The Wives of Henry VIII Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Wives of Henry VIII Quiz
Image: refer to hsw

About This Quiz

Ruling from 1509 until he died in 1547, Henry VIII is perhaps better known for his weight and his wives than the accomplishments of his reign. Test your knowledge of the love affairs of one of England's most infamous kings by taking this quiz.
True or false: Did Henry VIII really have six wives?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

True. Henry VIII had six wives. (Not at the same time; we mean in his lifetime.)

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What was his first wife's name?
Anne of Cleves
Catherine of Aragon
Jane Seymour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Catherine of Aragon, the youngest child of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

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Who was Catherine of Aragon married to before Henry VIII?
Arthur, Prince of Wales
John of Gaunt
Henry, Duke of Cornwall
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Catherine of Aragon was first Princess of Wales, married to Arthur, Prince of Wales.

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How long did Henry's first marriage last?
2 years
10 years
24 years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, were married for almost 24 years.

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Who did Henry break with the Catholic church to marry?
Anne Boleyn
Anne of Cleves
Catherine of Aragon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Henry broke with the Catholic church when he ended his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn.

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Which of Henry's wives was accused of treason, adultery and incest before her execution?
Anne Boleyn
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, accused of adultery, treason and incest.

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How did Queen Anne Boleyn die?
beheading
burning at the stake
hung, drawn and quartered
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anne was beheaded.

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Which lady-in-waiting became the second wife of Henry VIII?
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anne Boleyn, lady-in-waiting to Catherine, became Henry's second wife in a secret ceremony in 1533.

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How soon after Anne Boleyn's death did Henry VIII marry Jane Seymour?
10 hours
10 days
10 months
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Henry and Jane were married 10 days after Anne Boleyn's execution.

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Who is the mother of Queen Mary I, the first Queen Regnant?
Anne Boleyn
Catherine of Aragon
Elizabeth I
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Catherine of Aragon is the mother of Mary, named after Henry's sister Mary Tudor, and his eldest child.

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Why did Henry divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon?
She failed at giving him a male heir.
She was Spanish.
She had previously been married to his brother.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All are true, but Henry divorced Catherine because, although having six pregnancies with Henry, she didn't give birth to a male heir.

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Who is the mother of Edward, Henry VIII's only son?
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Jane Seymour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jane Seymour gave birth to son Edward, Henry's male heir to the throne.

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Which of his six wives died shortly after childbirth?
Anne Boleyn
Catherine of Aragon
Jane Seymour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jane Seymour, Henry's second wife, died just two weeks after giving birth to son Edward.

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Which of Henry's wives gave birth to his legitimate children?
Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour
Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr
Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour are the three wives that gave birth to Henry VIII's legitimate children.

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True or false: Anne Boleyn had six fingers on one hand.
definitely true
probably true
probably not true
definitely false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's said that Anne Boleyn had six fingers on her right hand, or a hand deformity, but it's probably not true. It's believed she was given "witchlike" characteristics by Catholic propagandists.

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While married to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII acknowledged he had an illegitimate son with:
Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount
Mary Boleyn
Mary Shelton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1519 Bessie Blount gave birth to Henry Fitzroy, whom Henry VIII made Duke of Richmond. It's rumored Henry also had a son, Henry Carey, with Mary Boleyn, and, possibly other children out of wedlock.

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Which of his children was declared illegitimate, but reinstated in the line of succession before Henry's death?
Edward VI
Elizabeth I
Margaret
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Elizabeth was declared illegitimate after her mother Anne Boleyn's death.

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Which of Henry's wives was never crowned?
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Catherine Howard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jane Seymour, his third wife, was never crowned.

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What did Henry say about fourth wife, Anne of Cleves?
that, "I like her not! I like her not!"
that she gave off "evil smells"
that she was "nothing fair"
all of these things
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Henry VIII said all of these things about wife Anne of Cleves, and their marriage was dissolved after six months.

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How long was Henry married to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, before divorcing her?
a few days
a few months
a few years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A few months after marrying, Henry was already interested in Catherine Howard, who would be his fifth wife.

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Which of Henry's wives was stripped of her title and then executed for adultery just 16 months after marrying?
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sixteen months after her wedding, Catherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife, accused of adultery, was stripped of her title as queen and later executed.

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What did Anne Boleyn say about her trial and sentence?
I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper.
I heard say the executioner is very good, and I have a little neck.
I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anne said, "I heard say the executioner is very good, and I have a little neck." It was Elizabeth I who said, "I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married"; and it's believed Catherine Howard's final words were, "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper."

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If you count the marriages he had annulled, making them nonexistent in the eyes of the church, how many marriages did Henry technically have?
1
3
6
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Accounting for annulled marriages, considered dissolved in the eyes of the church, Henry was married only to Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

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Whose "Prayers or Meditations" was published and produced by Henry VIII's printers?
Anne of Cleves
Jane Seymour
Catherine Parr
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Catherine Parr's book, "Prayers or Meditations," came out in 1545, making her the first queen of England to be published.

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Who of Henry's legitimate children ascended to the throne following him?
Mary
Edward
Elizabeth
none of them
all of them
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All of Henry VIII's legitimate children ascended to the throne, as Queen Mary I, Queen Elizabeth I and King Edward VI.

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True or false: Henry VIII outlived all his wives.
1
0
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

False. Both Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleves survived Henry VIII.

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Who was the last of Henry's queens to die, Anne of Cleves or Catherine Parr?
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Parr
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anne of Cleves was Henry's last surviving wife.

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Which of Henry's wives married her former love, Thomas Seymour?
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Parr
Jane Seymour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After Henry VIII died in 1547, Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour.

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What's the famous rhyme describing the ends of Henry VIII's wives?
beheaded, divorced, died, beheaded, divorced, survived
divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived
divorced, beheaded, survived, divorced beheaded, died
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It goes, "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived."

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Which of Henry VIII's wives is buried with him, at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle?
Catherine of Aragon
Jane Seymour
Catherine Parr
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jane Seymour is the only one of Henry's wives to be buried at St. George's Chapel with him.

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