Editing Henry VIII (section)

== Marriages ==
{{Main|Wives of Henry VIII}}
{{Family tree of the Wives of Henry VIII}}

=== Annulment from Catherine ===
{{Stack|
[[File:Catalina de Aragón, palacio de Lambeth.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Catherine of Aragon]], Henry's first queen, {{circa|1520}}]]
[[File:1491 Henry VIII.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Portrait of Henry VIII by [[Joos van Cleve]], {{circa|1531}}]]
}}
During his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry conducted an affair with [[Mary Boleyn]], Catherine's [[lady-in-waiting]]. There has been speculation that Mary's two children, [[Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon|Henry Carey]] and [[Catherine Carey]], were fathered by Henry but this has never been proven. King Henry never acknowledged them as he did in the case of Henry FitzRoy.{{Sfn|Cruz|Suzuki|2009|p=132}} In 1525, as Henry grew more impatient with Catherine's inability to produce the [[male heir]] he desired,{{Sfn|Smith|1971|p=70}}<ref name="crofton51">{{Harvnb|Crofton|2006|p=51}}</ref> he became enamoured of Mary Boleyn's sister, [[Anne Boleyn]], then a charismatic young woman of 25 in the Queen's entourage.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=154}} Anne, however, resisted his attempts to seduce her, and refused to become his mistress as her sister had.{{Sfn|Weir|2002|p=160}}{{Efn|For arguments in favour of the contrasting view – i.e. that Henry himself initiated the period of abstinence, potentially after a brief affair – see {{Cite book |last=Bernard |first=G. W. |url=https://archive.org/details/anneboleynfatala00bern |title=Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions |date=2010 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-3001-6245-5 |url-access=registration}}.<ref name="gunn"/>}} It was in this context that Henry considered his three options for finding a dynastic successor and hence resolving what came to be described at court as the [[King's "great matter"]]. These options were legitimising Henry FitzRoy, which would need the involvement of the Pope and would be open to challenge; marrying off Mary, his daughter with Catherine, as soon as possible and hoping for a grandson to inherit directly, but Mary was considered unlikely to conceive before Henry's death, or somehow rejecting Catherine and marrying someone else of child-bearing age. Probably seeing the possibility of marrying Anne, the third was ultimately the most attractive possibility to the 34-year-old Henry,{{Sfn|Loades|2009|pp=88–89}} and it soon became the King's absorbing desire to annul his marriage to the now 40-year-old Catherine.{{Sfn|Brigden|2000|p=114}}

[[File:Henryviiiannulmentverdict.jpg|thumb|left|The annulment verdict given by Thomas Cranmer, 1533]]Henry's precise motivations and intentions over the coming years are not widely agreed on.<ref name="elton103"/> Henry himself, at least in the early part of his reign, was a devout and well-informed Catholic to the extent that his 1521 publication ''[[Assertio Septem Sacramentorum]]'' ("Defence of the Seven Sacraments") earned him the title of ''[[Fidei Defensor]]'' (Defender of the Faith) from Pope Leo X.<ref name="elton75">{{Harvnb|Elton|1977|pp=75–76}}</ref> The work represented a staunch defence of papal supremacy, albeit one couched in somewhat contingent terms.<ref name="elton75"/> It is not clear exactly when Henry changed his mind on the issue as he grew more intent on a second marriage. Certainly, by 1527, he had convinced himself that Catherine had produced no male heir because their union was "blighted in the eyes of God".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Phillips |first=Roderick |title=Untying the Knot: A Short History of Divorce |date=1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-5214-2370-0}}</ref> Indeed, in marrying Catherine, his brother's wife, he had acted contrary to [[Leviticus]] 20:21, a justification [[Thomas Cranmer]] used to declare the marriage null.<ref name="Cole2015">{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=William Graham |title=Sex in Christianity and Psychoanalysis |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-3173-5977-7 |language=English}}</ref>{{Efn|"And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless."}} [[Martin Luther]], on the other hand, had initially argued against the annulment, stating that Henry VIII could take a second wife in accordance with his teaching that the Bible allowed for [[polygamy]] but not [[divorce]].<ref name="Cole2015"/> Henry now believed the Pope had lacked the authority to grant a dispensation from this impediment. It was this argument Henry took to [[Pope Clement VII]] in 1527 in the hope of having his marriage to Catherine annulled, forgoing at least one less openly defiant line of attack.<ref name="elton103"/> In going public, all hope of tempting Catherine to retire to a nunnery or otherwise stay quiet was lost.{{Sfn|Loades|2009|pp=91–92}} Henry sent his secretary, [[William Knight (bishop)|William Knight]], to appeal directly to the [[Holy See]] by way of a deceptively worded draft papal bull. Knight was unsuccessful; the Pope could not be misled so easily.<ref name="Elton109">{{Harvnb|Elton|1977|pp=109–111}}</ref>

