the TUDOR TUTOR
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Wedding Band
The Six Ladies of Henry VIII were part of a fraternity that fascinates history buffs as well as those who just plain love a good, juicy soap opera. While it may have seemed the Massive Monarch blew through the line quickly, the amount of time he was married to each may surprise you. Here’s how long each gal wore that traveling wedding band:
1. Catherine of Aragon About 24 years, not together for the last few (June 1509 – May 1533)
2. Anne Boleyn 3 1/2 years(January 1533 – May 1536)
3. Jane Seymour 1 1/2 years (May 1536 – October 1537)
4. Anne of Cleves A measley six months (January 1540 – June 1540)
5. Katherine Howard 1 1/2 years (July 1540 – February 1542)
6. Catherine Parr 3 1/2 years (July 1543 – January 1547)
♥ A Very Tudor Valentine’s Day ♥
Out of Henry VIII’s six wives, who do you think was his true love? Get a quick rundown of all the Real Housewives of Tudor Court here, and cast your vote below!
Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Groom
Poor Anne of Cleves, she gets the rep of “Henry VIII’s Ugly Wife.” Her marriage with Henry was arranged after the death of new mom Jane Seymour, and on this date in 1540 she became his bride. Much to his chagrin, as he nearly lost his lunch the first time he saw her, according to the history books. He’d already seen the portrait which Hans Holbein the Younger had painted of her and thought it quite nice, but wasn’t nearly so smitten in person.
Maybe Anne of Cleves wasn’t supermodel material but the nearly-50-year-old king was no prize himself by that time. He’d gone from a fit, handsome, charming young guy who could joust and compose musical pieces with the best of them to a fat old guy with an oozing leg sore and a bad case of adult Opposition Defiant Disorder.
My personal theory: Perhaps Anne 2.0 didn’t gush all over the king as he’d been used to? Perhaps she wounded his pride a bit? They say flattery gets you everywhere, but I’d say failure to fawn gets you zero physical contact and a quick annulment in the case of Anne of Cleves. Six months after their wedding at Greenwich Palace, Henry was free of the German noblewoman and on to Wife #5, Catherine Howard. And that’s a drama for a different day!
