The wives of Henry VIII are not necessarily part of any history curriculum. Their story is unique, interesting, and allows for many opportunities for discussion in the classroom. Teachers also don’t have a lot of time to add to much information to the class which is why it is important to use resources designed to not waste any.

This resource doesn’t do a deep dive but it does focus on each wife of Henry VIII to help students understand that these were real people dealing with real issues. I think that educators sometimes get caught up with ensuring every second of their lessons matches the current education trend of teaching that we forget a simple lesson of reading with discussion is important too.

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour are the longest short reads as they are the longest marriages or the most consequential. The Katherine Howard story comes with a trauma warning as it may not be suitable for all ages.

Only Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn have summaries built around the short read.

Catherine of Aragon

Henry VIII’s first wife but he wasn’t her first husband. An interesting discussion after students read her history is to debate whether or not she should have married him and if her marriage to Arthur was in fact grounds for a divorce.

This short read does come with a summary if that is important for you.

Anne Boleyn

This is the woman Henry divorced his first wife for. She also was the reason Henry broke with the Catholice Church and began the Church of England. There are many talking points to pick with this one but students usually are surprised that she met with such a harsh ending. They usually want to talk about that.

This short read does come with a summary if that is important for you.

Jane Seymour

Declared by Henry as his one and true wife, she bore him his much desired son. As she party planned for the birth of the boy she got childbirth fever and died. Sad. This is a great way to discuss the perils of childbirth in history. And yes, I do think that is an important talking point for students and I am not in favor of skipping that topic.

This short read does not have a summary included.

Anne of Cleves

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and apparently Anne of Cleves held no beauty in Henry’s eye. Any student who was on the fence about Henry’s personality usually cross over when they learn about Anne. I find it interesting to see how these students take to this story and I think it is important to discuss marriage contracts in history. I like to direct students to marriage contracts especially between people who couldn’t stand each other.

This short read does not have a summary included.

Catherine Howard

The very beautiful Katherine Howard should never have been presented to the king as a potential lover/wife. She was brought up to be naive and supplicant to whomever was in control of her. Her story is sad and traumatic and does discuss sexual coercison.

No, I will not edit her story. The truth of her story is important. If you don’t want to discuss sexual ethics then don’t read this one. Tell her story on your own.

This short read does not have a summary included.

Catherine Parr

The last of Henry’s wife, she is the one who survived him. I thought her story after his death was quite interesting and is a great way to talk about women’s rights outside of marriage or in widowhood.

This short read does not have a summary included.

How long will all these short reads take?

The time spent reading these short reads in class is dependent on the student body you are introducing them to. If you are teaching a class of language learners for example, the first two will probably take a full class period. If you are teaching a classroom of advanced studies students it will take half a class period to get through the first two wives.

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