Other missions concentrated on arranging an ecclesiastical court to meet in England, with a representative from Clement VII. Although Clement agreed to the creation of such a court, he never had any intention of empowering his legate, [[Lorenzo Campeggio]], to decide in Henry's favour.<ref name="Elton109"/> This bias was perhaps the result of pressure from Emperor Charles V, but it is not clear how far this influenced either Campeggio or the Pope. After less than two months of hearing evidence, Clement called the case back to Rome in July 1529, from which it was clear that it would never re-emerge.<ref name="Elton109"/> With the chance for an [[annulment]] lost, Cardinal Wolsey bore the blame. He was charged with ''[[praemunire]]'' in October 1529,<ref name="Lockyer2014">{{Cite book |last=Lockyer |first=Roger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a22hAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |title=Tudor and Stuart Britain: 1485–1714 |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-3178-6882-8 |page=46 |quote=The king had no further use for Wolsey, who had failed to procure the annulment of his marriage, and he summoned Parliament in order that an [[act of attainder]] should be passed against the cardinal. The act was not needed, however, for Wolsey had also been commanded to appear before the common-law judges and answer the charge that by publishing his bulls of appointment as papal legate he had infringed the Statute of Praemunire. |access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref> and his fall from grace was "sudden and total".<ref name="Elton109"/> Briefly reconciled with Henry (and officially pardoned) in the first half of 1530, he was charged once more in November 1530, this time for treason, but died while awaiting trial.<ref name="Elton109"/>{{Sfn|Haigh|1993|pp=92ff}} After a short period in which Henry took government upon his own shoulders,{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=116}} [[Thomas More]] took on the role of [[Lord Chancellor]] and chief minister. Intelligent and able, but a devout Catholic and opponent of the annulment,<ref name="Losch2002">{{Cite book |last=Losch |first=Richard R. |title=The Many Faces of Faith: A Guide to World Religions and Christian Traditions |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8028-0521-8 |page=106}}</ref> More initially cooperated with the King's new policy, denouncing Wolsey in Parliament.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=123}}

A year later, Catherine was banished from court, and her rooms were given to Anne Boleyn. Anne was an unusually educated and intellectual woman for her time and was keenly absorbed and engaged with the ideas of the Protestant Reformers, but the extent to which she herself was a committed Protestant is much debated.<ref name="gunn"/> When [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] [[William Warham]] died, Anne's influence and the need to find a trustworthy supporter of the annulment had Thomas Cranmer appointed to the vacant position.<ref name="Losch2002"/> This was approved by the Pope, unaware of the King's nascent plans for the Church.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|pp=175–176}}

