Henry VIII and His Six Wives Howard, Duke of Norfolk. Henry and Catherine marry, with Henry lavishing her with many gifts and jewels. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer then discovers that Catherine has had liaisons before her marriage, and presents this knowledge to Henry, who at first refuses to believe the charges. Cranmer secures a confession from Catherine, who also admits of an affair with Thomas Culpeper during her marriage to Henry. Catherine is beheaded. Henry, now elderly, approaches Catherine Parr, a widow from two previous marriages. Catherine is at first reluctant, citing her religious views which differ from Henry's, but Henry admits his need for companionship in
The Merry Wives of Windsor The Merry Wives of Windsor The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a reference to the town of Windsor, also the location of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Though nominally set in the reign of Henry IV, the play makes no pretense to exist outside contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life. It features the character Sir John Falstaff, the fat knight who had previously been featured in "Henry IV, Part 1" and "Part 2".