The Library › Reel III · The Pomegranate Society
Did Henry VIII divorce two of his wives, as the rhyme says?
VERDICTINVENTED
Not in the modern sense. “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived” is a schoolroom memory aid, and its “divorced” is shorthand. Henry had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon declared null in 1533, and his marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled in July 1540. An annulment says the marriage never legally existed. Who first wrote the rhyme is not known.
The receipts
- Who were Henry VIII’s wives?, Royal Museums Greenwich
- Henry VIII, King of England and his six wives, Historic UK
The comedy version
The untold story of Henry VIII’s six wives, and the secret society he never knew he’d started.
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