how did king Henry the VIII treat his daughters?

Answer 1

Henry was proud, if disappointed, at Mary's birth and told an ambassador: 'We are both young. If it was a daughter this time, by the grace of God the sons will follow.'
One can easily understand Henry's disappointment. He was a good father to Mary in those early years, proudly carrying her about and showing her off to visitors. But he was perhaps aware that time was running out for a male heir to be born. There are indications that he explored the idea of divorcing Katharine as early as 1518. (Katherine had had many stillborn babies including sons)

See the change in Henry's attitude to Mary when firstly he tskes up with Ann Boleyn and then subsequently begets a male heir from Jane Seymour.

Letter of Katharine of Aragon to her daughter, Princess Mary
April 1534

Background
This letter was written by Katharine about seven months after the birth of Henry VIII's daughter with Anne Boleyn. Henry had demanded that Mary take the oath to the Act of Succession, thus acknowledging the invalidity of her parents' marriage as well as her own illegitimacy. Mary understandably refused, but her resolve was faltering. Henry would not allow her to visit her mother; he also dismissed her household and placed her in the care of Lady Anne Shelton, the aunt of Anne Boleyn. Mary was miserable and quickly fell ill. She had never been robust and the constant emotional turmoil of her life affected her physical health. She understandably looked to her mother for advice and support. In this letter, Katharine tells Mary to follow her own strategy - obey Henry in all things except those which would offend God.

As the letter indicates, Katharine herself genuinely feared for Mary's life, as well as her own. But she was determined to remain true to her conscience, and none of Henry VIII's threats would persuade her otherwise. Mary would eventually betray her mother's wishes and accede to the Act of Succession; her letter to Henry VIII is included in the Primary Sources section and is a remarkable document.

In this letter, Katharine mentions Lady Salisbury. This was Margaret de la Pole, countess of Salisbury; she was also a Plantagenet heir and cousin of Henry VIII's. She had been Mary's governess for many years and was very close to both Katharine and Mary. Upon Mary's disobedience, Henry dismissed her from Mary's service; Margaret was eventually executed on trumped-up charges of treason in 1541. Her death was perhaps the most blatant act of judicial murder in Henry's bloody reign.

I find this letter psychologically interesting. Katharine became increasingly pious as her marriage to Henry dissolved into ceaseless acrimony and misery. Religious fervor became her only comfort. In this, she perhaps inadvertently over-stressed its importance to her daughter. She placed Mary in an untenable and dangerous position, essentially telling her that it was God's will to disobey her father, even as she assumed God was on her side in the annulment proceedings. But Henry was equally convinced of the religious righteousness of his cause. Poor Mary, torn between two bullying parents, inevitably turned to her mother. After all, Katharine's situation was far more sympathetic and she was badly treated (after she refused many generous offers to accept Henry's wishes.) But the effect on Mary's personality was devastating. She remained emotionally insecure for the rest of her life.



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Daughter, I heard such tidings today that I do perceive if it be true, the time is come that Almighty God will prove you; and I am very glad of it, for I trust He doth handle you with a good love. I beseech you agree of His pleasure with a merry heart; and be sure that, without fail, He will not suffer you to perish if you beware to offend Him. I pray you, good daughter, to offer yourself to Him. If any pangs come to you, shrive yourself; first make you clean; take heed of His commandments, and keep them as near as He will give you grace to do, for then you are sure armed. And if this lady [Anne Shelton] do come to you as it is spoken, if she do bring you a letter from the King, I am sure in the self same letter you shall be commanded what you shall do. Answer with few words, obeying the King, your father, in everything, save only that you will not offend God and lose your own soul; and go no further with learning and disputation in the matter. And wheresoever, and in whatsoever company you shall come, observe the King's commandments. Speak you few words and meddle nothing. I will send you two books in Latin; the one shall be De Vita Christi with a declaration of the Gospels, and the other the Epistles of St Jerome that he did write to Paul and Eustochium, and in them I trust you shall see good things. And sometimes for your recreation use your virginals or lute if you have any.
But one thing I especially desire you, for the love that you do owe unto God and unto me, to keep your heart with a chaste mind, and your body from all ill and wanton company, not thinking or desiring any husband for Christ's passion; neither determine yourself to any manner of living till this troublesome time be past. For I dare make sure that you shall see a very good end, and better than you can desire. I would God, good daughter, that you did know with how good a heart I do write this letter unto you. I never did one with a better, for I perceive very well that God loveth you. I beseech Him of His goodness to continue it; and if it fortune that you shall have nobody with you of your acquaintance, I think it best you keep your keys yourself, for howsoever it is, so shall be done as shall please them.
And now you shall begin, and by likelihood I shall follow. I set not a rush by it; for when they have done the uttermost they can, than I am sure of the amendment. I pray you, recommend me unto my good lady of Salisbury, and pray her to have a good heart, for we never come to the kingdom of Heaven but by troubles.
Daughter, whatsoever you come, take no pain to send unto me, for if I may, I will send to you.
Your loving mother,
Katharine the Queen.


