THE SIX WIVES of HENRY VIII

THE SIX WIVES of HENRY VIII

Henry VIII (an English King who ruled from 1509-1545) married six times in his desire to achieve a son and heir. This "quest" led to several political intrigues and upheavals both at court and in the country at large, not least of which was the break with Rome and the dissolution of the monasteries. Here is a useful basic mnemonic for remembering his succession of wives:

"Kate an' Anne an' Jane
an' Anne an' Kate (again, again!)"

being:
m.1510 - Catherine of Aragon - mother of Mary I,
m.1533 - Anne Boleyn - mother of Elizabeth I,
m.1536 - Jane Seymour - mother of Edward VI,
m.1540 - Anne of Cleves,
m.1540 - Catherine Howard,
m.1542 - Catherine Parr.

In a new mnemonic diagram by Peter Hobbs, Henry's wives can also be recalled by their alphabetical order of initials set out as a "question-mark" across columns (where CA precedes CH/CP and AB precedes AC) :	CA
		AB
			JS
		AC
	CH
	CP

To remember their various unfortunate fates, just recall this simple age-old rhyme:

"Divorced, beheaded, died,
Divorced, beheaded, survived!".