6.1.1. The habit of marrying King Henry VIII The thirty-eighth king of England and the second English monarch from the Tudor dynasty - Henry VIII - was born in 1491. He was the son of Henry VII and in the Russian manner could be called Heinrich Genrikhovich. Henry VIII became king at eighteen

Known for his numerous marriages, Henry VIII, King of England (1491-1547) was nevertheless a very enlightened ruler for his time, so professional historians tend to view him as a reformer and polygamist.

In the pantheon of British monarchs, Henry (ruled the country from 1509 to 1547) represents the Tudor royal family. Younger son The first of the Tudors, Henry VII, this king in his first marriage was content with the wife Catherine of Aragon who passed on to him from his elder brother Arthur.

Arthur turned out to be unable to conduct the affairs of the state, was bedridden and practically did not touch his wife.

Therefore, when he died of a fever in 1502, an agreement was concluded between the courts of England and Spain, with the greatest permission of Pope Julius II, for the second marriage of the Spanish princess. Thus began the history of Henry 8’s marriages, in which wives replaced each other.

Enlightened mind, selfish disposition

Unlike his brother, Henry 8 had excellent health and excellent physique, was known in England as a wonderful horseman and an accurate archer. Therefore, his coronation aroused joyful hopes among the royal circle.

Henry was the direct opposite of his melancholy and sickly father. Therefore, from the very beginning of his reign, the capital of England became a place where noisy balls, cheerful masquerades and numerous tournaments replaced each other at the court.

Despite the exorbitant expenses, Henry 8 was loved by the public. He had a free and enlightened mind, spoke Spanish, Italian, French and Latin, and among musical instruments he adored the lute.

Unfortunately, like any other king, he was vicious and despotic, and his selfishness and selfishness knew no bounds.

However, Henry was lazy in carrying out his royal affairs, and always entrusted their execution to his favorites.

First lessons of political games

The new British king received his first political baptism in 1513, when the German Emperor Maximilian and his daughter Margaret involved English troops in a conflict with France. Henry8 invaded the enemy's possessions, and the siege of Terouan-ni followed.

Meanwhile, the German troops, united in one effort with the combat units of England, won a victory at Gingat, and Henry8 took possession of Tournai. However, the very next year of hostilities, his German ally, in agreement with Ferdinand of Spain, betrayed the British king and signed peace with Louis XII.

The unbalanced and impulsive king of England fell into anger, but immediately initiated the Anglo-French negotiations, marrying his sister Mary to the monarch of France.

After such an object lesson, Henry 8 perfectly grasped the very essence of politics, and from then on treachery became distinctive feature this king.

Contrary to Christian morality. Ann Bolein

Henry used the same methods in theology. In 1522, the pope received a pamphlet he had written, where the reformers were criticized. However, the king soon “changed his shoes”: for 20 years of marriage, Catherine did not give birth to an heir, several illegitimate children of Henry 8 could not lay claim to the throne, and by that time, Catherine’s maid of honor Anna Boleyn had become the subject of the king’s passion.

Contrary to the norms of Christian morality, without the permission of the pope, Henry divorced, at the same time declaring himself the head of the British church.

He initiated the adoption by Parliament of a number of resolutions, according to which England broke ties with the Roman Church.

Having assumed the rights of the head of the Church of Britain, Henry 8 appoints Thomas Cranmer to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury (1533). A few months later, grateful for his appointment, Cranmer announces that the king’s marriage alliance no longer has legal force.

It only took a few days for the loving and full-of-life Henry 8 to crown Anne Boleyn, adding her to the list, which will henceforth include more and more new wives.

Official Rome tried to object to such blasphemy. However, the treacherous Henry, in defiance of such discontent, declared that his first marriage was invalid, and not only deprived his legitimate daughter Maria of all rights to the throne, but also imprisoned him in a monastery.

Repressions and new political games

It is clear that many in England did not approve of such actions. However, Henry 8 undertook repressions unprecedented at that time against the oppositionists, the result of which was the subordination of the English clergy to the morals of the king.

One of the results of such “purges” was Cromwell’s actions against the opposition from among the monastic orders. Acting on behalf of Henry, he insisted that English monks took a new oath- recognizing the supremacy of the king as the head of the national church and at the same time refusing obedience to Rome.

As expected, the monastic orders began to resist, their leaders were hanged, and as a result a document appeared transferring their property to the state (1536).

Moreover, we were talking about a fairly substantial share of property, which was previously owned by 376 monasteries, and now passed into the possession of Henry 8.

Execution of the adulterous Anna. Marry Jane Seymour

At the same time, significant changes have emerged on the love front for the aging monarch of England. Anne Boleyn did not manage to stay on the throne for long.

Moreover, the reason for this was frivolous behavior, incompatible with the status of the wife of Henry 8. Almost immediately, as soon as the wedding took place, The new queen has attracted young fans. This did not escape the attention of the suspicious Heinrich, who, in turn, retained less and less affection for his half, and then became completely carried away by the new woman.

Now all the attention of the first person of England was attracted by the beauty Jane Seymour. And Anna’s indiscretion at the tournament in May 1536 became the last straw patience of Henry 8 (or maybe this was the reason he was looking for for the final break).

The king's wife, who was sitting in the royal box, dropped her handkerchief, and the handsome courtier Norris, who was passing by, picked it up from the ground, and did this so imprudently that this act caught the eye of her husband.

The enraged Henry the very next day sanctioned the arrests of his wife, her brother Lord Rochester and several of Anne's suitors, who were suspected of committing adultery with her.

All this was presented as a secret plot to overthrow the king, as well as behavior incompatible with the name of the queen.