=== Marriage to Anne Boleyn ===
{{See also|Henry VIII#Reformation}}
[[File:AnneBoleynHever.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Portrait of [[Anne Boleyn]], Henry's second queen; a copy of a lost original painted around 1534]]
In the winter of 1532, Henry met with Francis I at Calais and enlisted Francis's support for his new marriage.{{Sfn|Williams|1971|p=123}} Immediately upon returning to [[Dover]] in England, Henry, now 41, and Anne went through a secret wedding service.{{Sfn|Starkey|2003|pp=462–464}} She soon became pregnant, and there was a second wedding service in London on 25 January 1533. On 23 May 1533, Cranmer, sitting in judgment at a special court convened at [[Dunstable Priory]] to rule on the validity of the King's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, declared the marriage of Henry and Catherine null and void. Five days later, on 28 May 1533, Cranmer declared the marriage of Henry and Anne to be valid.{{Sfn|Williams|1971|p=124}} Catherine was formally stripped of her title as queen, becoming instead "princess dowager" as the widow of Arthur. In her place, [[Coronation of Anne Boleyn|Anne was crowned queen]] on 1 June 1533.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=178}} The Queen gave birth to a daughter slightly prematurely on 7 September 1533. The child was christened [[Elizabeth I|Elizabeth]], in honour of Henry's mother, Elizabeth of York.{{Sfn|Williams|1971|pp=128–131}}

Following the marriage, there was a period of consolidation, taking the form of a series of statutes of the [[English Reformation Parliament|Reformation Parliament]] aimed at finding solutions to any remaining issues, whilst protecting the new reforms from challenge, convincing the public of their legitimacy, and exposing and dealing with opponents.{{Sfn|Bernard|2005|pp=68–71}} Although the [[canon law]] was dealt with at length by Cranmer and others, these acts were advanced by [[Thomas Cromwell]], [[Thomas Audley]] and [[Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk]] and indeed by Henry himself.{{Sfn|Bernard|2005|p=68}} With this process complete, in May 1532 More resigned as Lord Chancellor, leaving Cromwell as Henry's chief minister.{{Sfn|Williams|1971|p=136}} With the [[Act of Succession 1533]], Catherine's daughter, Mary, was declared illegitimate; Henry's marriage to Anne was declared legitimate; and Anne's [[issue (genealogy)|issue]] declared to be next in the line of succession.{{Sfn|Bernard|2005|p=69}} With the [[Acts of Supremacy]] in 1534, Parliament recognised the King's status as [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England|head of the church in England]] and, together with the [[Act in Restraint of Appeals]] in 1532, abolished the right of appeal to Rome.{{Sfn|Bernard|2005|pp=69–71}} It was only then that Pope Clement VII took the step of [[Excommunication in the Catholic Church|excommunicating]] the King and Cranmer, although the excommunication was not made official until some time later.{{Efn|On 11 July 1533 Pope Clement VII 'pronounced sentence against the King, declaring him excommunicated unless he put away the woman he had taken to wife, and took back his Queen during the whole of October next.'<ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=77584 |chapter=Henry VIII: Appendix |date=1882 |title=Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 6: 1533 |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |editor-last=Gairdner |editor-first=James |access-date=9 November 2014 |editor-link=James Gairdner}}</ref> Clement died on 25 September 1534. On 30 August 1535 the new pope, [[Paul III]], drew up a bull of excommunication which began 'Eius qui immobilis'.{{Sfn|Churchill|1966|page=51}}<ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=75665 |chapter=Henry VIII: August 1535, 26–31 |date=1886 |title=Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 9: August–December 1535 |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |editor-last=Gairdner |editor-first=James  |access-date=9 November 2014 |editor-link=James Gairdner}}</ref> [[G. R. Elton]] puts the date the bull was made official as November 1538.<ref name="elton282"/> On 17 December 1538 Pope Paul III issued a further bull which began 'Cum redemptor noster', renewing the execution of the bull of 30 August 1535, which had been suspended in hope of his amendment.<ref name="Scarisbrick361"/><ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=75813 |chapter=Henry VIII: December 1538 16–20 |date=1893 |title=Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 13 Part 2: August–December 1538 |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |editor-last=Gairdner |editor-first=James  |access-date=9 November 2014 |editor-link=James Gairdner}}</ref> Both bulls are printed by Bishop Burnet, History of the Reformation of the Church of England, 1865 edition, Volume 4, pp. 318ff and in Bullarum, diplomatum et privilegiorum sanctorum Romanorum pontificum Taurinensis (1857) Volume VI, p. 195}}

