The Wives of King Henry VIII Term Paper by Jay Writtings LLC

This paper examines the importance of the choices of wives made by King Henry VIII of England, with an emphasis on the political significance of these marriages. First, the paper describes how the Tudor family came to power in England and the necessity of a male heir for Henry VIII because of the Tudor's weak claim to the throne. Then, the paper describes each of Henry's six wives and why he married each of them. Most unions were based on political alliances between England and other European monarchies, while other marriages were for political reasons within England's noble families. Henry's conflict with the Catholic Church is discussed and how it affected his choice of wives. The paper describes the demise of Henry's wives, which included beheading two, the death of one in child birth, and divorcing another two.