HISTORICAL TIME LINE of the King's Wives
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| Basic Facts & Timeline |
<embed allowfullscreen="true" height="344" src="http://widget.wetpaintserv.us/wiki/thetudorswiki/widget/youtubevideo/3bcec30185a32dc961749e081fee31606a954ece" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" wmode="transparent"/> Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Here, curator Brett Dolman uses the eight rare 16 century portraits of Henry's wives & daughters, assembled as part of the temporary exhibition 'Henry's Women' at Hampton Court Palace, to tell the story of Henry VIII and the Tudor saga. The exhibition was part of Henry VIII: heads and hearts, a year-long programme of spectacular exhibitions, events and celebratory activities marking the 500th anniversary of the mighty Tudor monarchs accession to the throne. [source: <a class="external" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/HistoricRoyalPalaces" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HistoricRoyalPalaces]</a> |
From Youngest to Oldest - at death :
*Annul = annulled - with 4 annullments, Henry only recognised 2 of his marriages. Jane Seymour & Catherine Parr
Sep = seperated
Betroth = betrothed
First Decade | 1490 - 1500 |
| Bust thought to be of Henry c.1495 |
1485 - December 16 | Katherine of Aragon born |
1491 - June 28 | Prince Henry Tudor - the future King Henry VIII is born |
1497 | Katherine was Betrothed to Prince Arthur Tudor |
1499 - May 19 | Arthur & Katherine Marry by Proxy |
1500 | Katherine sits for a portrait by Miguel Sittow, who would later paint the portrait of her as a young widow. She wears her red-gold wavy hair loose and wears a red dress and blue cloak in her hands she holds a gold jar. |
Second Decade | 1500 - 1510 |
aged 16/17 c 1502 | |
1501 - November 14 | Wedding of Arthur & Katherine of Aragon (Katherine aged 16 & Arthur 15) Katherine adopts the motto "Not for my Crown" |
1502 - April 2 | Prince Arthur Tudor dies & Katherine is widowed |
1503 - June 25 | Katherine is betrothed to Prince Henry ( She is 18 & Henry is aged 12) |
1505 - June 27 | Henry repudiates his betrothal to Katherine on his father's insistance |
1505 - 1509 | Katherine Suffers from financial troubles |
1509 - Early June | Members of the Privy Council urge Henry to marry Katherine |
1509 - June 11 | Queen Katherine of Aragon & King Henry VIII marry (she is aged 24 & he is 18) & re-allies Spain & England |
1509- June 15 | Katherine's first offical apperance at court as Queen of England |
1509 - June 24 | Coronation of King Henry VIII & Queen Katherine of Aragon |
1510 - January 31 | Katherine delivers a Stillborn daughter |
1510 - late May | Katherine either suffers from an infection or has a phantom pregnancy. When she emerges from her birthing chambers, without a child, she & Henry violently quarrel.[Citation needed] |
1510 | Katherine Finds out Henry has taken an interest in Anne Stafford, Duke of Buckingham's sister & she is sent from court. Henry is angry that she has spied on him & sends Lady Elizabeth Fitzwalter (who was in her retinue & told her brother about the dalliance) from court in retaliation. |
1511 | Son Henry is born & dies 52 days later |
1513 | Katherine Acts as Regent in Henry's Absence (She is aged 28) She is appointed Captain-General of the Home forces & Governor of the Realm |
1513 | Son Henry is born & dies hours later |
1514 | Stillborn daughter |
1514 | Rumours circulate in Rome that Henry means "to repudiate his wife ...because he is unable to have children by her" [Starkey] |
1514 | Elizabeth Blount catches Henry's eye at the Christmas Mummery |
1516 | Daughter Princess Mary Tudor is born |
1518 | Stillborn daughter - it is said that Katherine went into premature labour when she saw Elizabeth Blount was plumper & glowing. |
1519 | Summer - Katherine learns that Henry's teenaged mistress, Bessie Blount had given birth to a son, Henry Fitzroy. She is upset & humiliated & begins to withdraw from court life. |
Third Decade | 1520 - 1530 |
1520 | "Cloth of Gold" summit with Francis I, Katherine of Aragon & the two Boleyn sisters are in attendance. |
1522 | Anne Boleyn debuts at a court masquerade |
1523-24 | Secret Betrothal of Anne Boleyn to Henry Percy, Duke of Northumberland ( a love match) |