As a result of torture and interrogation, in particular, of the musician Smithton (he amused the queen by playing Henry's favorite instrument, the lute), evidence incriminating Anna was obtained. Twenty peers gathered at a meeting of the commission of inquiry on May 17, who found her guilty and decided to put her to death.

Three days later the sentence was carried out, and the cheerful Henry 8 married Jane Seymour the very next day. According to contemporaries, she remained in memory as a quiet, meek, submissive girl, who needed the crown least of all in her life.

The king's happiness was short-lived; 15 months later England said goodbye to Jane, who died, but managed to give birth to Henry's heir son Edward.

Reformism. Anna Klevskaya

Now the king began to understand that, having declared himself the first clergyman of England, he must carry out reforms in church teaching. The year 1536 was fateful for the British Catholic system.

Two years later, Henry 8 carried out the alienation in favor of the state of property that previously belonged to large monasteries. Money poured into the treasury like a wide river, and the king strengthened his fleet and ground forces at their expense.

In addition, the borders of England and Ireland were fortified with harbors and fortresses.

Thus, by starting the reformation of the church, Henry thereby laid a solid foundation for the future power of England.

The reforms were so severe that during the last 17 years of the king’s stay on the throne, his courtiers executed him, burned him or rotted in orderly prisons. 70 thousand disobedient church workers.

At the same time, the despot began to think about a fourth marriage. The list, which included his wives, was replenished with Anna, daughter of the Duke of Cleves (the marriage treaty was signed in 1539).

However, having previously known her only from her portrait, Henry 8 was disappointed in his choice: new Anna turned out to be a “Flemish mare”. He was married to her on January 6, 1540, and on July 9 a divorce followed: they say that the bride he got was not a virgin.

They did not execute Henry’s next passion; they gave him a good allowance and rewarded him with an estate.

Catherine Gotward and Catherine Parr

And by that time, the resilient Henry 8 was already in love again: Katherine Gotward became the next candidate for his wife. Despite the 30-year age difference, the king married her as soon as 3 weeks had passed since his divorce from “Anna number two.”

Alas, this time too, Henry’s wife (the fifth in a row) turned out to be of very frivolous behavior.

The evidence of betrayal presented to him was so upsetting that the monarch sobbed right during the meeting of the council that had gathered on this occasion.

The traitor was beheaded in February 1542, and a year and a half later... England learned about the new marriage of its monarch. This time the object of his interest was the 30-year-old widow Catherine Parr.

For Henry it was a quiet haven in which he could calmly meet old age. Unfortunately, the new lifestyle did not benefit him, and he died of obesity, unable to walk independently.

The colorful figure of the English king Henry VIII Tudor (1491-1547) has long attracted the attention of not only educated readers, professional historians and writers, but also psychiatrists and physicians. The task of unraveling this most colorful personality of the 16th century is too attractive. Perhaps science has finally come closer to revealing the secrets of the English monarch, famous for his polygamy and the Reformation, which ended in a quarrel with the Pope and the proclamation of Henry as the head of the Anglican Church.

Henry VIII Tudor

In 1993, Oxford historian Vivian Hubert Howard Green’s book “Mad Kings” was published, where in the chapter dedicated to Henry (“Big Harry”), there is the following conclusion: “Whereas, obviously, it would be absurd assert that the personality of Henry VIII displays the disturbed genes of the mad French king, and shows signs of mental and emotional imbalance." The author implies that big Harry was the great-great-grandson of the schizophrenic French king Charles VI. So, maybe all the shortcomings are not in the genes, but in the blood? As Goethe rightly noted, “blood is a juice of a very special nature.”

Eighteen years later his colleagues published in the Cambridge Historical Bulletin Historical Journal the results of your research. Bioarchaeologist Catrina Banks Whitley, a graduate student at Southern Methodist University (USA), and anthropologist Kyra Kramer argue that the repeated miscarriages that occurred among the king's wives could be due to what is in the king's blood. contained Kell antigen.

Let me remind you that Kell antigens (or Kell factors) are proteins found on the surface of red blood cells. There are about 24 of them, but the two most common are K and k. Moreover, almost all people have the latter, but the first is less common. Accordingly, depending on the presence or absence of it, people can be divided into three blood groups: Kell-positive (KK), Kell-neutral (Kk) and Kell-negative (kk). Among Europeans, representatives of the latter group are more common, but neutral and positive “Kellians” are extremely rare (according to some sources, there are only nine percent of them).

In principle, a woman who has only a negative Kell antigen in her blood can give birth to a healthy child from a man with a positive Kell antigen. However, during her first pregnancy, her body produces antibodies, which during subsequent pregnancies enter the placenta and attack the fetus with a positive Kell antigen. As a result, babies may suffer from excess tissue fluid, anemia, jaundice, an enlarged spleen or heart failure, often leading to miscarriage between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Here you go" blue blood"monarch!

Catherine of Aragon was five years older than her husband. Their first child, a daughter, was stillborn. The second child, Henry, Prince of Wales, born in 1511, lived for seven weeks. The remaining four children were either stillborn or died immediately after birth. The only surviving child was Mary, born in 1516. She became Queen of England in 1553 and remained in history under the nickname Bloody.

They tried to explain the premature birth as a mental shock caused by the deterioration of relations between Henry and the queen's father. Allegedly, the monarch endlessly reproached Catherine for the betrayal of King Ferdinand of Aragon and “vented his discontent on her.”

