy son. One of the most poignant sentences in history, is one of Catherine's last. As she lay dying, she dictated a letter to the husband who had so ruthlessly abandoned her. She bid her scribe to write: "Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things. Farewell."

Anne Boleyn was an extremely well-educated, and very independent young woman, especially given the times. And Henry was obsessed with the idea of possessing her. Anne played his obsession to the hilt. Her complex and ambitious nature, as well as the politics of her downfall, are portrayed with great skill by Ms. Weir. Anne never bore Henry his longed for son, but she was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, a truly great monarch.

Poor Jane Seymour's mild manner was a temporary, but welcome, relief to Henry after his relationship with and marriage to Anne. However Queen Jane's narrative is brief, as was her life. She died after birthing Henry's only living son. Henry once said that he loved Jane Seymour best of all his wives, (she never really argued with him or expressed differing points of view), and he was buried by her side.

Anne of Cleves, perhaps the most politically astute of Henry's wives, certainly the one with the best survival skills, was thrilled to be cast-off and allowed to keep her head.

Unfortunately, the naive and beautiful Katherine Howard, Henry's "blushing rose without a thorn" went the way of Anne Boleyn, because of promiscuity, lack of savvy, and church politics.

And Catherine Parr, a woman of extraordinary intellect, was one of only eight women whose writings were published during the reign of Henry and his father. She was fortunate to become aware of a plot against her before she met the same end as Queens Anne and Katherine.

As a backdrop to these personal dramas and matters of state, the author draws a lavish portrait of court life with its moral and political intrigues. She details the struggle for international power, and clearly explains England's break with Rome and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

This is a superb and very readable history, that has been meticulously researched. I have read three histories of King Henry VIII, his reign and his wives, and this is by far the best. I highly recommend it.
JANA


Magnificent history - reads like a great novel   September 2, 2003
 26 out of 26 found this review helpful

Alsion Weir is a very talented writer, who certainly knows her stuff when it comes to Tudor history. When we read this book, we come to understand the forces of the dynasty that created the man who would become the great Henry the Eighth, and the needs of his kingdom that drove his obsession to sire a son.

History has tended to relegate Henry's wives into some simplistic catergories - Catherine of Aragon as the dowdy hard done by cast-off; infamous Anne Boleyn as a woman who played for high stakes and lost; and sweet Jane Seymour, who gave Henry his son but sadly died. Then there were the other three wives who somehow never seemed so fascinating, and as such have had much less of the limelight. But never were there six more different women, and each has made their impact on history in a number of different ways.

Alsion Weir has written this book with such richness and attention to detail, that at times you forget that you are reading non-fiction and get swept away in the fervour that can come with a great novel. But never has the imagination given an author such rich fodder as Henry and his love life, and his increasing desperation to sire more children as he got older. The six women that graced his life so so long or for such a short period of time are well defined, and we come to care for all of them as the book progresses. We come to understand their wishes and desires, and we feel sorrow for them as we see that frequently they were only pawns in the great dynastic chess game of the time. And of course we catch a glimpse of the other Tudors - the deeply religious Mary, who was forever scarred by her mother's treatment; Edward who was manipulated by his mother's family, and finally Elizabeth, who grew up branded a bastard and for many years feared the retribution that may have followed her mother's fall from favour.

Not only is this a really great read, it is also a meticulously researched and presented reference book, one which will be treasured for many years to come.


From A Teen's Perspective   February 25, 2000
 19 out of 24 found this review helpful

I have one word to say-WOW! I am thirteen years old and last November my family took a trip to London over Thanksgiving break. While in Westminster Abbey's gift shop, I noticed this book about Henry's the Eighth's wives. The book looked HUGE and I jokingly told my brother I was going to read it. I started looking at it and it looked so interesting I really did end up buying it. Once I got started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I had heard about a King named Henry with six wives before, but this book completely changed my view of him AND his wives. Weir shows us their thoughts and feelings and brings every character to life. After reading the book, I reccomended it to my best friend's mother, who read it and loved it also. After reading it, I began to look for more books on the Tudor period in Great Britain and have become an absolute fanatic on the subject. I learned more from this one book than from all my other history classes combined!


The other halves of Henry the Eighth   January 2, 2003
 17 out of 20 found this review helpful

In this excellent, thoroughly researched and well-presented history, Alison Weir brings us up close and personal to six women who shared the life of one of England's greatest kings. From his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess to whom he was happily married for 24 years until her failure to produce a male heir to the throne led him to throw her on the dump heap, to Catherine Parr, who managed to survive his temperamental outbursts and suspicion and who ultimately buried him, Weir shows us these women not only as queens and consorts, but as women with distinct personalities and characteristics which helped some to survive while dooming others. The first two wives are presented in greatest detail; we see Catherine of Aragon, devoutly Catholic, not only suffering private agony as a soon-to-be discarded wife about to be thrown over for a younger and more attractive woman, but genuinely concerned that Henry is jeopardizing his immortal soul by divorce and remarriage; and Anne Boleyn, whose one great accomplishment was producing the greatest monarch in English history, Elizabeth I; headstrong, devious, fatally impulsive, rising out of nowhere to the pinnacle of success and ending her days on the execution block. In shorter chapters we also see Jane Seymour, the great love of Henry's life, giving him his only son and dying tragically young; his rebound marriage to Anne of Cleves, whom he loathed at first sight, dumping her for Catherine Howard, a teenage airhead who lost her head on the block for adultery right under the king's nose; and Catherine Parr, amiable, level-headed, sensible enough to put up with the aging king's increasing suspicion and cruelty by keeping a low profile, and ultimately, along with Anne of Cleves, surviving him. In fact, for this reader the most interesting of the six wives was Anne of Cleves, generally dismissed in the history books as a klutz with a passing resemblance to a horse, whose only crime was succeeding Henry's most beloved consort. Anne may not have been a raving beauty, but it's to Henry's discredit that he was unable to appreciate her as a gracious, good-natured, sensible woman, a good stepmother to his three children. Well regarded and respected by the extended royal family, she ended her days as the most successful of the six wives, rich, independent, and generally content. Weir brings 16th century England vibrantly to life, through the lives of these six remarkable women.