This is an example of the Princess Mary's and Henry's continued rift and the Princess's subsequent attempts to apease her father.

This letter was written on 22 June 1536. In it, Princess Mary acknowledges the annulment of her parents' marriage, her own illegitimacy, and her father's position as head of a new English church.
Mary refused to write this letter for several years, throughout the drama of the annulment and her father's remarriage to Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII suspected her behavior was encouraged by her mother; he deliberately separated Mary and Katharine of Aragon, banishing both from court.

In the summer of 1536, on the advice of the Spanish ambassador, Mary succumbed and wrote this letter. She always regretted it.

It did, however, serve its purpose. The death of Katharine of Aragon in January of that year, Anne Boleyn's execution in May, and Henry's third marriage to Jane Seymour encouraged a rapprochement between father and daughter.


'Most humbly prostrate before the feet of your most excellent majesty, your most humble, so faithful and obedient subject, who has so extremely offended your most gracious highness that my heavy and fearful heart dare not presume to call you father, deserving of nothing from your majesty, save that the kindness of your most blessed nature does surmount all evils, offences and trespasses, and is ever merciful and ready to accept the penitent calling for grace, at any fitting time. Having received this Thursday, at night, certain letters from Mr Secretary to whom I had lately written advising me to make my humble submission immediately to your self, which I dared not, without your gracious licence, presume to do before, and signifying that your most merciful heart and fatherly pity had granted me your blessing, with the condition that I should persevere in which I had commenced and begun; and that I should not again offend your majesty by the denial or refusal of any such articles and commandments as it may please your highness to address to me, for the perfect trial of my heart and inward affection, for the perfect declaration of the depths of my heart.

First, I acknowledge myself to have most unkindly and unnaturally offended your most excellent highness, in that I have not submitted myself to your most just and virtuous laws; and for my offence therein, which I must confess was in me a thousandfold more grievous than it could be in any other living creature, I put myself wholly and entirely at your gracious mercy; at whose hands I cannot receive that punishment for the same which I have deserved.

Secondly, to open my heart to your grace, in these things which I have before refused to condescend to, and have now written with my own hand, sending them to your highness herewith, I shall never beseech your grace to have pity and compassion on me if ever you shall perceive that I shall, secretly or openly, vary or alter from one piece of that which I have written and subscribed, or refuse to confirm, ratify or declare the same, wherever your majesty shall appoint me.

Thirdly, as I have and will, knowing your excellent learning, virtue, wisdom and knowledge, put my soul under your direction, and by the same have and will in all things henceforth direct my conscience, so I wholly commit my body to your mercy and fatherly pity; desiring no state, no condition, nor no manner or degree of living but such as your grace shall appoint unto me; knowing and confessing that my state cannot be so vile as either the extremity of justice would appoint to me, or as my offences have required and deserved. And whatsoever your grace shall command me to do, touching any of these points, either for things past, present or to come, I shall gladly do the same as your majesty can command me.


Your Grace's most humble and obedient daughter and handmaid, Mary.'



The following document accompanied the above letter:

'The confession of me, Lady Mary, made upon certain points and articles written below; in which I do now plainly and with all my heart confess and declare my inward sentence, belief and judgement, with due conformity of obedience to the laws of the realm; so, minding for ever to persist and continue in this determination without change, alteration or variance, I do most humbly beseech the king's highness, my father, whom I have obstinately and disobediently offended in the denial of the same up to now, to forgive my offences therein, and to take me to his most gracious mercy.

First I confess and acknowledge the king's majesty to be my sovereign lord and king, in the imperial crown of this realm of England; and do submit myself to his highness and to each and every law and statute of this realm, as it becomes a true and faithful subject to do; which I shall also obey, keep, observe, advance and maintain according to my bounden duty with all the power, force and qualities with which God had endued me, during my life.

I do recognize, accept, take, repute and acknowledge the king's highness to be supreme head on earth, under Christ, of the church of England; and do utterly refuse the bishop of Rome's pretended authority, power and jurisdiction within this realm, formerly usurped, according to the laws and statutes made on that behalf, and by all the king's true subjects humbly received, admitted, obeyed, kept and observed.

And I do also utterly renounce and forsake all manner of remedy, interest and advantage which I may by any means claim by the bishop of Rome's laws, processes, jurisdiction or sentence, at this time or in any way hereafter, by any manner of title, colour, means or cause that is, shall or can be devised for that purpose.

