The Secret Lives of Henry VIII's Wives

Henry VIII's six wives — Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr — were more powerful, more capable, and more fascinating than Tudor history ever gave them credit for. Let's fix that.

SOURCES

Catherine of Aragon:

Bergenroth, G. A., ed. "Introduction." Calendar of State Papers, Spain. London, 1868. British History Online. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/supp/vols1-2/vii-lxxxBridge, Mark. "Katherine of Aragon’s Military Nous Helped Defeat Scots Invasion." The Times, May 27, 2020.Britannica Editors. "Catherine of Aragon." Encyclopedia Britannica, January 3, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Catherine-of-AragonBrown, Rebecca Starr. "The Upbringing of Katherine of Aragon & Her Siblings." RebeccaStarrBrown.com, March 5, 2018. https://rebeccastarrbrown.com/2018/03/05/the-childhood-of-katherine-of-aragon/Glasgow Museums Collections Online. "Catherine Aragon." https://collections.glasgowmuseums.com/mwebcgi/mweb?request=record;id=82029;type=701Prendergast, Maria Teresa. "King, Confessor, and Princess: Contesting Catherine of Aragon’s Dowry and Soul in Her 1507 Letters."Solly, Meilan. "When Catherine of Aragon Led England’s Armies to Victory Over Scotland." Smithsonian Magazine, October 14, 2020. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-catherine-aragon-led-englands-armies-victory-over-scotland-180975982/Zarevich, Emily. "Catherine of Aragon: Europe’s First Female Ambassador." Daily JSTOR, January 2, 2023. https://daily.jstor.org/catherine-of-aragon-europes-first-female-ambassador/Anne Boleyn:

"Anne Boleyn." Historic Royal Palaces. https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/anne-boleyn/"Anne Boleyn Timeline." Hever Castle. https://www.hevercastle.co.uk/visit/hever-castle/timelines/anne-boleyn-timeline/Percy, Henry. "Henry Percy." Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/Henry_Percy.htmToscani, Melissa. "Anne Boleyn." Prof. Pavlac’s Women’s History Resource Site. http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/anneboleyn.htmlJane Seymour:

Britannica Editors. "Jane Seymour." Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jane-SeymourEBSCO Research. "Jane Seymour." History Research Starters, 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/jane-seymour"Jane Seymour: Henry VIII’s Favourite Queen?" Historic Royal Palaces. https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/jane-seymour/Walsh, Alexandra. "The Scandal