In 1518, one of his wife's ladies-in-waiting, Elizabeth Blount, bore him a son, later Duke of Richmond. She was succeeded by Mary Boleyn, and then by her sister Anne, a sophisticated and well-read lady who “radiated sex.” It was the marriage with Anne Boleyn that became the reason for the “divorce” from the throne of St. Peter. The Pope did not grant a divorce to the lustful English autocrat from the legitimate Spanish princess. Being a stronghold of Catholicism, Henry personally wrote sharp objections to Luther's teachings. The English monarch rebelled against the dictates of Rome only after the pontiff refused to sanction his second marriage.

On January 29, 1536, Anna miscarried a male infant. It was even suggested that the fetus was probably a freak. Henry allowed himself to be convinced that Anna had bewitched him in order to marry her. Boleyn, in turn, explained the miscarriage by the shock she experienced at the news she received about Henry's fall at the knightly tournament. Anna was worried not only for her husband’s life, but also because her husband loved not her, but his new passion, Jane Seymour.

If Henry was also sick with McLeod's syndrome, then this is the reason for the dramatic physical and psychological changes in the physical and moral appearance of Henry VIII. McLeod syndrome is a genetic disease characteristic of people with a positive K antigen, affecting the X chromosome. This disease is typical for men and appears from the age of 40. Accompanied by symptoms such as heart disease, movement disorders and underlying psychological symptoms, including paranoia and weakened mental abilities.

IN written sources There is no information available about other symptoms that would be consistent with McLeod syndrome. There is no data on long-term muscle contractions(tics, spasms, or convulsions) or abnormal increases in muscle activity (hyperfunction). However, scientists believe that significant psychological metamorphoses also speak in favor of their diagnosis: Henry's mental and emotional instability increased significantly in the years before his death. Researchers tend to diagnose it as psychosis.

In the early years of his reign (Henry was anointed king in 1509), the second of the Tudors on the throne was distinguished by his handsome appearance, enormous energy and endowed with charisma. Humanists had high hopes for this versatile educated man, a brilliant athlete and player, as well as a gifted musician. Henry's ill health was later attributed to poor nutrition, which resulted in him developing scurvy and scurvy. In the 1540s, the king had already gained so much weight that he could not go up and down the stairs and had to be lifted and lowered using special devices.

“He ate too much meat, often with spices or pickles in winter, too little fruit and fresh vegetables, and therefore suffered from an acute deficiency of ascorbic acid or vitamin C,” stated Vivian Green. “It seems that the features of his illness are quite consistent with the characteristic symptoms of scurvy : ulceration of the leg with rapidly spreading tumors, pain and wounds, bad breath, fatigue, difficulty walking, shortness of breath, swelling, red complexion, irritability and depression And yet Henry was certainly not the only one of his contemporaries who was ill. due to poor nutrition."

It was also assumed that Henry VIII had diabetes, syphilis and extensive gout. However, all these diagnoses are unproven. Neither he nor his children showed signs of syphilis, and there is no mention in the records of the use of then-current drugs against this venereal disease, such as mercury.

Did not have time wide circles the public to get acquainted with the results of the study of two American women, as criticism against them was not long in coming. Retha Warnicke of Arizona State University, author of The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Trial of Henry VIII, said that without analysis of genetic material there is hardly any chance of finding out the truth.

The large number of miscarriages in the family of the English monarch may be explained by other factors. Until the end of the 19th century midwives had no idea about basic hygiene. For this reason, in the time of Henry VIII, up to half of all children died before reaching adolescence. Dramatic changes in the king's personality can be explained by physical inactivity - lack of movement, rabid appetite, which led to obesity and related diseases.

In general, a wonderful surge of scientific thought (the guess about blood) is again extinguished by traditionalists with “mossy” ideas about mental disorder sovereign.

On January 28, 1547, King Henry VIII Tudor of England died at Whitehall Palace. Much can be said about the reign of this sovereign. But he is known to the general public mainly due to his numerous marriages (Henry VIII had six wives). Many researchers believe that the main reason for the divorces and executions of wives that Henry disliked was the desire to preserve the throne of England for the young Tudor dynasty. Be that as it may, this desire of Henry VIII was satisfied: on October 12, 1537, his long-awaited son and heir, Edward, was born. His mother was Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour.

Edward VI - the unfulfilled hope of the dynasty

Having an heir to the dynasty was one of Henry VIII's most cherished desires. Only his third wife, who died shortly after giving birth, was able to realize this dream. The newborn prince became a real joy not only for his parents, but also for all of England, because he guaranteed peace and stability in the state.

The issue of Edward's health is still controversial. Some researchers say that he was a sickly child from birth. Others say that he had good health, despite the diseases common at that time, which he did not escape.

When Henry VIII died, Edward was only 9 years old. For several years before the death of Henry VIII, peace and quiet reigned in the royal family. Moreover, when leaving his will, the king did not forget to mention his daughters in it. Henry indicated that if Edward had no heirs, the next ruler of England was to be Mary and her heirs, and after her Elizabeth and her heirs.

His maternal uncle, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, was appointed guardian of the little king. The boy received an excellent education. He knew French, Greek and Latin and was interested in state affairs and was a staunch Protestant. During the short period of his reign, a Protestant catechism was written, the Book of Prayer was republished, and some reforms of Protestant worship were carried out.

There was a lot of intrigue surrounding the young king. His uncle, the Duke of Somerset, who was his guardian, was deposed in 1551 by the Earl of Warwick, who later became the Duke of Northumberland. Somerset was imprisoned for a time, and when he came out, he immediately tried to regain the favor of the king. However, by that time his opponent was already very strong and as a result the Duke of Somerset was executed allegedly for participating in illegal meetings.

