As the first wife of Henry VIII (Henry VIII 1), Catherine of Aragon, a devout and well educated woman (Dwyer 32), became subjected to Henry VIII's drive for a male heir. Shortly after their marriage on June 17, 1509, Catherine found herself pregnant. Their first child was born in January 1510 (Catherine of Aragon 2). When this premature baby

By the time of his death in 1547, Henry VIII had accumulated six wives. One might say that Henry brought upon himself the misery and sadness of never having a male heir by the way he treated his wives who could not produce a male heir. Jane Seymour is the only wife of two not to be dismissed by Henry VIII; her ability to produce a male heir saved her life from Henry's wrath. Henry's punishment for his unusual way came in the form of only sickly male children, a punishment inflicted upon himself by God. Ironically, his wives, the weaker sex deemed by Henry VIII, produced two strong and powerful females, more powerful than any male Henry produced: Mary I and Elizabeth. These two women became better leaders than Henry was and were much stronger. The women Henry tried to dominate eventually overruled him and his legacy.

Realizing that Anne was unable to produce a male heir, Henry VIII was the hunt for another wife. The king now had eyes for Jane Seymour. It had been noticed that he had feelings for Jane in February. Confidently, someone mentioned investigating Anne's loyalty to the King. Henry then signed a document that called for an investigation on Anne Boleyn. On May 2, 1536, Anne was arrested. The charges of adultery, incest, and plotting to kill the King were brought upon her. On May 15, the queen and her brother were put on trial at the Great Tower of London for incest (Anne Boleyn 4). At this trail there was insufficient evidence brought against her, but she was found guilty. After Anne was found guilty and sentenced to death, the queen's marriage to the king was dissolved and declared invalid (Anne Boleyn 5), and Anne still lost her life for adultery.

Jane Seymour and Henry VIII were betrothed only twenty-four hours after Anne Boleyn was executed. Jane is thought to be the king's one true love, but how she felt for the king is uncertain. Some say she feared for her life and did not understand the political role she played in England (Jane Seymour 1). The king and Jane were quickly married on May 30, 1536, and early in 1537 Jane was with child. Every want and need was taken care of by the king, since he was convinced that Jane carried his longed for son (Jane Seymour 2). In October, Jane gave birth to a baby boy named Edward. Edward was christened on October 15. At the ceremony, Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was named Edward's godmother. Henry did not leave his other daughter out of the ceremony either. She played a role also (Jane Seymour2). Jane was not in good healt

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Approximate Word count = 1692
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)