The King and Queen were not pleased with married life. They enjoyed periods of calm and affection, but Anne refused to play the submissive role expected of her. The vivacity and opinionated intellect that had made her so attractive as an illicit lover made her too independent for the largely ceremonial role of a royal wife and it made her many enemies. For his part, Henry disliked Anne's constant irritability and violent temper. After a [[false pregnancy]] or [[miscarriage]] in 1534, he saw her failure to give him a son as a betrayal. As early as Christmas 1534, Henry was discussing with Cranmer and Cromwell the chances of leaving Anne without having to return to Catherine.{{Sfn|Williams|1971|p=138}} Henry is traditionally believed to have had an affair with [[Madge Shelton]] in 1535, although historian [[Antonia Fraser]] argues that Henry in fact had an affair with her sister [[Mary Shelton]].<ref name="Fraser1994"/>

Opposition to Henry's religious policies was at first quickly suppressed in England. Some dissenting monks, including the first [[Carthusian Martyrs of London|Carthusian Martyrs]], were executed and many more [[pilloried]]. The most prominent resisters included [[John Fisher]], Bishop of Rochester, and Thomas More, both of whom refused to take the [[Oath of Supremacy]] to the King.<ref name="elton192"/> Neither Henry nor Cromwell sought at that stage to have the men executed; rather, they hoped that the two might change their minds and save themselves. Fisher openly rejected Henry as the Supreme Head of the Church, but More was careful to avoid openly breaking the [[Treasons Act 1534]], which (unlike later acts) did not forbid mere silence. Both men were subsequently convicted of high treason, however – More on the evidence of a single conversation with [[Richard Rich]], the [[Solicitor General for England and Wales|Solicitor General]] – and both were executed in the summer of 1535.<ref name="elton192">{{Harvnb|Elton|1977|pp=192–194}}</ref>

These suppressions, as well as the [[Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535]], in turn, contributed to a more general resistance to Henry's reforms, most notably in the [[Pilgrimage of Grace]], a large uprising in northern England in October 1536.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|pp=262–263}} Some 20,000 to 40,000 rebels were led by [[Robert Aske (political leader)|Robert Aske]], together with parts of the northern nobility.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=260}} Henry VIII promised the rebels he would pardon them and thanked them for raising the issues. Aske told the rebels they had been successful and they could disperse and go home.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=261}} Henry saw the rebels as traitors and did not feel obliged to keep his promises to them, so when further violence occurred after Henry's offer of a pardon he was quick to break his promise of clemency.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|pp=261–262}} The leaders, including Aske, were arrested and executed for treason. In total, about 200 rebels were executed, and the disturbances ended.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=262}}

==== Execution of Anne Boleyn ====
[[File:Hans Holbein, the Younger, Around 1497-1543 - Portrait of Henry VIII of England - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Portrait by [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], {{circa|1537}}]]
On 8 January 1536, news reached the King and Queen that Catherine of Aragon had died. The following day, Henry dressed all in yellow, with a white feather in his bonnet.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Licence |first=Amy |title=Catherine of Aragon: An Intimate Life of Henry VIII's True Wife |date=2017 |publisher=[[Amberley Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4456-5670-0 |chapter=Dark Days |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dLFNDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT486}}</ref> Queen Anne was pregnant again, and she was aware that there might be consequences if she failed to give birth to a son. Later that month, the King was thrown from his horse in a tournament and was badly injured; it seemed for a time that his life was in danger. When news of this accident reached the Queen, she was sent into shock and miscarried a male child at about 15 weeks' gestation, on the day of Catherine's funeral, 29 January 1536.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=348}} For most observers, this personal loss was the beginning of the end of this royal marriage.{{Sfn|Williams|1971|p=141}}