The Duke of Northumberland had very far-reaching plans. He managed to persuade the young king to bequeath the throne to Jane Gray, who was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII. The Duke planned to marry this young lady to his son, thus establishing a new dynasty. At the same time, neither Northumberland nor the king were at all bothered by the presence of Edward’s two older sisters, who were the founder of the dynasty’s granddaughters and, accordingly, had much more rights to the throne than Jane Gray. The eldest of Henry VIII's daughters, Mary, was an ardent Catholic. It was this fact that forced the young king, unlike his sister who adhered to the Protestant faith, to bequeath the throne to Jane. Three days after signing the will, Edward VI suddenly fell ill. His guardian, for one reason known to him, removed the doctors from the king, sending a healer instead.

Edward VI, the hope of the Tudors, died before his 16th birthday. Jane Gray was declared queen. Alas, the English people did not agree with the decision of their young king. The new queen lasted only nine days on the throne. She, along with the ambitious Duke of Northumberland, was accused of treason, arrested and executed. And Henry VIII's eldest daughter, Mary, ascended the throne.

Bloody Mary

On February 18, 1516, King Henry VIII Tudor of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon had another child, which became a great joy, because baby Mary was their first healthy child who did not die immediately after birth. Although Maria was a girl, her birth gave hope that Catherine would be able to give birth to a long-awaited son.

The little princess was surrounded by a magnificent retinue. And by the end of 1518, her future fate was decided: she was betrothed to the heir of the French king Francis I. In the marriage agreement concluded by the two rulers, there was a clause according to which Mary became the heir to the throne if Henry died without leaving sons. However, the king himself at that time had not yet seriously considered such a prospect.

Maria was given an excellent education. She was taught to speak and write Latin and Greek correctly. She studied art and poetry, and also learned to ride and hunt with a falcon. However, her curriculum completely lacked subjects that could prepare her to rule the country. After all, her father, the king, did not consider this possibility at all. However, over time it became increasingly clear that Catherine would not be able to give birth to an heir to the king, and Mary was given the title of Princess of Wales, which was usually given to the heirs of the crown. The girl was 9 years old at that time, and she was already engaged for the second time - to the son of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Mary's life changed dramatically in 1527 when Henry divorced her mother, Catherine of Aragon. The young princess was declared illegitimate and removed from the palace. The biggest stumbling block was religion. Catherine of Aragon raised her only daughter as a rabid Catholic, and her father demanded that she convert to Protestantism. The girl refused. When Henry married Anne Boleyn and she bore him a second daughter, Mary was returned to court and assigned to the “legitimate” Princess Elizabeth. The new queen did not particularly favor her stepdaughter and often pulled her ears.

However, Anne Boleyn did not stay on the royal throne for long, and soon Mary reluctantly recognized her father as the “Supreme Head of the Church of England.” After that, the retinue due to the princess was returned to her. And soon the king married for the third time. His wife turned out to be nice and kind woman, who not only gave birth to his long-awaited son, but also warmed his daughters. Unfortunately, another stepmother died shortly after the birth of the child.

By the time of Henry VIII's death, Mary was already 31 years old. She did not marry during her father’s lifetime, and after his death her marriage even became dangerous for those around her young brother, the king. Therefore, she was kept away from the palace and from possible suitors for her hand. Young Edward was brought up with a deep dislike for his older sister. The 9-year-old boy was a staunch Protestant, and his sister Maria was an equally staunch Catholic. It was this contradiction that prompted him to deprive Mary of the right to inherit the throne.

Of course, Maria did not accept this will. Having learned about Edward's death, she came to London. The fleet and army went over to her side, and the Privy Council declared her queen. The unfortunate Jane Gray, appointed by Edward as his heir, was executed.

Upon ascending the throne, Mary first faced the same problem as her father: she desperately needed an heir. At that time, she was almost 38 years old, and she was not particularly beautiful. However, as soon as she received the throne, a groom was immediately found for her - the heir to the Spanish throne, Philip, who was 12 years younger than her. He agreed to marry Maria for purely political reasons; he rarely came to England, where he was not particularly favored. But Maria, judging by the letters and reviews of her contemporaries, had rather tender feelings for him.

Mary's other important tasks were to strengthen Catholicism in England and revive the country, which had become impoverished under Edward. Mary's reign, which began with the execution of Jane Gray, who was just a pawn in the hands of cunning relatives, was marked by a series of arrests and executions of Protestants. About three hundred people - especially ardent Protestants and representatives of the Anglican Church - were burned at the stake. Even those who agreed to convert to Catholicism were not spared. All these people were not just Protestants, it was through their efforts that the Reformation took place in England, and, accordingly, the split of the country. But the cruelty with which they were executed led to the fact that during the reign of Elizabeth I, Mary was given the nickname Bloody.

Medieval Europe was a world of merciless epidemics that claimed tens of thousands of lives and made no distinction between commoners and nobles. The Queen of England was no exception. The disease progressed rather sluggishly, and Maria had time to think about the future of her country. Her marriage to Philip never brought England the desired heir. The only heir remained a Protestant sister born to Anne Boleyn. On November 8, 1558, Mary conveyed her verbal blessing to Elizabeth, and on November 17 she died.

Mary Tudor, who ruled England for only a few years, became quite an iconic figure in the history of the country. She became the first woman on the English throne. But, alas, she also became a queen, to whom not a single monument was erected in her homeland. The day of her death was celebrated in England as National holiday, and her entire reign is remembered as a series of brutal executions, for which her descendants called her Bloody Mary.

Good Queen Bess, or the last of the Tudors

On September 7, 1533, London froze in anticipation: the second wife of King Henry VIII, his adored Anne, was about to give birth to a child. And England, led by its king, was looking forward to its son. Their hopes were not destined to come true: the child was born healthy and strong, but alas, it was just another girl. The king was terribly disappointed. However, this did not stop him from organizing lavish celebrations in honor of the birth of his daughter, who was given the name Elizabeth - in honor of the king's mother.