I do freely, frankly and for the discharge of my duty towards God, the king's highness and his laws, without other respect, recognize and acknowledge that the marriage formerly had between his majesty and my mother, the late princess dowager, was by God's law and man's law incestuous and unlawful.'



Here's a rundown of the complex relationship Henry shared with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich Palace. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry had defied the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor to marry Anne, spurred on by love and the need for a legitimate male heir. And so Elizabeth's birth was one of the most exciting political events in 16th century European history; rarely had so much turmoil occurred on behalf of a mere infant. But the confident predictions of astrologers and physicians were wrong and the longed-for prince turned out to be a princess.

Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador and enemy of Anne Boleyn, described the birth to his master as 'a great disappointment and sorrow to the King, the Lady herself and to others of her party.' But for the next two years, Henry VIII was willing to hope for a son to join this healthy daughter. Immediately after Elizabeth's birth, he wrote to his 17 year old daughter, Princess Mary, and demanded she relinquish her title Princess of Wales and acknowledge both the annulment of his marriage to her mother, Katharine of Aragon, and the validity of his new marriage. Mary refused; she already blamed Anne Boleyn (and, by extension, Elizabeth) for the sad alteration of her own fortunes. In December, she was moved into her infant half-sister's household. When told to pay her respects to the baby Princess, she replied that she knew of no Princess of England but herself, and burst into tears.

Henry already ignored Mary and Katharine's constant pleas to meet; now he began a more aggressive campaign to secure Anne and Elizabeth's position. For one mother and daughter to be secure, the other pair must necessarily suffer. Most Europeans, and indeed Englishmen, still believed Katharine to be the king's valid wife. Now old and sickly, imprisoned in one moldy castle after another, she remained a very popular figure. Anne Boleyn was dismissed in polite circles as the king's 'concubine' and their marriage was recognized only by those of the new Protestant faith. Henry attempted to legislate popular acceptance of his new queen and heiress. But the various acts and oaths only cost the lives of several prominent Catholics, among them Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher. The English people never accepted 'Nan Bullen' as their queen.

But while she had the king's personal favor, Elizabeth's mother was secure. And she held that favor far longer than any had expected. It was only after she miscarried twice that Henry began to consider this second marriage as cursed as the first. The last miscarriage occurred in January 1536; Katharine died that same month. With her death, the king's Catholic critics considered him a widower, free to marry again. And this next marriage would not be tainted by the specter of bigamy. It was only necessary to get rid of Anne, and find a new wife - one who could hopefully deliver a son. The king already had a candidate in mind; her name was Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting to both Katharine and Anne.

In the end, Henry VIII was not merely content to annul his marriage to Anne. She was arrested, charged with a variety of crimes which even her enemies discounted, and executed on 19 May 1536. Her little daughter was now in the same position as her half-sister, Princess Mary. However, all of Europe and most Englishmen considered Mary to be Henry's legitimate heir, despite legislation to the contrary. No one believed Elizabeth to be more than the illegitimate daughter of the king. Also, there were already disparaging rumors of her mother's infidelities; perhaps the solemn, red-headed child was not the king's after all? It was to Henry's (small) credit that he always acknowledged Elizabeth as his own, and took pride in her intellectual accomplishments. As she grew older, even Catholic courtiers noted Elizabeth resembled her father more than Mary did.

Henry married Jane just twelve days after Anne's execution and his long-awaited son, Prince Edward, was born in October 1537. Elizabeth participated in the christening, carried by Thomas Seymour, the handsome young brother of the queen. Jane died shortly after the birth of childbed fever. Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves on Twelfth Night (6 January) 1540. The marriage was a disaster, and Henry quickly divorced Anne and married Catherine Howard. Catherine was a cousin of Anne Boleyn; they were both related to Thomas Howard, 3rd duke of Norfolk and perhaps Henry's most nervous peer. The king enjoyed a brief few months of happiness with his fifth wife. But Catherine was thirty years younger than Henry and soon enough resumed an affair with a former lover. She was executed in February 1542 and buried beside Anne Boleyn in the Tower of London.

For Elizabeth, these changes in her father's marital fortunes did not pass unnoticed. She was part of her half-brother Edward's household; her days were spent mostly at lessons, with the occasional visit from her father. As a child, no one expected her to comment upon her various stepmothers. It was only when she reached adulthood and became queen that its psychological effects were revealed. Elizabeth had a dim view of romantic love and, given her father's example, who can blame her?

