Most of us are familiar with Henry VIII of England and his notorious six wives. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. The one who survived didn't fare much better, as she had to marry him when he was grossly obese and suffering from festering wounds.
There was one woman who escaped such a horrible fate: Christina of Denmark. When Henry sought a fourth wife after the early demise of Jane Seymour, the only wife who produced a son, he sent his ambassadors to various kingdoms to find eligible bachelorettes. At this time, Henry had broken away from the Roman Catholic Church, so he focused his search on kingdoms where the Reformation had gained followers. He cast his sights on Denmark. Christina of Denmark was the daughter of King Christian II of Denmark and Norway and his wife, Isabella of Austria. Isabella was the niece of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, through her mother, Juana of Castile.
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| Christina of Denmark |
While Christina was young, her father was deposed by a group of nobles and exiled to the Netherlands, where Isabella's aunt and sister ruled as regents. Her father and mother subsequently died, leaving her and her elder sister as claimants to their father's former throne. Meanwhile, she became a ward of her uncle, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Her family connections, and potential claim to Denmark, made her a valuable marriage prospect. Henry attempted to marry his illegitimate son to Christina, but instead, she was married to Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan.
Francesco died rather hastily, leaving Christina a widow at only age 13. In the intervening years, Henry had lost his wife, Jane, and now recalled Christina as being an attractive candidate for marriage. He had his court painter, Hans Holbein, paint her portrait. In the painting, Christina is still wearing her widow's outfit. Henry was quite taken with the portrait and continued to seek Christina's hand.
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| Christina by Hans Holbein |
Christina made no secret of her opposition to this marriage. Surely she recalled the poor treatment of her relative, Catherine of Aragon, as well as the beheading of Anne Boleyn. She reportedly said that if she had two heads, one would be at the king's disposal. Thankfully, her Aunt Mary was also opposed to the match, and eventually she told the English ambassador to look elsewhere. Christina instead married Francis, Duke of Lorraine. Curiously, Francis was engaged to Anne of Cleves, who became Henry's next unfortunate wife.
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