The Six Wives of Henry VIII: The Big Debate

Join us at Southwark Cathedral for this day of talks about the Six Wives of Henry VIII

The Event...

The Wronged Woman; the Goggle-eyed Harlot; the Obedient Wife; the Flanders Mare; the Good-time Girl; the Nurse. Six wives, six stereotypes, and six women whose real stories need to be told.

Unusually for sixteenth-century royalty, Henry VIII believed that his marriages should bring him personal happiness, choosing women he loved more often than political alliances. Yet each of the women was very different in appearance, temperament, religious outlook, and her relationship with the king.

Join a panel of Tudor experts to hear the truth behind the myths about the Six Wives of Henry VIII and explore not just how each of these women rose and fell in the king’s affections, but how they conducted themselves in the role of queen, how they negotiated the tricky politics of the Tudor court, they brought out the best – or the worst – in Henry, and how their legacies lived after them.

Vote for your favourite wife at the start of the event and then again at the end to see if our experts have persuaded you to change your mind!

This event is in partnership with our friends at Tudor Times which is the online repository for all things Tudor and Stewart (1485–1625).

This is in-person only event and won't be recorded or streamed.

Our Speakers...

Catherine of Aragon - Alison Weir

Anne Boleyn - TBC

Jane Seymour - TBC

Anne of Cleves - Melita Thomas 

Catherine Howard - TBC

Catherine Parr - TBC