It was Henry's sixth and final wife, Katharine Parr, who had the greatest impact upon Elizabeth's life. A kind woman who believed passionately in education and religious reform, Katharine was a devoted stepmother. Understandably, she had far more of an impact with the young Edward and Elizabeth than with Mary, who was just four years her junior. Katharine arranged for 10 year old Elizabeth to have the most distinguished tutors in England, foremost among them Roger Ascham. As a result, Elizabeth was educated as well as any legitimate prince, and she displayed a genuine love and aptitude for her studies. 'Her mind has no womanly weakness,' Ascham would write approvingly, 'her perseverance is equal to that of a man.' And later, 'She readeth more Greek every day, than some Prebendaries of this Church do in a whole week.' And so she did; Elizabeth's love of scholarship never faltered and, in an age when women were considered inferior to men, she was a glorious exception.

Along with such classical subjects as rhetoric, languages, philosophy, and history, Elizabeth also studied theology. Ascham and her other tutors were famous Cambridge humanists who supported the Protestant cause. Likewise, Katharine Parr was devoted to the reformed faith. Unlike their half-sister Mary, both Edward and Elizabeth were raised Protestant during its most formative years. Yet while Edward was known for his piety and didacticism, Elizabeth already displayed the pragmatic character which would make her reign successful. She studied theology and supported the Protestant cause; she had been raised to do so and knew only Protestants recognized her parents' marriage. But she was never openly passionate about religion, recognizing its divisive role in English politics.

Most people viewed the adolescent Elizabeth as a serious young woman who always carried a book with her, preternaturally composed. She encouraged this perception, which was as accurate as any, by dressing with a degree of severity virtually absent at the Tudor royal court. But she was not so serious that she avoided all the material trappings of her position. Her household accounts, which came under the management of William Cecil (who later became her secretary of state), show evidence of a cultivated and lively mind, as well as a love of entertainment: fees for musicians, musical instruments, and a variety of books. As she grew older and her position more prominent, her household also expanded. During her brother Edward's reign, she lived the life of a wealthy and privileged lady - and apparently enjoyed it immensely.

Elizabeth was thirteen years old when her father died. They were never particularly close though he treated her with affection on her few visits to his court. He even occasionally discussed the possibility of her marriage for, in the 16th century, royal bastards were common and often used to great advantage in diplomacy. Under the 1536 'Second Act of Succession', which declared both her and the 19 year old Mary illegitimate, Parliament gave Henry the ability to determine his children's status, as well as the actual succession. Typically for Henry, he simply let both his daughters live as princesses and gave them precedence over everyone at court except his current wife. But they had no real claim to the title of 'princess' and were known as 'the lady Elizabeth' and 'the lady Mary'. This was often followed by the explanatory 'the king's daughter.' It was an awkward situation which the king saw no reason to resolve. His will did recognize his daughters' crucial place in the succession. If Edward died without heirs, Mary would inherit the throne; if Mary died without heirs, Elizabeth would become queen. He also left them the substantial income of 3000 pds a year, the same amount for each daughter.

Answer 2

Henry Viii Daughter

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

He was a good father to his older daughter, Mary, his only living child with his first wife, Katherine of Aragon (whose parents, by the way, were King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain), until he put Katherine aside and separated England from the Catholic church, since the Pope would not grant him an annulment of his marriage so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. Mary had to live separately from both her parents and was not treated very kindly. Elizabeth, King Henry VIII daughter by Anne Boleyn received the royal treatment until her mother was accused of adultery and condemned to death. Henry the VIII then married Jane Seymour, who finally bore him the son he longed for. Both Mary and Elizabeth lived in residences away from court. Jane Seymour encouraged Henry to allow his daughters to return to court to live with them. Jane Seymour died several days after giving birth to her son, Edward. Henry VIII married three more times: Anne of Cleves, a German princess who he divorced shortly after they married; Katherine Howard, a much younger woman who was later executed for adultery; and Katherine Parr, who would outlive the king. He had no children with them.

Answer 5

If you are interested in this topic, you should read: Mary, Bloody Mary: A Young Royals Book by Carolyn Meyer. It is "Young Adult" literature so it should be a fairly easy read. It is very interesting fictional story about how Catherine of Aragon's daughter Mary was favored until he met Anne Boleyn, of course. It then follows Mary through her exile and on. A fun book... check it out.

Answer 6

Well he treated his daughters like Princesses sometimes and dirt other times. It depended on who he was married to and which daughter.

Ex. Ann Boylyn Hated the Princess/Lady Mary
He also striped Elizabeth of the princesses title also

Answer 7

well i know he wanted a son for his heir. so maybe he treated them alright but not like they should be treated. Just got them fed and the necessities. I am not sure actually but i did see a special on this or was it king Authur. hmm okay forget it I am not sure.

Answer 8

Samantajane has the best and most detailed answer. I can't imagine why anyone would believe that he would treat his female offspring well considering how many mothers he beheaded.

Answer 9

I'm reading a book about Queen Elizabeth, and in the book it says that he was very cordial and jovial

Answer 10

like princesses...HAHAHAHA i crack myself up