Time passed, but Anna never gave her the long-awaited son. This time the king was more decisive than in the case of Catherine of Aragon; he did not wait 20 years for his next wife to give him an heir. Henry had no reason to divorce Anne Boleyn, but he had reasons to fabricate charges of treason against her. When Anne Boleyn was executed, Elizabeth was not even three years old. Like her older sister Mary, the girl was declared illegitimate and removed away from the royal court.

A series of wives followed, and some of them treated Elizabeth quite kindly. Alas, three of Henry’s four wives, whom the girl knew, met early deaths. It is generally accepted that the execution of Henry's fifth wife, Kate Howard, had such an effect on Elizabeth strong impression that she had decided never to get married. However, some historians believe that this decision was made due to certain physical and mental defects of the princess.

Despite the fact that Elizabeth was recognized as illegitimate, her father was concerned about giving her an excellent education. Moreover, the young heir to the throne, Edward, also studied with her for some time. Elizabeth and Edward were very close; during the reign of Edward VI, Elizabeth was next to him. The death of her brother was a real blow for her, as was his will, which deprived her of her rights to the throne.

The reign of sister Mary became another test for Elizabeth. Religion continued to be the main stumbling block. Maria began to actively restore her position catholic church in England, which led to violent resistance from Protestants, who not only weaved secret intrigues, but also raised outright riots. Regardless of whether Elizabeth took part in these protests or not, she - the Protestant heiress - always became their symbol. Elizabeth survived imprisonment in the Tower and exile. However, despite all the hardships of life, she remained the heir to the English throne.

At the insistence of the Privy Council and her husband Philip, Mary Tudor recognized her unloved sister as her heir a few days before her death. This is how Elizabeth Tudor became Queen of England. London greeted her arrival with thunderous applause.

The new queen was 25 years old. By the standards of that time, this was a respectable age, but she looked much younger than her peers, was friendly and followed fashion trends. In a word, she had everything that Mary lacked. Unlike her sister, Elizabeth did not settle scores with representatives of a religion alien to her. Moreover, one of her first acts was the creation of the “Act of Uniformity,” in which she announced that she would follow the course of the Reformation, but did not prohibit Catholics from celebrating Mass according to the Catholic rite. Thus, Elizabeth extinguished all hints of civil war in the exhausted country.

Elizabeth was haunted by the same Tudor curse that plagued her father and sister: she needed an heir. However, faithful to the decision made in her youth not to get married, at first she gently, and over time, more and more harshly rejected any suitors who were persistently matched to her. There was only one man in her life, whom evil tongues called her lover, which Elizabeth herself categorically denied, claiming that there was “never anything vulgar” between them. This was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, whose brother was married to the unfortunate “nine-day queen” Jane Grey. Robert and Elizabeth had a friendship from childhood that lasted until the count's death. Elizabeth trusted him so much that she even appointed him Lord Protector when she was seriously ill.

The policy of Elizabeth I (and she ruled for 45 years) was distinguished by thoughtfulness and frugality. She was also quite careful in her foreign policy. However, this did not stop her from getting involved in the war of the two queens, as the conflict between Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots and wife of the French king Francis II, is often called. Mary considered herself a more legitimate contender for the English throne than Elizabeth, who bore the stigma of being illegitimate. Other heirs also laid claim to the throne of England, each of whom was related to the founder of the Tudor dynasty. However, Elizabeth managed to stop all these attempts. In the case of Mary - by execution.

During the reign of Elizabeth, England not only rose from its knees, to which it had been reduced by religious strife and waste of previous rulers, but also became a great power. Thanks to the personal efforts of Elizabeth, who financed and encouraged seafarers, the English fleet, which was founded under her grandfather Henry VII, became a thunderstorm of the seas, displacing even the Spanish fleet. The English pirate Francis Drake is world famous, who, in addition to smashing Spanish ships, bringing considerable income not only to himself, but also to England, also made an invaluable gift to all of Europe, bringing potato tubers from his travels. For his contribution to the fight against the Spaniards and the contribution of huge funds to the royal treasury, Elizabeth awarded Drake a knighthood.

Despite the fact that Henry VIII could not even imagine that a woman would ascend the English throne, his daughter managed to become one of the greatest rulers in the history of this state. Elizabeth actively developed the country's internal economy and economic relations with other countries, encouraged the development of the arts, during her reign the first English colony in America was founded, and the fleet became the most powerful in the world.

However, the Tudor curse remained: the queen never married and did not give England an heir. IN historical literature There are stories that say that Elizabeth and Robert Dudley had a son whom they had to give up to raise. However, there is no reliable confirmation of these stories. And even if this child really existed, his mother decided that he should not play in the future fate of England significant role. On her deathbed, Elizabeth Tudor bequeathed the throne to the Scottish king James VI, who was the great-great-grandson of the founder of the Tudor dynasty. Ironically, he was the son of the same Mary Stuart, with whom Elizabeth fought for almost half of her life and whom she executed...

Despite a drop of Tudor blood, which allowed him to be declared heir, James became the founder of a new dynasty on the English throne. The Tudor Age ended on March 24, 1603 with the death of Elizabeth I.

