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
Children of King Henry VIII Children of King Henry VIII Henry VIII of England had several children. The most well known children are the three legitimate offspring who survived infancy and would succeed him as monarchs of England successively, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. His first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, had several pregnancies that ended in stillbirth, miscarriage, or death in infancy. Henry acknowledged one illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, as his own, but is suspected to have fathered several illegitimate children by different mistresses. The number and identity of these is a matter of historical debate. There are many