Although the Boleyn family still held important positions on the [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]], Anne had many enemies, including [[Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk]]. Even her own uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, had come to resent her attitude to her power. The Boleyns preferred France over the Emperor as a potential ally, but the King's favour had swung towards the latter (partly because of Cromwell), damaging the family's influence.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|pp=250–251}} Also opposed to Anne were supporters of reconciliation with Princess Mary (among them the former supporters of Catherine), who had reached maturity. A second annulment was now a real possibility, although it is commonly believed that it was Cromwell's anti-Boleyn influence that led opponents to look for a way of having her executed.<ref name="Wilson2012">{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Derek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j2e7Uba9Q88C&pg=PT92 |title=A Brief History of the English Reformation |publisher=Constable & Robinson |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-8490-1825-8 |page=92 |quote=Cromwell, with his usual single-minded (and ruthless) efficiency, organised the interrogation of the accused, their trials and their executions. Cranmer was absolutely shattered by the 'revelation' of the queen's misdeeds. He wrote to the King expressing his difficulty in believing her guilt. But he fell into line and pronounced the annulment of Henry's second marriage on the grounds of Anne's pre-contract to another. |access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref>{{Sfn|Elton|1977|pp=252–253}}

Anne's downfall came shortly after she had recovered from her final miscarriage. Whether it was primarily the result of allegations of conspiracy, adultery, or witchcraft remains a matter of debate among historians.<ref name="gunn">{{Cite web |last=Gunn |first=Steven |date=September 2010 |title=Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions (review) |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/967 |access-date=5 April 2013 |publisher=Reviews in History |author-link=Steven Gunn (historian)}}</ref> Early signs of a fall from grace included the King's new mistress, the 28-year-old [[Jane Seymour]], being moved into new quarters,{{Sfn|Williams|1971|p=142}} and Anne's brother, [[George Boleyn]], being refused the [[Order of the Garter]], which was instead given to [[Nicholas Carew (courtier)|Nicholas Carew]].{{Sfn|Ives|2005|p=306}} Between 30 April and 2 May, five men, including George Boleyn, were arrested on charges of treasonable adultery and accused of having sexual relationships with the Queen. Anne was arrested, accused of treasonous adultery and incest. Although the evidence against them was unconvincing, the accused were found guilty and condemned to death. On 17 May 1536, Henry and Anne's marriage was annulled by Archbishop Cranmer at [[Lambeth Palace]] and the accused men were executed.{{Sfn|Weir|1991|p=332}}{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=253}} Cranmer appears to have had difficulty finding grounds for an annulment and probably based it on the prior liaison between Henry and Anne's sister Mary, which in canon law meant that Henry's marriage to Anne was, like his first marriage, within a forbidden degree of affinity and therefore void.{{Sfn|Weir|1991|p=330}} At 8&nbsp;am on 19 May 1536, Anne was executed on [[Tower Green]].{{Sfn|Hibbert|Weinreb|Keay|Keay|2010|p=60}}

=== Marriage to Jane Seymour; domestic and foreign affairs ===
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Hans Holbein the Younger - Jane Seymour, Queen of England - Google Art Project.jpg
| width1 = 158
| image2 = Family of Henry VIII c 1545 detail.jpg
| width2 = 200
| footer = [[Jane Seymour]] (left) was Henry's third wife. She is pictured (right) with Henry and the young [[Edward VI|Prince Edward]] in a painting by an unknown artist; by the time this painting was completed, {{circa|1545}}, Henry was already married to his sixth wife, [[Catherine Parr]].
}}

The day after Anne's execution, the 45-year-old Henry became engaged to Seymour, who had been one of the Queen's [[ladies-in-waiting]]. They were married ten days later{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=350}} at the [[Palace of Whitehall]], [[Whitehall]], London, in Anne's closet, by [[Stephen Gardiner]], [[Bishop of Winchester]].{{Sfn|Weir|2002|p=344}}

With Charles V distracted by the internal politics of his many kingdoms and external threats, and Henry and Francis on relatively good terms, domestic and not foreign policy issues had been Henry's priority in the first half of the 1530s. In 1536, for example, Henry granted his assent to the [[Laws in Wales Act 1535]], which legally annexed [[Wales]], uniting England and Wales into a single nation. This was followed by the [[Second Succession Act]] (the Succession to the Crown Act 1536), which declared Henry's children by Jane to be next in the line of succession and declared both Mary and Elizabeth illegitimate, thus excluding them from the throne. The King was granted the power to further determine the line of succession in his will, should he have no further issue.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=350–351}}

