13 Books About King Henry VIII’s Extraordinary Wives

Alison Weir presents a thoroughly researched account of the lives of King Henry VIII and his wives, drawing on original documents and early biographies. 

From Catherine of Aragon to Katherine Parr, each woman’s life was forever altered and often doomed by marriage to Henry VIII. The Six Wives of Henry VIII provides an accessible yet scholarly review of the lives of each queen.

The daughter of two of Spain’s most notorious leaders, Isabella and Ferdinand, Catherine of Aragon was every bit as fierce and cunning as her parents. While Catherine of Aragon’s story is often overlooked in favor of the scandal and intrigue of Anne Boleyn and the wives that followed, her grit and intelligence are not to be underestimated. 

Giles Tremlett sets out to present a detailed account of Catherine of Aragon’s historical divorce, her and Henry VIII’s infamous daughter, and the tumultuous events that followed her marriage, its annulment, and life after Henry VIII.

Despite Catherine of Aragon’s royal historical significance, much of her life and personal letters are obscured by contemporary history. In Catherine of Aragon: Infanta of Spain, Queen of England, Theresa Earenfight reveals an intimate portrayal of Henry VIII’s first queen through the objects she left behind. 

Earenfight discovers what meaning lies in seemingly ordinary objects, as well as the intangible remnants of Catherine’s life after being discarded by King Henry VIII. More than a woman set aside, Catherine of Aragon’s life and legacy have spent much too long in the shadows.

Perhaps the most controversial woman in English history, Anne Boleyn was the lover who inspired Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon, the mother of Elizabeth I, and the first English queen to be publicly executed. 

In The Final Year of Anne Boleyn, Natalie Grueninger illustrates in harrowing detail the events that led to Anne Boleyn’s execution and the reputation that has precluded her for centuries. Beyond the rumours and scandal, Grueninger reveals the real woman behind the stories, and the real tragedy, betrayal, and hope that colored Anne Boleyn’s final year.

Anne Boleyn has long been portrayed as a seductress who schemed to destroy Henry VIII’s first marriage and encouraged his break from the church in a passionate power play. 

In Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies, Hayley Nolan studies evidence of Anne Boleyn’s life and the suppression of her power. As one of the Tudors’ most infamous queens, there is much to speculate about Anne Boleyn’s rise to influence and subsequent fall from grace. 

Jane Seymour is the wife history knows least about, though she should perhaps be the most notorious if only for her ability to hold Henry VIII’s affections long after her death. Queen for seventeen months, Jane managed to prove her value to her husband by giving Henry VIII a son—and his only true heir. 

Jane Seymour died just 12 days after the birth of Henry VIII’s only legitimate son, but her legacy lived on. In Jane Seymour, Carol-Ann Johnston attempts to unveil the mystery of Henry VIII’s third wife beyond the pedestal she was placed on.

Described by Henry VIII as his “first true wife,” Jane Seymour is sometimes understood as the only wife he truly cared for. Having served as Lady of the Privy Chamber to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour had established strong court connections prior to her marriage and hailed from an influential family. 

It was not her status or influence that captured Henry VIII’s devotion, but her ability to give him what he desired most: a son. David Loades studies just how Jane Seymour earned Henry’s admiration and how she left both the king and the country devastated.

While Katherine Parr may have outlived Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves managed to outlive him and all of his other wives. Promised to Henry VIII for diplomatic reasons, there was no attraction between the newlyweds and, therefore, no heir. King Henry’s rumored impotence and Anne of Cleves’ ignorance doomed their pairing from the start. 

Despite how she is often portrayed, Anne of Cleves was not dimwitted or plain. Elizabeth Norton details just how cleverly Anne of Cleves managed to navigate her divorce, manage her properties, and escape the tragic fates of the wives that came before and followed after her.

Despite being handpicked by King Henry VIII as his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves was not at all as expected. From the moment they met, Henry VIII announced his dislike of his bride and called for a divorce. 

Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII’s Unwanted Wife illustrates just how Anne of Cleves not only survived her infamous husband but also became one of the wealthiest women in England in the process.

Cousin to the executed Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard was first brought to court at the age of fourteen. Much of the discourse around Katherine Howard’s life and death posits that her promiscuity and corruption sealed her fate even before she married Henry VIII. 

Josephine Wilkinson attempts to dispel these rumours by drawing light to the harsh reality of Katherine Howard’s early life. Hers was not just a tale of salacious conspiracy and court intrigue, but of child abuse, rigid familial expectations, religious conflict, sex, and politics. 

Young and Damned and Fair describes Katherine Howard beyond the scandal of her death and her popular portrayal as a naive victim of circumstance. Using a text of Katherine’s confession in her own words, Gareth Russell studies just what tensions, choices, and betrayals led to the executions of Katherine Howard and her suspected lovers. 

Many accounts of Henry VIII’s fifth wife fail to account for her personal motives as well as the external forces that led to her demise. Russell delivers the truth of the matter.

King Henry VIII’s last wife is often regarded as no more than a pretentious woman chosen to accompany the king through his final days. In Katherine the Queen, Linda Porter reveals the truth that Katherine Parr was an ambitious, intelligent, and passionate individual who had led a courageous life long before her marriage to Henry VIII. 

As a young woman, Katherine Parr was widowed twice and held captive by rebels during the Pilgrimage of Grace uprisings. Katherine Parr was one of the most influential queen consorts in history, and Porter reveals just how such an impressive woman came to be wed to such an infamous king. 

Katherine Parr, the only wife to outlive Henry VIII, had a survival that was truly remarkable. That is, until her mysterious death following the birth of her only child in the years after Henry VIII met his end. As one of the most influential figures in England, it is puzzling to consider the details of Katherine Parr’s demise as they are presented by June Woolerton in The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr. 

After perishing hundreds of miles from court, Katherine Parr was buried in a chapel graveyard that would be left undiscovered for centuries. Her remains may have been found, but many questions still remain surrounding the death of Henry VIII’s last queen.