c.1521 - 25 | Sometime between those dates, Mary Boleyn is Henry's mistress ending in the summer of 1525 |
aged 40/41 c. 1525/26 | aged 34/35 c. 1525/26 |
1524 | After 15 years of marriage, Henry stops sexual relations with Queen Katherine of Aragon. He begins to have serious doubts about the validity of their marriage & believes that God is punishing him for marrying his brother's wife by not giving him a son. (Katherine is aged 39 & Henry is 33) |
1524 | Wolsey breaks the betrothal between Anne Boleyn & Henry Percy, she is sent back home to Hever Castle ("so furious she smoked" - Cavendish) & Percy is hurriedly married to Lady Mary Talbot, to whom he had been betrothed since adolescence. The marriage is disastrous. |
1525 - Summer | Henry attempts to build up Henry Fitzroy as an alternative heir. |
1525 - August | Princess Mary Tudor is sent to Ludlow to establish her own court & Katherine is upset that she won't see her again. |
1526 | Henry ceases to co-habit with Katherine |
1526 - February | Henry asks Anne Boleyn to be his mistress. She refuses saying she will only surrender her virginity to the man she marries. (Anne is aged 18-25 & Henry is 35) She refuses him for more than a year & keeps her distance., staying away from court. |
1526 - Autumn | Henry sends the first of a series of at least 17 love letters to Anne. |
1526 - Christmas | Katherine is reunited with her daughter Mary but becoming isolated at Court. |
1527 - Spring | Henry informs Queen Katherine of Aragon he wants a divorce/annulment after 18 years of marriage. |
1527 - June 22 | Henry formerly tells Katherine that they must separate because they have been living in sin. He asks her to co-operate & to choose a house to retire to until the matter is resolved. She is stunned & upset & makes it quite plain that she will resist an annulment. |
1527 - June/July | Anne sends Henry a trinket - a ship with a lone woman on board & a diamond pendant signifying her surrender to him. |
1527 - Summer | Henry & Anne agree to marry (ie. they become betrothed) |
1527 - September | Henry asks the Pope for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine |
1528 - June 23 | One of Anne Boleyn`s ladies is stricken by the 'sweating sickness' & Anne survives a bout with the illness |
1528 - Summer | There is public support for Katherine of Aragon and the people shout "victory over your enemies" when she is in public |
1528 - Autumn | Katherine is still living at court but is becoming increasingly isolated. |
1528 - September | Anne retires back to Hever Castle |
1528 - September 29 | The Pope sends Cardinal Campeggio to hear Henry's case |
1528 - October 24 | Campeggio, the Pope's emissary meets with Katherine & advises her to enter a convent & retire gracefully. She refuses. |
1528 - Late October | Katherine receives a letter telling her that by riding out & attracting the cheers of the people, she was inciting rebellion. The council also tells her that if she continues to work against the King in this way she will be completely separated from both the City & Princess Mary. |
1528 - November | She continues to fight the annulment and is now separated from her daughter |
1528 - November | Henry rushes to Anne's side at Hever castle. There is also a serious rift between Anne & Wolsey |
1529 - June 18 | Queen Katherine of Aragon makes her famous impassioned speech at the Legatine Court at Blackfriars & challenges the authority of the court |
1529 - November 30 | Henry dines with Katherine in an effort to appear civil but it doesn't go well & she is angry with him. |
1529 - December 8 | Anne Boleyn's father is elevated to two Earldoms of Wiltshire & Ormond. Anne Boleyn is now fashioned as Lady Anne Rochford (until 1532) |
c. 1529 - 30 | Jane Seymour comes to court and has a position in Katherine's household. |
1529 - December 24 | Henry tells Katherine that even if the Pope declares their marriage to be lawful he would still have his divorce. He tells her that the Church of Canterbury is more important than that of Rome & that if the Pope found against him then he would declare the Pope a heretic & marry whomever he chooses. |
1529 - Christmas | Henry celebrates Christmas with Katherine and Anne declines to appear. |