On 12 October 1537, Jane gave birth to a son, Prince Edward, the future [[Edward VI]].{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=353}} The birth was difficult, and Queen Jane died on 24 October 1537 from an infection and was buried in Windsor.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=355}} The euphoria that had accompanied Edward's birth became sorrow, but it was only over time that Henry came to long for his wife. At the time, Henry recovered quickly from the shock.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|page=275}} Measures were immediately put in place to find another wife for Henry, which, at the insistence of Cromwell and the Privy Council, were focused on the European continent.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=355–256}}

In 1538, as part of the negotiation of a secret treaty by Cromwell with Charles V, a series of dynastic marriages were proposed: Mary would marry a son of King [[John III of Portugal]], Elizabeth would marry one of the sons of King [[Ferdinand I of Hungary]] and the infant Edward would marry one of Charles's daughters. It was suggested the widowed Henry might marry [[Christina, Dowager Duchess of Milan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry VIII: February 1538, 11–15 Pages 88–100 Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 13 Part 1, January–July 1538 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol13/no1/pp88-100 |access-date=11 December 2022 |website=British History Online |publisher=HMSO 1892}}</ref> However, when Charles and Francis made peace in January 1539, Henry became increasingly paranoid, perhaps as a result of receiving a constant list of threats to the kingdom (real or imaginary, minor or serious) supplied by Cromwell in his role as spymaster.{{Sfn|Loades|2009|pp=72–73}} Enriched by the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry used some of his financial reserves to build a [[Device Forts|series of coastal defences]] and set some aside for use in the event of a Franco-German invasion.{{Sfn|Loades|2009|pp=74–75}}

=== Marriage to Anne of Cleves ===
[[File:Anne de Clèves - Hans Holbein le Jeune - Musée du Louvre Peintures INV 1348 ; MR 756 - version 2.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.75|''Portrait of [[Anne of Cleves]]'' by [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], 1539]]
Having considered the matter, Cromwell suggested [[Anne of Cleves|Anne]], the 25-year-old sister of [[William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]], who was seen as an important ally in case of a Roman Catholic attack on England, for the Duke fell between [[Lutheranism]] and [[Catholicism]].{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=368–369}} Other potential brides included Christina of Denmark, [[Anna of Lorraine]], Louise of Guise and [[Amalia of Cleves]]. [[Hans Holbein the Younger]] was dispatched to Cleves to paint a portrait of Anne for the King.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=369–370}} Despite speculation that Holbein painted her in an overly flattering light, it is more likely that the portrait was accurate; Holbein remained in favour at court.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=373–374}} After seeing Holbein's portrait, and urged on by the complimentary description of Anne given by his courtiers, the 49-year-old King agreed to wed Anne.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=373–375}}

When Henry met Anne, however, he was much displeased with her appearance. The King was reportedly taken aback and told his courtiers "I promise you, I see no such thing as hath been shown me of her, by pictures and report. I am ashamed that men have praised her as they have done, and I love her not!"<ref name="Weir" /> Despite his protests, Henry knew that the situation was too far gone and he would have to wed his bride.

The marriage took place in January 1540, but it was never consummated. The morning after their wedding night, Henry complained about his new wife to Cromwell, stating:{{Sfn|Weir|1991|p=406}}

{{Blockquote|text=Surely, my lord, I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse! She is nothing fair, and have very evil smells about her. I took her to be no maid by reason of the closeness of her breasts and other tokens, which, when I felt them, strake me so to the heart, that I had neither will nor courage to prove the rest. I can have none appetite for displeasant airs. I have left her as good a maid and I found her.|source=}}

