Created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, SIX is a celebration of girl power - from the 16th Century to today - and debuted on the West End in 2018 to fantastic reviews. With an infectious songbook and costumes to make Gaga or Queen Bey jealous, this outstanding show pushes the boundaries of musical theatre! Much like Hamilton, Six injects its historical story with modern-day attitudes and modern-day music, serving up a dizzying whirl of pop and comedy, and an all-female cast.

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr. You know the names, and you may know how each of their marriages to a certain king came to an end, but in case your school history lessons have been lost and forgotten, let's revisit the story of each of the six wives of Henry VIII!

Before we learn about the monarch's six wives, let's go back in time and understand Henry VIII a bit more.

Born in June 1491 in Greenwich, England, Henry was the son of the infamous monarch Henry VII and Elisabeth of York. In 1509, Henry took the throne at the age of 18. Besides his wives (which we will get to later), Henry VIII's biggest impact on history was his initiating the English Reformation and starting the Church of England.

What was once a roman catholic country hit a pothole when the King wanted to annul his first marriage. With the Pope denying the possibility due to their strong catholic beliefs, Henry took it into his own hands and started the Church of England in 1534. Henry dissolved monasteries and seized church lands, which in turn changed history forever by dramatically changing England's religious and political landscape.

Now for the good stuff!

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived' is a quick and easy way to remember the fate of each of Henry's six wives. But let's take a deeper look into each of these queens and their marriages to the king.

Catherine of Aragon - Divorced

Henry and Catherine got married in 1509, very soon after he became the King of England. Prior to marrying Henry, Catherine was originally married to his older brother, Prince Arthur, who died in 1502. Henry argued that, due to his brother and Catherine never having consummated' the marriage, he was allowed to marry her. Together, they had a daughter Mary, who later became Mary I.

Henry desperately wanted a male heir; however, due to biblical beliefs (Leviticus 20:21), Henry believed their marriage was cursed due to her previously marrying his brother. Henry wanted to annul the marriage, yet the Pope refused. This led to Henry secretly marrying Anne Boleyn and starting the Church of England.

Anne Boleyn - Beheaded

Henry fell in love with Anne in approximately 1526. She refused to be Henry's mistress while he was still married to Catherine - which was the initial domino in Henry starting the Church of England. The Archbishop, Thomas Cramer, announced the marriage as legally valid in 1533.

Again, Henry was looking for a male heir, but Anne only gave Henry another daughter, Elizabeth - who went onto be one of the most important queens in English history. By 1536, Henry had found a new woman to love, Jane Seymour. To get rid of Anne, he accused her of treason and adultery, leading to her beheading at the Tower of London.

Jane Seymour - Died

Just 11 days after Anne's head was taken, Henry married Jane. Compared to the drama of his previous marriages, Henry admired how modest and obedient Jane was to him. Again, looking for a male heir, Jane finally made Henry's dreams come true with the birth of Edward. However, this was bittersweet, as Jane sadly passed away 12 days after giving birth due to postnatal complications. It is often said that Jane was Henry's favourite of the 6 wives, with him being buried with her after his death.

Anne of Cleves - Divorced

In January 1540, Henry married Anne of Cleves. Unlike his other marriages, this marriage was through the lens of a political alliance with Germany. Henry saw a portrait of Anne and fell in love; however, once they met in real life, Henry was angry that he had been misled by her attractiveness (in the modern world, Henry would have described Anne as a Catfish').

With the marriage never being consummated due to Henry not finding her attractive enough, it was annulled just six months later.

Catherine Howard - Beheaded

The very same day his marriage to Anne was annulled, Henry married the 17-year-old Catherine Howard. Only one year later, evidence came to light that Catherine had partaken in sexual relationships before her marriage and had potentially committed adultery. Her alleged affairs, particularly with courtier Thomas Culpeper, were considered treason.

On February 13th, 1542, she was beheaded. It is reported that before her death, she confessed her love for Culpeper and showed no remorse. Many remember Catherine as a victim of Henry, who was gaining notoriety as a man who saw wives as disposable.

Catherine Parr - Survived

Over a year later, Henry would meet his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr. Catherine had previously lost two husbands and was seen by many as a companion for Henry as his poor health took an even worse turn. She took on the responsibility of looking after Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward, and helped improve the bond between them and their ill father.

She was intelligent and had extremely strong religious beliefs - she wrote and published many books, becoming the first Queen to be a published author.

On January 28th, 1547, Henry passed away, with Catherine outliving him. She went on to marry Thomas Seymour soon after Henry died.

There we go! 

That was a quick history lesson on the events that inspired the incredible hit musical SIX!

Grab your tickets now to witness the magic live! (Don't worry, the musical itself is a lot less dreary!)