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 art 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’ll tell you, dear readers, the best way for yourself on remembering historical figures I consider the comparison of terrain, 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 using the mnemonic phrase “divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived.” From his first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from his first marriage, Elizabeth from his second and Edward from his 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 using the mnemonic phrase "divorced - executed - died - divorced - executed - survived." From his first three marriages he had 10 children, of whom only three survived - Mary from his first marriage, Elizabeth from his second and Edward from his 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 the wife of 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 died a year after the wedding, leaving Catherine a young widow and without an heir. Henry VIII married the wife of his brother Arthur, Catherine of Aragon, for state reasons (she was six years older than Henry). According to Catholic law, 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 blame lay with his family, of the seven children of his father Henry VII, three children also died in infancy, princesses Margaret and Mary died in childhood, and Prince Arthur barely survived into adolescence.

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

About Hever Castle It is known that in 1462 it was bought by Geoffrey Boleyn, Anne's great-great-grandfather, and the Boleyn family spent two centuries building up their family nest.

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

To cement the alliance with Francis I and the German Protestant princes, Henry VIII married the German princess Anne of Cleves, based on a portrait by the great Holbein, whose image made a charming impression on Henry VIII. But upon meeting him personally, he was extremely disappointed and in the same 1540 the marriage was royally dissolved. Anna of Cleves continued to live in England at Richmond Castle as the “sister of the king.”

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

Sixth wife Catherine Parr

The sixth wife outlived 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 married again to Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour's brother. Henry VIII's hereditary son, as his father dreamed, immediately ascended to the throne at the age of nine under the tutelage of the Duke of Somerset, Jane Seymour's maternal uncle, but Edward VI did not reign for long, as he died of tuberculosis at the age of 16. Contrary to the wishes of King Henry VIII, the era of female 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”, due to the flowering of Renaissance culture.

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

Read more about royal castles Britain here http://www.site/users/milendia_solomarina/post225342434/

William the Conqueror ordered the construction of Warwick Castle in 1068, but the wooden fence and walls had nothing in common with the stone fortress with towers that the castle is now. In the 15th century, when it was owned by Richard Neville, 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 the execution of Anne Boleyn, her headless 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 her birth

And 200 years later, the Boleyn family added interior architecture Hever Castle is a Tudor style house. This place preserves 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, on the orders of her husband.

When Anna got bored with the flighty king and Henry put Anna on trial for “adultery and high treason,” who sentenced the unfortunate woman to death penalty. (beheaded in the Tower on May 19, 1536) - Hever Castle was transferred to the management 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 to have another 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 place, remarkable 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, she spent her childhood and youth here...

The glowing ghost of a Lady with her head in her hands is usually observed in the Tower, where Anne Boleyn, Marchioness of Pembroke and Queen of England, was executed “for treason to her husband” - the most despotic and cruel king in English history, Henry VIII, who replaced “in the interests of the state” one after another six wives
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 childhood playmate, Henry Percy... But the king (not without the help of the powerful court figure Lord Howard, who was also Anne'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 is not to Sir Percy’s credit that at Anna’s trial he was silent like a fish and shook like a hare’s tail - and yet he was among the Judges!

It is not customary to reject the attention of kings, but in response, proud Anna set her condition: only the crown - she will 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 Anne Boleyn also gave birth to a girl (however, this girl later became Queen Elizabeth I, who glorified the country during the 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 Anne was accused of adultery, sent to Hever, and from there to the Tower, where he was executed in 1536, beheaded with a sword. The day after the execution, Henry married Jane Seymour.

Of course, to be completely honest, the name of another Boleyn family “shines” in English history - this is Mary, Anne’s elder sister, who, before the whole tragic intrigue with Anne, also happened to be the royal mistress for two years. This position weighed heavily 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 retired here from the court, raising her two children here (some believed that these were royal offspring, but she never sought to prove it). She was an interesting lady! She happily “passed on” the role of the royal mistress, and when she was suddenly widowed, she married a poor nobleman for love. Her parents abandoned their “unreasonable” daughter, thanks to which she had to leave Hever before it was taken away from the Boleyns, and on a small estate, in the wilderness, she happily lived to old age, giving birth to two more children to her second husband, and raising all four with him .

After the death of Anne of Cleves, Hever Castle had several owners over the course of almost 350 years. By the beginning of the 20th century it fell into complete decline. This is how it was bought by the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor in 1903.

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 American 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, at all costs, produce an heir to the throne.
By all rights, the kingdom should have passed to his older brother Arthur, 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, waiting for her marriage with Henry, which was either planned or frustrated. Henry VIII married Catherine immediately after his accession to the throne in 1509. The first years of the marriage were happy, but all the children of the young couple were either stillborn or died in infancy. The only surviving offspring was Mary (1516-1558).
By refusing to acknowledge the dissolution of her marriage, Catherine doomed herself to exile and was transported from castle to castle several times. She died in January 1536.

However, Arthur died suddenly. 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 the widowed princess. The fact that the bride was six years older than the groom did not bother anyone. Yes, in fact, neither Henry nor Catherine had a choice.

The young man whom Catherine of Aragon married on a fine 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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And now with the details, because Repetition is the mother of learning, again:

Henry VIII Tudor(English Henry VIII; June 28, 1491, Greenwich - January 28, 1547, London) - King of England from April 22, 1509, son and heir of King Henry VII, 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 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, and by the end of his reign he harshly persecuted his real and imaginary political opponents. In later years he suffered from excess weight and other health problems.
Henry VIII's divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, led to the king's excommunication 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 church reformation turned out to be a serious arena for political struggle and led to a number of executions of political figures, among whom 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 stopped limiting himself. The first years of his reign passed in an atmosphere of court festivities and military adventures. Two million pounds sterling taken from the royal treasury melted away with catastrophic speed. The young king enjoyed wealth and power, spending his time in non-stop entertainment. A well-educated and versatile man, Henry VIII initially aroused hopes among people oriented towards humanistic ideals.

