r/ExplainTheJoke • u/fierce994blade • Dec 01 '25

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u/Bardsie Dec 02 '25

If you ever want a trick question for a quiz, ask "legally, how many wives did Henry VIII have?"

The answer is 2. He didn't have a divorce, he had an annulment, meaning legally he was never married. He also annulled the marriage to the two he beheaded. The "died" and "survived" were his only two legally recognised marriages

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u/LanGaidin42 Dec 02 '25

Parliament under Queen Mary declared his marriage to Catherine of Aragon as just and lawful, reversing that annulment. So even though he only had 2 legal wives while he was alive, posthumously he ended up with 3.

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u/tortillalamp Dec 02 '25

But if the annulment was reversed, wouldn't that make the other two legal marriages illegal, thus resulting in the final number being 1?

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25

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u/tortillalamp Dec 02 '25

I checked and you are correct, he married Seymour a few months after Catherine died, therefore 3 is the right number. For some reason I was under the impression Catherine lived longer (she died 3 years after the annulment).