Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard (c.1523 (1523) – 13 February 1542 (1542-02-14)) was Queen of England from 1540 until 1541, as the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Catherine, then 16 or 17, married Henry VIII on 28 July 1540, at Oatlands Palace, in Surrey, almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves was arranged. Catherine was stripped of her title as queen within 16 months, in November 1541, and beheaded three months later, on the grounds of treason for committing adultery while married to the King.

Family

Catherine was a daughter of Lord Edmund Howard (c 1478 – 1539) and Joyce Culpeper (c 1480 – c 1528). Her father's sister, Elizabeth Howard, was the mother of Anne Boleyn. Therefore, Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn were first cousins, and Catherine Howard and Anne's daughter, Lady Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I), were first-cousins-once-removed. As a granddaughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443 – 1524), Catherine had an aristocratic pedigree, but her father was not wealthy, being a younger son among 21 children and disfavoured in the custom of primogeniture, in which the eldest son inherits all his father's estate.

Rick Wakeman

Richard Christopher "Rick" Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist, songwriter, television and radio presenter, author, and actor. He is best known for being in the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.

Born and raised in west London, Wakeman intended on being a concert pianist but quit his studies at the Royal College of Music in 1969 to become a full time session musician. His early sessions included playing on "Space Oddity", among others, for David Bowie and songs by Junior's Eyes, T. Rex, Elton John, and Cat Stevens. Wakeman became a member of Strawbs in 1970 before joining Yes a year later, becoming part of the band's "classic" line-up and playing on some of their most successful and influential albums across two stints until 1980. Wakeman began a solo career during this time, in 1973; his most successful albums are his first three: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He formed his rock band, The English Rock Ensemble, in 1974 which he continues to perform with.

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later assumed the Kingship, of Ireland, and continued the nominal claim by English monarchs to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, succeeding his father, Henry VII.

Besides his six marriages, Henry VIII is known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. His disagreements with the Pope led to his separation of the Church of England from papal authority, with himself, as king, as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Because his principal dispute was with papal authority, rather than with doctrinal matters, he remained a believer in core Catholic theological teachings despite his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry oversaw the legal union of England and Wales with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. He is also well known for a long personal rivalry with both Francis I of France and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, with whom he frequently warred.

The Six

The Six may refer to:

See also

Wives of Henry VIII

The wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort wedded to Henry VIII of England between 1509 and 1547. After his first divorce he appealed to the pope, who denounced him. He then turned to the Predestine party who had no inclined belief over the subject and had divorce written into the laws of the people.

The six women who were married to King Henry VIII were, in chronological order:

Henry's first marriage lasted nearly 24 years, while the remaining five totaled less than 10 years combined.

A common mnemonic device to remember the fates of Henry's consorts is "Divorced, beheaded, died / Divorced, beheaded, survived". There is also a rhyme: