Elizabeth's father was the famous (and infamous) Henry VIII. Which of his six wives was Elizabeth's mother?

1. Catherine of Aragon
2. Anne Boleyn
3. Jane Seymour
4. Anne of Cleves
5. Catherine Howard
6. Catherine Parr
   

The answer is b. Anne Boleyn.

Henry had been married to Catherine of Aragon for 20 years when he attempted to annul the marriage so he could wed Anne Boleyn, but he didn't do it for love. It was the pursuit of a male heir that made Henry defy the Catholic church and arrange his own divorce. Shortly after he discovered Anne was pregnant, he married her in a private ceremony while the controversy over his break with the Church raged.

The birth of Anne's child was a much-anticipated event; a healthy son would justify Henry's extreme actions. The fact that the child was a girl was a bitter disappointment, yet Henry showed some sentiment to his daughter by naming her after his mother. Unfortunately for Anne, the longed-for son never came, and after two miscarriages and a stillbirth she lost favor irrevocably. The king, turning his attention to Lady Jane Seymour, had Anne charged with adultery. She was executed when Elizabeth was two and a half years old.

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