History is messy. Usually, when we watch a documentary about Henry VIII, we get a booming voiceover and some grainy paintings of a very large man in a codpiece. But Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (also known as Lucy Worsley’s 6 Wives in some regions) flipped that script. Honestly, it was about time.
For decades, these women—Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr—were reduced to a playground rhyme. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. That’s it. That is their entire legacy in the minds of most people. Lucy Worsley, the Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, basically walked onto our screens and said, "Hold on, let’s actually look at the evidence."
The Worsley Method: More Than Just a Costume Drama
What makes Six Wives with Lucy Worsley so different? It’s the "fly-on-the-wall" perspective. Lucy doesn't just talk at you from a dusty library. She literally steps into the frame.
She’s there, dressed as a maid, lurking in the corner of a bedroom while Catherine of Aragon argues with Henry. It sounds gimmicky. In the hands of a lesser presenter, it would be. But Worsley uses this to bridge the gap between "official" history and the lived reality of these women. You’ve probably noticed that most history is written by the winners, and in the 16th century, the winners were almost always men. By positioning herself as an observer within the dramatized scenes, Lucy forces the viewer to see the domestic politics, the fear, and the sheer intellectual grit it took to stay alive in the Tudor court.
Most people think of Anne Boleyn as a homewrecker. Or they think of Anne of Cleves as "the ugly one." Worsley dismantles these tropes with surgical precision. She points out that Anne of Cleves was actually a incredibly savvy political player who managed to keep her head, get a massive divorce settlement, and become the "King's Beloved Sister." That’s a win. You don’t get that from a rhyme.
Catherine of Aragon: Not Just a Spurned Wife
Let's talk about the first wife. Catherine of Aragon. People usually picture her as a boring, pious, older woman who couldn't give Henry a son. That's a total fabrication of later Tudor propaganda.
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In Six Wives with Lucy Worsley, we see the Catherine who was a warrior queen. When Henry was off playing soldier in France, Catherine was the one who oversaw the defense of England against the Scots. She was the one who sent Henry a piece of the Scottish King’s bloodied coat. She wasn't just a victim of the "Great Matter." She was a daughter of Isabella of Castile. She knew her worth.
Worsley emphasizes the sheer psychological warfare Catherine endured. For years, she lived in a state of limbo, refused to give up her title, and fought the most powerful man in England to a standstill. It wasn't just about a marriage; it was about the legal status of her daughter, Mary, and the sovereign rights of a Queen.
The Problem with the Anne Boleyn Narrative
Anne Boleyn is the one everyone thinks they know. The witch. The temptress. The woman with six fingers (which, by the way, is totally fake news started by Nicholas Sanders years after she died).
Worsley’s take on Anne is refreshing because it focuses on her intellect. Anne spent time in the French court. She brought new ideas about religion and reform to England. She wasn't just a "distraction" for Henry; she was a partner in a massive cultural shift. But the documentary doesn't shy away from the horror. The speed of her fall is breathtaking. One day she’s the Queen, the next she’s in the Tower.
The show uses real court records to demonstrate how Thomas Cromwell systematically dismantled her reputation. It wasn't a trial; it was a hit job. When you see the dramatized version of her execution in the series, it hits differently because Lucy has spent the previous hour showing you Anne’s agency. She wasn't a character in a romance novel. She was a politician who lost a high-stakes game.
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Jane Seymour and the "Perfect Wife" Myth
Jane Seymour is often called the "favorite" wife because she gave Henry the son he craved. She’s portrayed as meek, mild, and "plain."
Lucy Worsley digs into the idea that Jane’s "meekness" was a calculated persona. She had seen what happened to Anne. She knew that being the "opposite" of Anne was the only way to survive. The show explores the heartbreaking reality of Tudor childbirth. Jane didn't die of a broken heart or some romantic tragedy; she died of puerperal fever, a common and brutal consequence of the lack of medical hygiene.
It’s a stark reminder that even the "most loved" woman in England was ultimately a vessel for an heir. Her life was worth less than the boy she produced.
Breaking Down the Later Wives
We often rush through the last three. That’s a mistake.
- Anne of Cleves: Worsley shows us a woman who was smart enough to realize the marriage was a disaster and leaned into the exit strategy. She lived a life of luxury and independence that most Tudor women could only dream of.
- Catherine Howard: This is perhaps the most tragic segment of the series. Often dismissed as a "frivolous" girl, Worsley reframes her story as one of grooming and abuse. She was a teenager caught in a web of powerful men who used her to get close to the King.
- Catherine Parr: The survivor. But she didn't just "survive" by luck. She was a scholar, the first woman in England to publish a book under her own name in English. She nearly got arrested for heresy, but she outmaneuvered her enemies by appealing to Henry’s ego.
Why This Specific Series Ranks So Highly for Historians
If you’re looking for a reason why Six Wives with Lucy Worsley stands out among the hundreds of Tudor documentaries, it’s the lack of "history-lite."
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Worsley is a real historian. She’s spent her life in the archives. When the show depicts a letter, it’s usually based on the actual wording found in the State Papers. When they show a room at Hampton Court, it’s because that’s where it actually happened.
The series rejects the "Great Man" theory of history. It’s not about Henry’s whims. It’s about the structural power of the court, the influence of the Holy Roman Empire, and the brewing Reformation. The wives weren't just reacting to Henry; they were reacting to a shifting world.
Practical Takeaways for Your Next History Binge
If you’re planning to watch the series or dive deeper into the lives of these six women, don't just take the TV show at face value. Use it as a jumping-off point.
- Check the Primary Sources: Look up the Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII. Most of it is digitized. You can read the actual reports from ambassadors like Eustace Chapuys, who was a massive fan of Catherine of Aragon and hated Anne Boleyn. His letters are incredibly catty and provide a fascinating "real-time" look at the court.
- Visit the Sites: If you’re in the UK, go to Hampton Court Palace or Hever Castle. Seeing the physical spaces—the narrow hallways and the massive Great Hall—makes you realize how claustrophobic and public these lives were. There was no privacy.
- Read Beyond the "Big Six": The Tudor court was filled with fascinating women like Margaret Douglas or Mary Howard who exerted huge influence.
- Question the Portraits: Remember that Hans Holbein was the Instagram filter of the 1500s. Portraits were political tools, not candid photos.
The real power of Six Wives with Lucy Worsley isn't just in the costumes or the dramatic reenactments. It’s in the restoration of humanity to six people who were turned into a rhyme. They weren't just wives. They were Queens, politicians, mothers, and survivors.
To truly understand this period, stop looking at the King and start looking at the women standing in the shadows behind him. That’s where the real history is happening. Take the time to look at the household accounts of these women; they reveal more about their daily lives and political influence than any court gossip ever could. Explore the religious writings of Catherine Parr to see the intellectual foundations of the English Reformation. When you stop seeing them as a collective group and start seeing them as six distinct, often conflicting individuals, the entire Tudor era finally makes sense.