Henry VIII is not a small name in English history.
Many film and television works in Europe and the United States have also used him as the protagonist to show the story of that era.
Before ascending the throne, Prince Henry had a carefree childhood.
His parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth, had four surviving children, of whom the eldest son, Arthur, was regarded as the future heir and received a rigorous education from an early age.
As the second son, Henry gained the doting of his parents. He immersed himself in a sea of music and poetry, and systematically learned the languages and cultures of many countries.
However, the good times did not last long. Henry's brother Arthur died of illness during a parade with his wife after marriage.
In the hurry, Henry was appointed the new crown prince.
To make matters worse, a year after his brother's death, Henry's mother, Elizabeth, also died in childbirth.
Henry's father also fell from then on, immersed in the pain of losing his son and wife.
In order for the young Henry to gain the approval of his courtiers and maintain his marriage with Spain, his father Henry VII and the Spanish royal family made Henry betrotto to his widowed sister-in-law Catherine, who was six years older than him. And agreed that when Henry grew up, he would let the two marry.
In 1509, at the age of 18, Henry married Catherine, who was 24 years old.
In the face of a beautiful and intelligent, noble status, and a high dowry, Henry respected her very much.
Over the next few years, Catherine became pregnant several times, but either miscarried or died after giving birth to her young son.
Her only surviving child, Princess Mary, was Mary I, who later became known as "Bloody Mary".
Although she failed to give birth to a future prince, Catherine was still highly respected and loved in the hearts of the British people.
Henry VIII decided to comply with public opinion and preserve Catherine's queenship. Even at one point, it was considered that Princess Mary would become the future queen.
However, in 1519, one of Catherine's handmaidens gave birth to Henry VIII's son.
At this time, Henry VIII suddenly realized. In the past, he always thought that it was his own physical reasons that led to the shallow fate of his children. Now it seems that maybe it is Catherine's reason.
From then on, Henry VIII became increasingly cold towards Catherine, and began frequent trysts with court ladies.
In 1519, Henry VIII began a casual relationship with Countess Marie Pauline, and the Earl, who was forced to wear a green hat, could only accept this.
During their relationship, Mary Pauline gave birth to a son and a daughter.
(The following screenshots are from film and television works such as "Another Pauline's Girl", the same below)
Just as Henry VIII was growing tired of Mary Pauline, another daughter of the Pauline family, Anne Pauline, returned to England.
It is said that Anne Pauline is a very attractive woman. She was charming and humorous, and many nobles fell in love with her, including Henry VIII.
Unlike Henry VIII's other lovers, Anne Pauline did not immediately accept the king's pursuit, but simply left the court.
During this period, Henry VIII wrote many love letters to Anne, who could not miss her.
Finally, in 1526, Anne returned to court and accepted Henry VIII's affection.
However, Anne, who was bent on pursuing the throne of queen, declared that she would never give birth to a child before officially becoming queen.
Henry VIII, who was carried away by love, also believed that the young and healthy Anne could give birth to the crown prince for herself.
However, Henry VIII underestimated his current empress.
Catherine was the wife of the previous king Henry VIII, and behind her stood Spain, who was loved by the people. Empress Catherine was naturally unwilling to give up the position of queen easily.
After two successive failed attempts to divorce, Henry VIII directly ordered his empress to be expelled from the court.
Poor Queen Catherine never saw her only daughter, Princess Mary, until her death.
At this point, Anne Pauline finally accepted Henry VIII, looking forward to the upcoming queen position.
In 1533, Anne, who was pregnant, was officially crowned Queen of England.
However, Annie's happy time did not last long.
The deposition of Empress Catherine provoked the anger of the British public. Anne became a scourge in the hearts of the people.
After several fruitless attempts to improve her public image, Anne began to let herself go.
Once Empress Catherine pursued the people's virtuous name, but Anne liked the luxurious life.
Together with Henry VIII, she sang and danced and lived a life of drunken gold. It is said that Anne alone had more than two hundred handmaids.
Henry VIII was also obedient to Anne, looking forward to the queen he personally chose to give birth to a child for himself. In addition to the edict that would be issued when the prince was born, Henry VIII also prepared the celebration.
However, Anne did not give birth to the prince Henry VIII expected.
Although a little disappointed, the newly born Princess Elizabeth still won the absolute love of her parents. It is worth mentioning that this princess is the later Queen Elizabeth I.
Anne Pauline knew that her position would not be secure until she gave birth to the little prince.
Despite her weak body at the time, she became pregnant again, but like the former Queen Catherine, she miscarried several times.
In 1535, Henry VIII became interested in Anne's handmaiden, Jane Seymour.
Unlike the intelligent and witty Annie, Jane has a gentle and understanding personality. This fascinated the tired Henry VIII.
At this time, Annie, who was pregnant, heard about this and was even more depressed. The couple had a quarrel at some point. Eventually, an exhausted Anne miscarried again. The relationship between the two has come to an end.
In the eyes of Henry VIII today, Queen Anne is now perverse, unsupported by the people, and unable to give birth.
Thus, in 1536, Henry VIII ordered the arrest of Anne's male family members, attendants, and poets, dancers, and musicians who had crossed paths with Anne.
Under the harsh punishment, a musician was overwhelmed by the pain and lied and admitted that he had a mutual affair with Queen Anne.
Although Anne refused to admit this, the iron-hearted Henry VIII would never give her a chance to breathe.
Finally, Anne was publicly executed in 1536.
At this point, Anne of the Pauline family left the stage of history.
I wonder if she thought before she died that her daughter Elizabeth would become a generation of queens in Britain in the future?