Fourth Decade | 1530 - 1540 |
1530 - January | From The New Year, Henry spends more time with Anne than Katherine. |
1530 - November 29 | Wolsey dies after being arrested for plotting (along with Katherine & the Pope) to force Anne into exile. |
1530 - Christmas | Anne has the livery coats of her servants embroidered with the motto "Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne" (Let them grumble, that is how it is going to be) as a joke but has it removed a few weeks later |
1531 - June | Henry appeases Katherine by allowing her to see her daughter Princess Mary Tudor |
1531 - July 14 | Henry separates from Katherine & never sees her again. She is banished from court. |
1531 - Christmas | Henry returns Katherine's gift saying that they are no longer man & wife it is not proper for them to exchange gifts. |
1532 - January | Mary is allowed to visit her mother |
1532 - July | Henry Percy is interrogated because Mary Talbot had said they were never married due to him being legally contracted to marry Anne Boleyn. He swears under oath that there was no pre-contract. |
1532 - August | Katherine's her closest friend, Maria de Salinas, Lady Willoughby, is ordered to leave her household & she is told not to make any attempt to communicate with her. |
1532 - September | Anne Boleyn is imbued with nobility & created 1st Marquess of Pembroke |
1532 - Late October | Anne begins living openly with Henry at Greenwich |
1532 - October/November | Anne accompanies Henry on a state trip to Calais to meet with Francis I |
1532 - November 14 | This date may have been a formal commitment by Henry & Anne or a first wedding date as affirmed by certain supporters and opponents of the couple at the time. |
1533 - January 25 | Secret wedding of Anne Boleyn to Henry (Anne aged 32 + Henry is 42) |
1533 - May 13 | Katherine of Aragon's Marriage to Henry is declared annulled. She is styled Dowager Princess of Wales but refuses to relinquish her title of Queen. |
1533 - May 28 | Henry's marriage to Anne is validated by Thomas Cranmer (Anne is approx 5 months pregnant) |
1533 - June | Katherine has her entourage put into new liveries embroidered with H & K to celebrate their marriage of 24 years. |
1533 - June | Anne Boleyn crowned Queen |
1533 - July 11 | Henry is excommunicated by the Pope |
1533 - September | Anne & Henry's daughter Princess ElizabethTudor is born |
1533 - December | Anne announces she is pregnant for the 2nd time |
aged about 44 yrs c.1535 | |
1534 | An act of Parliament is passed making Katherine's marriage to Henry "utterly dissolved" |
1534 - February/March | Anne offers for Princess Mary Tudor to reconcile with Henry if she would accept her as queen. Mary's response is that she knew no queen but her mother but if the king's mistress wished to intercede she would be grateful. (Anne would try this again on two more occasions with the same result.) |
1534 - May 23 | Pope pronounces Katherine of Aragon's marriage to Henry valid |
1534 - May | Katherine moves to Kimbolton |
1534 - June/July | Anne delivers a stillbirth. Henry orders it be kept secret. |
1534 - July | Katherine's health deteriorates & both Chapuys & Maria De Salinas are denied permission to visit her. |
1534 - Mid March | Anne is pregnant again |
1535 - April/May | There are plans for Katherine to escape organized by Chapuys & Charles V but they are cancelled because of the fear that if they were discovered both she and her daughter would be executed. |
1535 - Late June | Anne Miscarries. |
1535 - September | Henry stays at Jane Seymour's father`s residence of Wolf Hall and notices her in a romantic sense (even though she had been at court for more than 6 years). |
1535 - November | Henry starts to court Jane Seymour (she is about 27 & Henry is 44) |
1535 - Late November | Anne is pregnant again |
1535 - December | Chapuys is given permission to visit Katherine because she is considered to be dying. Henry is still considering if he will allow Mary to visit. |
1536 - January 5 | Maria de Salinas, Lady Willoughby, forces her way into Kimbolten Castle to see Katherine despite being refused permission to visit. |
1536 - January 7 | Katherine of Aragon dies (aged 50 & Henry is 45, Anne is 28-35) amidst rumours of poisoning due to her blackened heart. Today it is believed she died from cancer. She lived the longest of all Henry's wives. |
