The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Season

2001

7.8

A dramatic documentary narrated and presented by controversial historian David Starkey about the lives as wives and Queens of the six wives of Tudor king Henry VIII.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Catherine of Aragon

Widowed at the age of 16, Catherine weds her husband's younger brother, now King Henry VIII, but fails to produce an heir.

S1 • E2

Anne Boleyn

Having broken with the Church of Rome and banished Catherine, Henry marries the handmaiden Anne Boleyn. However, when she bears him a stillborn son, he plots to have her beheaded.

S1 • E3

Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves

Jane Seymour The luckless Jane Seymour managed to escape Henry's wrath by giving him his only surviving son, Edward. Unfortunately she died during childbirth. Anne of Cleves The 'Flanders Mare' as she was affectionately known, Anne of Cleves did not please her husband in bed. Somehow though, she earned herself a pay-off guaranteeing her a life of luxury.

S1 • E4

Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr

Katherine Howard is perhaps the most tragic of Henry's wives. When she was just 18 years of age, Henry became absolutely besotted with her stunning beauty and unbridled sexuality. Unfortunately for his queen, she found it hard to make do with only Henry's loving which left the King with only one option - to cut off her head. Catherine Parr Possibly the most intelligent and humane of Henry's wives.