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

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

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

But this argument did not work, and Henry came up with another one. He suddenly remembered, after so many years of marriage, what he had done great sin, having married his brother's widow. The king began to ardently and with references to church sources prove that he was unable to continue committing this sin. But the Pope, fearing to quarrel with the rulers of Catholic countries, did not approve of the divorce. This only strengthened Henry's intention to follow his own whims. Since Rome does not consent to divorce, then it is not a decree for it.

Divorce from Catherine of Aragon

From this time on, a movement famous in the history of England and throughout the Christian world began, which historians consider the beginning of the Reformation. Henry, incited by the restless Anne Boleyn, decided to break with Rome and declared himself head of the English church. The obedient English hierarchs submitted to his will, seeing this as a benefit for themselves. It must be said that the Pope was not loved in England because of the large extortions that burdened the local church. An accommodating parliament placed 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 arrange his personal life without hindrance.

After Cardinal Wolsey was unable to resolve the issue of Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, it was Anne who hired theologians who proved that the king was the ruler of both the state and the church, and responsible only to God, and not to the Pope in Rome (this was the beginning of the disconnection the English Church from Rome and the creation of the Anglican Church). After the papal authority was expelled from England, Henry in 1533 married Anne Boleyn, who for a long time was Henry's unapproachable lover, refusing to become his mistress. His former wife Catherine of Aragon lived in captivity until 1536 and died quietly. .

Anne Boleyn in Tawra before her execution.

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

Thomas Sackville, Anne Boleyn's cousin, owned Knole House from 1566. Over the course of several centuries, the estate 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 its well-preserved 17th-century interiors. Almost all the walls of this amazing palace are decorated with the brushes of Gainsborough, Van Dyck, Reynolds, and Kneller. Knole House is one of the UK's most visited attractions.

But there was another reason: Henry fell in love with Jane Seymour, whom he married the day after Anne'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 Henry 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 immense happiness of the king, she gave birth to his son, Prince Edward. This alone could have ensured her safety for the rest of her life; out of love for her son, Henry would not have dared to encroach on his mother, but fate decided otherwise. The young queen suffered in labor for two days. In the end, the doctors came to the conclusion: they had to choose - mother or child, however, knowing the terrible character of the sovereign, they were afraid to even mention it. Fortunately for them, the king understood everything himself. “Save the child. I can get as many women as I want,” was his decisive and calm order. The third wife died during 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 since childhood, Edward took a detailed interest in all state affairs. He was well educated: he knew Latin, Greek and French, and 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 a little more than 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 influential houses of Europe. He was not guided by any political considerations, he was simply looking for a wife to suit 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, the French ambassador to the court of Henry VIII received clear instructions - under no circumstances should he 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 a plague.

Heinrich, who had become considerably overweight and flabby at the age of 48, and who also suffered from a fistula in his leg, was still enamored of female charms and did not give up the thought of marriage. His next wife was the German princess Anna of Cleves.

Anna Klevskaya

It should be said that the matchmaking process took place in a very original way. Six weeks after the death of Jane Seymour, Henry proposed marriage to the widow, 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 Anne of Cleves, thinking that marrying a German princess would lead to an alliance between England and the German states. Henry, in order to find out what his future wife looked like, sent Hans Holbein, one of greatest artists that time. Holbein liked the princess for her modesty and quiet character, but he realized that a girl would hardly suit the perverted, cruel, already aging king if he portrayed her as she really was. And then he drew Anna, embellishing her features a little. Seeing this portrait, Henry was inspired and sent ambassadors with a proposal, which was accepted by the German court.

When the king, burning with love, met the girl for the first time, 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 graceful 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, very opportunely, the king fell in love with her once again. One fine day, Anna was asked to visit Richmond, supposedly her failing health required a change in climate. The girl left, and a few days later she learned that she was no longer the queen. Anna did not hide her joy. Of course, the royal servants reported everything to their master. Henry was angry, but, nevertheless, did not commit severe reprisals against her, as this could lead to war with Germany. Anna of Cleves, who received a palace in Richmond and a huge salary, outlived both her husband, with whom she was 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 dubious behavior.

After the wedding, the king seemed to look 20 years younger - tournaments, balls and other entertainment, to which Henry had lost interest after the execution of Anne Boleyn, resumed at court. The elderly monarch adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, simple-minded, sincerely loved gifts and rejoiced at them like a child. Henry called his Kate “a rose without thorns.” However, the young queen was in no hurry to fulfill her main duty - the birth of royal heirs. In addition, she showed extreme carelessness in her actions. As soon as her crowned husband left for business in the north of the country, her former beau began to court her again, which the frivolous girl was extremely happy about. At court, this, of course, did not go unnoticed, and Catherine’s enemies immediately took advantage of her weakness. When Henry was informed upon his return that his naive Kate was not such a “rose” at all, he was simply confused. The king's reaction was quite unexpected: instead of the usual anger, there were tears and complaints. Their meaning boiled down to the fact that fate did not grant him a happy family life, and all his women either cheat, die, or are simply disgusting. Having cried to his heart's content, Henry, after a short reflection, made the only correct 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 on the part of his future wife, promulgated a decree commanding everyone, if they knew about any sins of the royal wife before marriage, to immediately report it to the king, and for 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 supposedly 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 proposed marriage to her, which horrified the poor woman. And although she had many fans, it was dangerous and useless to resist. So, at the age of 31, Catherine Parr became the wife of the English monarch. She was the happiest of Henry VIII's wives. From the first days of her life together with the king, Catherine tried to create for him an atmosphere of peace and homeliness. The daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, Princess Elizabeth, enjoyed a special position of this woman, with whom she developed 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 bring the king to reason regarding religious issues, sincerely wishing that Henry would stop at the teachings of Luther, for which she almost paid with her head. The king decided to arrest Catherine several times, and each time he refused this step.