1536 - January 24 | Henry`s jousting accident |
1536 - January 29 | Anne suffers a miscarriage 5 days later |
1536 - March | Jane Seymour returns Henry`s unopened letter & purse indicating she will not be his mistress. |
1536 - April | Jane moves into adjoining rooms to King`s apartments vacated by Thomas Cromwell , but is always chaperoned by her family. |
1536 - May 1 | Anne is arrested |
1536 - May 15 | Anne's Trial. Henry Percy sat on the jury that found Anne guilty of adultery. When the verdict was announced, he collapsed & had to be carried from the courtroom. Percy left no children, suffered from stomach problems, & died only months after Anne's death. |
1536 - May 19 | Anne Boleyn is executed by having her head struck from her body by a french swordsman (aged 29 - 35 & Henry 45) |
1536 - May 20 | Jane Seymour is betrothed to Henry ( 24 hours after Anne`s execution) |
aged 28 c.1536 | aged 46 C.1537 |
1536 - May 30 | Jane Marries Henry |
1536 - June 4 | Jane Seymour is declared queen consort |
1536 - June 22 | Princess Mary Tudor accepts illegitimate status |
1536 - July 6 | Jane arranges for Mary & Henry to reunite |
1537 - October 12 | Son Prince Edward Tudor born, Jane attends Edwards christening two days later with both Henry's daughters Mary and Elizabeth present. Is reported to have been very "weak" and ill looking. |
1537 - October 24 | Jane Seymour dies of puerperal fever (aged 29 & Henry 46) |
| |
1539 - March | March - Negotiations for the marriage of Henry & Anne of Cleves |
1539 - October4 | Marriage treaty is signed |
1539 - December 27 | Anne of Cleve's ship lands at Deal |
1538 | Katherine Howard's uncle Thomas Howard arranges for her to become a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves (aged approximately 18) |
Fifth decade | 1540 - 1550 |
1540 - January 1 | Henry pays a surprise visit to Anne which doesn't go well |
1540 - January 6 | Anne of Cleves Marries Henry (aged 25 & Henry 49) |
1540 - June 24 | Anne is ordered to leave court |
1540 - July 6 | Anne is Informed of the King's will to annul the marriage |
1540 - July 9 | The marriage is annulled & Anne is now styled "The King's Sister" |
Approx 18 - 20 | 51 years old c.1542 |
1540 - July 28 | Katherine Howard marries Henry (aged 17/19 & Henry 49) |
1540 - Winter | Katherine reaquaints with her cousin Thomas Culpepper whom she has not seen since childhood. |
1541 - Spring | Rumours about Katherine & Culpepper start to circulate throughout court. |
1541 - Summer | Thomas Cranmer investigates & builds a case against Katherine |
1541 - Autumn | Katherine is arrested & interrogated, and sent to Syon abbey, Katherine never sees Henry again. |
1541 - December 8 | Thomas Culpepper & Francis Dereham are executed at Tyburn. Francis is hung, drawn and quartered while Culpepper was spared with a simple beheading possibly due to being a favourite of the king. |
1542 - January | Katherine Howard's Trial by the law of attainder. |
1542 - February 10 | Katherine is taken to the Tower of London, where it is rumoured she asked to have the block brought to her room so that she could practice laying her head on it. |
1542 - February 13 | Katherine Howard is beheaded along with Jane Boleyn on Tower Green & both are buried next her cousin Anne( aged 20) Henry is out hunting and celebrates st valentines day without his Queen. |
aged 31/33 | |
1542 | Catherine Parr catches Henry's eye |
1543 - July 12 | Henry & Catherine marry ( she is aged 31 & Henry 52) |
1546 - May 24 | Catherine's friend, the reformer Anne Askew is arrested & horribly tortured. However, there was enough other evidence against the Queen to issue a warrant for her arrest. The warrant was accidentally dropped and someone loyal to the Queen saw it and then quickly told her about it. |
1546 | A warrant for her arrest was drawn up but she manages to reconcile with the King |
1547 - January 18 | King Henry VIII dies aged 56 |
1548 - September 5 | Catherine Parr dies of puerperal fever after the birth of her child by Thomas Seymour (aged 36) |
1557 - July 16 | Anne of Cleves dies of an undisclosed illness (aged 42) - ten years after Henrys death and the last of the wives. |