The Six Queens of Henry VIII
King Henry VIII’s reign was defined by his marriages. Coercion, manipulation and ultimately murder were all employed. Wives were selected and discarded for political and religious reasons and in a desperate attempt to sire an heir.
Join historians Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb as they explore what these turbulent relationships tell us about England’s legendary king.
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The Six Queens of Henry VIII on BBC Select
Episode 1
The life of the remarkable Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife, is detailed in this gripping history documentary on BBC Select. Historians Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb reveal a canny, intelligent woman whose fortitude led to a religious and political schism that changed English history forever. Her failure to bear a son, and Henry’s obsession with future wife Anne Boleyn, sealed her fate.
Episode 2
Anne Boleyn charmed the king into marriage with her seductive French ways. Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb tell the story of Henry’s second wife, in this fascinating history documentary on BBC Select. In 1553 she became Queen and gave birth to the future monarch Elizabeth. But her failure to produce a male heir cost her dear, leading ultimately to her execution for adultery and witchcraft.
Episode 3
Jane Seymour was a woman adept at sexual politics. Anne of Cleves was considered so repulsive that the relationship was never consummated. BBC Select presents this history documentary that reveals two contrasting wives of Henry. Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb tell the story of the wife that succeeded in producing a son but died days later, plus the marriage that led to a humiliating divorce.
Episode 4
Naive teenage bride Katherine Howard had a sexual history that incited the king to take brutal action. Mature Catherine Parr became a mother figure for Henry’s children and the king’s nurse during his twilight years. Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb present this illuminating history documentary on BBC Select revealing Henry’s final two wives. Both had startlingly different characters and fates.
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