Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.

As most of us know, in the 1500s, there was a King named Henry Ⅷ. His claim to fame is not only being the ruler of the United Kingdom, or creator of the Church of England: it is the fact that he had six wives.

Almost everybody knows that he did have several wives, and many know that one-Anne Bolyn-caused the creation of the church and the monarchy’s separation from Catholicism. However, very few people know much about who these six queens were, or even their names.

This is due to the fact that Henry Ⅷ is always the focal point of any conversation about these six queens, which is logical because he is literally the king. None of his wives could have been queen without him, but they were still people. They still had unique identities, which are just as, if not more, important to mention than the man they married.

Catherine of Aragon:

Born in Spain and originally married to Henry’s older brother, Catherine only had one surviving child, who would later become Mary I, and several miscarriages. Henry wanted a son, and decided to divorce her to marry Anne Boleyn, a radical move at the time that caused the Church of England to form.

Anne Boleyn:

Famous for causing the split of the Church of England from the pope, Anne Boleyn was married to Henry VIII for a little under 3 years before being beheaded for supposed treason. She was mother to Elizabeth I, and is possibly the woman responsible for making Henry VIII a known historical figure, even hundreds of years later.

Jane Seymore:

Mother to his only surviving son, Jane Seymore was the only one of Henry’s wives he did not wish to be separated from. He supposedly loved her throughout their marriage, and was devastated when she died of childbirth.

Anne of Claves:

By far the briefest of Henry’s marriages, Anne of Claves was a German woman whose portrait was seen by her future spouse. However, instead of meeting first like most people would, Henry decided to marry her immediately, and instantly regretted it. He decided to divorce Anne of Claves, and she spent the rest of her life in a huge mansion with a lot of money and friends. Although she had the shortest marriage of Henry’s wives, she possibly had one of the happiest lives.

Catherine Howard:

The youngest of his wives, Henry married Catherine when he was in his forties and she was in her teens. She was accused of adultery and treason, and executed. She was around 19 at her beheading.

Catherine Parr:

Henry’s last wife saw his final days and, similar to him, married several times. She had two marriages before him, and one after his death. Catherine was influential by writing a lot throughout her life, and for helping the passage of a succession act that would make it possible for Mary I and Elizabeth I to become Queen one day.

Women often do not get paid much attention in history books, and one example of this is Henry VIII. While he is very well known for having several wives, very few people know anything about his wives, which the broadway musical Six is changing. A feminist retelling of King Henry VIII, Six is a short musical aimed at younger generations. In addition to capturing the audience’s attention, Six emphasizes how each Queen has rich lives outside of being wives.