Henry wished to annul the marriage as soon as possible so he could marry another.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=370}}<ref name="elton289">{{Harvnb|Elton|1977|p=289}}</ref> Anne did not argue, and confirmed that the marriage had never been consummated.<ref name="scarisbrick373">{{Harvnb|Scarisbrick|1997|p=373}}</ref> Anne's previous betrothal to [[Francis I, Duke of Lorraine|Francis of Lorraine]] provided further grounds for the annulment.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=372–373}} The marriage was subsequently dissolved in July 1540, and Anne received the title of "The King's Sister", two houses, and a generous allowance.<ref name="scarisbrick373" />

=== Marriage to Catherine Howard (and fall of Thomas Cromwell) ===
[[File:Hans Holbein the Younger - Portrait of a Lady, perhaps Katherine Howard (Royal Collection).JPG|thumb|Portrait of a woman believed to be [[Catherine Howard]], Henry's fifth wife, by [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], 1540]]

It was soon clear that Henry had fallen for the 17-year-old [[Catherine Howard]], the Duke of Norfolk's niece. This worried Cromwell, for Norfolk was his political opponent.<ref name="elton289291">{{Harvnb|Elton|1977|pp=289–291}}</ref>

Shortly after, the religious reformers (and protégés of Cromwell) [[Robert Barnes (martyr)|Robert Barnes]], [[William Jerome (martyr)|William Jerome]] and [[Thomas Garret]] were burned as heretics.<ref name="scarisbrick373"/> Cromwell, meanwhile, fell out of favour although it is unclear exactly why, for there is little evidence of differences in domestic or foreign policy. Despite his role, he was never formally accused of being responsible for Henry's failed marriage.<ref name="scarisbrick367377">{{Harvnb|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=376–377}}</ref> Cromwell was now surrounded by enemies at court, with Norfolk also able to draw on his niece Catherine's position.<ref name="elton289291"/> Cromwell was charged with treason, selling export licences, granting passports, and drawing up commissions without permission, and may also have been blamed for the failure of the foreign policy that accompanied the attempted marriage to Anne.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=378–379}}{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=290}} He was subsequently [[attainted]] and beheaded.<ref name="scarisbrick367377"/>

On 28 July 1540 (the same day Cromwell was executed), Henry married the young Catherine Howard, a first cousin and lady-in-waiting of Anne Boleyn.{{Sfn|Farquhar|2001|p=75}} He was delighted with his new queen and awarded her the lands of Cromwell and a vast array of jewellery.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=430}} Soon after the marriage, however, Queen Catherine had an affair with the courtier [[Thomas Culpeper]]. She also employed [[Francis Dereham]], who had previously been informally engaged to her and had an affair with her prior to her marriage, as her secretary. The Privy Council was informed of her affair with Dereham whilst Henry was away; Thomas Cranmer was dispatched to investigate, and he brought evidence of Queen Catherine's previous affair with Dereham to the King's notice.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=430–431}} Though Henry originally refused to believe the allegations, Dereham confessed. It took another meeting of the council, however, before Henry believed the accusations against Dereham and went into a rage, blaming the council before consoling himself in hunting.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=431–432}} When questioned, the Queen could have admitted a prior contract to marry Dereham, which would have made her subsequent marriage to Henry invalid, but she instead claimed that Dereham had forced her to enter into an adulterous relationship. Dereham, meanwhile, exposed Catherine's relationship with Culpeper. Culpeper and Dereham were both executed, and Catherine too was beheaded on 13 February 1542.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|pp=432–433}}

=== Marriage to Catherine Parr ===
[[File:Catherine Parr from NPG.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Catherine Parr]], Henry's sixth and last wife]]
Henry married his last wife, the wealthy widow [[Catherine Parr]], in July 1543.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=456}} A reformer at heart, she argued with Henry over religion. Henry remained committed to an idiosyncratic mixture of Catholicism and Protestantism; the reactionary mood that had gained ground after Cromwell's fall had neither eliminated his Protestant streak nor been overcome by it.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|p=301}} Parr helped reconcile Henry with his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.{{Sfn|Scarisbrick|1997|p=457}} In 1543, the [[Third Succession Act]] put them back in the line of succession after Edward. The same act allowed Henry to determine further succession to the throne in his will.{{Sfn|Elton|1977|pp=331,&nbsp;373}}