The Tudor family tree: Henry VIII, his six wives and their children
The Tudors ruled England from 1485 to 1603: five monarchs, three generations and one king with six wives. Explore the whole family below. Drag to move around, zoom in, and click anyone to see more, or press Timeline to watch the story unfold year by year.
How the Tudors came to the throne
Henry Tudor's claim to the crown was a thin one. It came through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who descended from Edward III's son John of Gaunt. His father, Edmund Tudor, was the son of Owen Tudor, a Welsh courtier, and Catherine of Valois, the widow of King Henry V.
In 1485 Henry defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and became Henry VII. The next year he married Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Edward IV. The marriage joined the rival houses of Lancaster and York and brought the Wars of the Roses to an end, which is why the Tudor rose is red and white.
Henry VII's children
Henry VII and Elizabeth of York had seven children. Elizabeth, Edmund and Katherine died young, and four grew up to shape the rest of the century:
- Arthur (1486–1502), the heir, married Catherine of Aragon in 1501 but died a few months later.
- Margaret (1489–1541) married James IV of Scotland. Her descendants became the Stuart kings.
- Henry (1491–1547) became heir when Arthur died, and king as Henry VIII in 1509.
- Mary (1496–1533) married Louis XII of France and, after his death, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Lady Jane Grey was her granddaughter.
Henry VIII's six wives
Schoolchildren remember them with a rhyme: divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.
| Wife | Married | How it ended | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine of Aragon | 1509 | Annulled in 1533. She died in 1536. | Mary I |
| Anne Boleyn | 1533 | Executed in 1536 | Elizabeth I |
| Jane Seymour | 1536 | Died in 1537, days after giving birth | Edward VI |
| Anne of Cleves | 1540 | Annulled after six months | None |
| Catherine Howard | 1540 | Executed in 1542 | None |
| Catherine Parr | 1543 | Outlived Henry, who died in 1547 | None |
Henry's two "divorces" were really annulments, declaring that the marriage had never been valid. The Pope refused to annul his first marriage, so Henry broke with Rome and made himself head of the Church of England. Catherine of Aragon had first been married to his brother Arthur, and Henry argued that this made their marriage unlawful.
The family tree shows connections that are easy to miss. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were first cousins: Anne's mother and Catherine's father were sister and brother. Jane Seymour's brother Edward later ruled for her son as Lord Protector. Catherine Parr went on to marry Jane's other brother, Thomas Seymour. Anne of Cleves outlived all the other wives and died in 1557.
Henry VIII's children
All three of Henry's children with his wives became monarchs: Edward VI (reigned 1547–1553), who was crowned at nine, Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Henry also had a son outside marriage, Henry FitzRoy, whose mother was Elizabeth Blount. Henry made him Duke of Richmond, but he died in 1536 at seventeen.
Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen
Henry's younger sister Mary had a daughter, Frances Brandon, whose eldest daughter was Lady Jane Grey. As he lay dying, the Protestant Edward VI named Jane as his heir, to keep his Catholic half-sister Mary off the throne. Jane was proclaimed queen in July 1553, but Mary gathered support and took the crown nine days later. Jane and her father, Henry Grey, were executed in February 1554.
From Tudors to Stuarts
None of Henry VIII's children had children of their own, so the Tudor line ended when Elizabeth I died in 1603. The crown passed to James VI of Scotland, Henry VII's great-great-grandson through Margaret Tudor. He became James I of England, and the two crowns have been shared ever since.
James was descended from Margaret Tudor twice. His mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, was her granddaughter through her first marriage, to James IV. His father, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was her grandson through her second marriage, to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus.
Make your own Tudor family tree
The tree on this page was made in PeoplePlotr by writing sentences like Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in 1533
and Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had a daughter called Elizabeth I
. PeoplePlotr works out who is who and draws the tree as you type, with a timeline and a quiz built from the family.
Some ideas for the classroom:
- Write Henry VIII's family from memory, then compare your tree with the one above.
- Add a family the tree leaves out, such as the Howards, the Seymours or Mary I's husband, Philip II of Spain.
- Play the quiz in teams, or step through the timeline and explain what happened each year.
Tudor family tree: quick answers
Who were the Tudor monarchs?
Henry VII (1485–1509), Henry VIII (1509–1547), Edward VI (1547–1553), Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Lady Jane Grey is sometimes counted too, for nine days in 1553.
How many children did Henry VIII have?
Three children with his wives survived infancy: Mary I, Elizabeth I and Edward VI. He also had a son outside marriage, Henry FitzRoy. Several more of his children were stillborn or died as babies.
Which of Henry VIII's wives were beheaded?
Two: Anne Boleyn in 1536 and Catherine Howard in 1542.
Why did the Tudor line end?
Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I all died without children, so after Elizabeth the crown went to the nearest heir, her cousin's grandson James VI of Scotland.
Make your own family tree Explore the Tudor tree full screen