In the last years of his life, Henry 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 said about him, so that he could get out of bed and take revenge on the talkers for their insolence and disobedience. And only when the first signs of decomposition of the body appeared, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the formidable monarch would no longer bring harm to anyone.

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

Jane Seymour (c. 1508 - 1537). She was Anne Boleyn's maid of honor. Henry 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, and the cannons in the Tower fired two thousand volleys.

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557). Daughter of Johann III of Cleves, sister of the reigning Duke of Cleves. Marriage to her was one of the ways to cement the alliance of Henry, Francis I and the German Protestant princes. As a prerequisite for marriage, Henry wanted to see a portrait of the bride, for which Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Kleve. Heinrich liked the portrait and the engagement took place in absentia. But Henry categorically did not like the bride who arrived in England (unlike her portrait). Although the marriage took place 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 reason was Anna's pre-existing engagement to the Duke of Lorraine. In addition, Henry stated that there was no actual marital relationship between him and Anna. Anne remained in England as the King's "sister" and outlived 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 powerful 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 cheated on Henry with Thomas Culpepper. The perpetrators were executed, after which the queen herself ascended the scaffold on February 13, 1542.

Catherine Parr

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

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

Henry VIII built his own Hampton Court from 1525. Cardinal Wolsey founded this palace in 1514, inspired by the layout of Italian palazzos of the Renaissance, and the king introduced elements of gloomy medieval architecture into the architecture and built Big hall for playing tennis (it is called the oldest tennis court in the world), its curious feature is a labyrinth covering an area of ​​60 acres.
Over the next century and a half, Hampton Court remained the main country residence of all English monarchs. King William III considered the palace not to meet modern tastes and invited Christopher Wren to renovate it in the then fashionable Baroque style.


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 from his 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. By the beginning of the 19th century, Hampton Court fell into disrepair, but during the Romantic era, the chambers of Henry VIII were renovated, and Queen Victoria opened the palace to the general public.

Tall, broad-shouldered Henry knew how to suppress any uprising; there were legends about his wealth and luxury of receptions... He loved hunting, horse riding and all kinds of tournaments, he was a gambler, he especially loved 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, were inconsistent; until the end of his days he was unable to decide on his religious views, thanks to which he remains one of the most mysterious figures of the European Middle Ages.


Syon House- the ancient mansion of the Dukes of Northumberland, according to legend, as a sign of God's wrath on the reformer king Henry VIII, the coffin with his body, being left overnight in the ruined Brigitte 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 unsuccessful attempt Mary Tudor returned the Sion estate to the Brigittes and the Percy family, the English branch of the ancient Brabant house, settled in the palace. For some time, the Duke of Somerset received Anna Stewart, who had quarreled with her sister, at Syon House, and here the future queen had a stillborn child.


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

Anne Boleyn turned out to be not as flexible and patient as the rejected Spaniard - Anne was demanding, ambitious and managed to alienate many people against her. The king, fulfilling the whims of his wife, expelled and executed all of Anne’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. Henry was disappointed.

Portrait with the 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 “Elizabethans”: Shakespeare, Marlowe, Bacon, etc.), and with the increased importance of England on the world stage (the defeat of the Invincible Armada, Drake, Reilly, East India Company).

Elizabeth 1 (7 September 1533 - 24 March 1603) was the daughter of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn. After the execution of her mother, the despotic and cruel Henry VIII declared baby Elizabeth illegitimate, forbade her to be called a princess and kept her away from the capital on the Hatfield estate. However, the fact that Elizabeth found herself in disgrace suited her in a certain sense for the benefit, eliminating the ceremonial fuss and intrigue of the royal court. She could devote more time to education; teachers sent from Cambridge taught her. Since childhood, she showed great zeal for science, brilliant abilities and excellent memory. Elizabeth was especially successful in languages: French, Italian, Latin and Greek. This was not about superficial knowledge. Latin, for example, she studied to such an extent that she could write and speak fluently in this classical language. Knowledge of languages ​​allowed her to subsequently 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 that year, she had completed a translation from French of one of Queen Margaret of Navarre's essays, and soon translated the psalms composed by Catherine into Latin, French and Italian. In the same year, she was able to provide lengthy annotations of the works of Plato, Thomas More, and 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 the works of this erudite Roman into English. Since childhood, the book has become Elizabeth’s usual companion, and this is reflected in her portrait, kept in Windsor Castle, painted during her years of study.

Towards the end of his reign, Henry restored Elizabeth to the throne, appointing her to reign after her son Edward VI and elder sister Mary. In 1549, Thomas Seymour asked for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. 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 Elizabeth's life 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 taken to London and imprisoned in the Tower.

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

For two months, while the investigation was ongoing, 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 needed to 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 younger sister as his heir (almost killing Elizabeth 1 in the Tower). Her long reign began. An unfortunate fate during the reign of her father and sister developed in Elizabeth a strength of character and judgment that novice rulers rarely possess. She did not want to sever ties with the papal throne or offend the king of Spain.

Only the harsh 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 of pure Protestantism. However, her minister Cecil convinced Elizabeth that it was in the best interests of her policy to stick to the reformed church.

Hatfield House The most significant surviving example of a Jacobean aristocratic residence was founded in 1497 by Cardinal John Morton. During 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 of Elizabeth's belongings are preserved in the palace - a pair of gloves, silk stockings, a family tree (down to Adam and Eve) and an "ermine" "Portrait of the Queen by miniaturist Hilliard.

Truly, the higher you rise, the more painful it is to fall. But bright personalities always remain in history, becoming a source of inspiration.