King Henry VIII of England (b. 28 Jun. 1491, d. 28 Jan. 1547) married six times. With rare exception, each marriage met with a unique and dreadful end. His wives (from last to first) were Catherine Parr, Catherine Howard, Anne of Cleves, Jane Seymour (issue: 1 son), Anne Boleyn (issue: 1 daughter), and first wife, Catherine of Aragon (issue: 4 children, including Queen Mary I). This means that he was married to three Catherines, two Annes, and one Jane.

King Henry VIII’s marriages ended by annulment, with two exceptions: his marriage to Jane Seymour ended with her death; his last marriage, to Catherine Parr, ended after three years with his death. The ex-wives who were beheaded after their marriage annulments were Anne Boelyn—  whose child was Queen Elizabeth I— and Catherine Howard. Henry VIII’s illegitimate children with mistresses were: a son by Elizabeth Blount; a daughter and a son (the son possibly not his) by the other Boleyn girl, Mary; a son (probably not his) by Mary Berkeley.

While Henry VIII had his unwanted marriages annulled (divorce was forbidden by Pope Julius II) and had certain ex-wives beheaded shortly thereafter, today’s husbands and wives spare each other’s lives and resort purely if not peaceably to divorces and annulments. For modern-day celebrities and non-celebs who have wed eight times or more, click here.