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Six Tudor Queens Source Bank

How do we know about the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII?

Primary sources about Henry VIII's wives

Format: Power Point Presentation

Explore the stories of Henry VIII's six wives through primary Tudor sources.

This KS2 and KS3 source bank includes portraits, letters, books, carvings and eyewitness accounts, helping students investigate these six Tudor queens.

Includes

  • 12 primary sources

  • Audio commentary from our Chief Historian Professor Tracy Borman

  • Source analysis questions and teacher guidance

  • Key vocabulary for students

Perfect for teaching the Tudor period, women's history, source analysis and historical enquiry.

A learning resource showing portraits and written sources about the six Tudor queens

Check out the notes section under the PowerPoint slides for extra information.

Resource Information

Key Stage

  • KS2 (age 7-11)
  • KS3 (age 11-14)

Subjects

  • History

Topic

  • Diverse Histories
  • Tudors

Type

  • Historic sources
  • Images
  • Lesson ideas

Palace

  • Hampton Court Palace
Back to learning resources

Suggested activities

  • Discuss how the queens are often remembered today 

  • You may wish to use the 'divorced, beheaded, died' rhyme

  • Encourage students to look closely at the different sources

  • Use the questions to explore the queen's experience

  • Read the suggested answers in the notes section (under the PowerPoint slides)

  • Listen to the audio clips about each object to discover more

  • Reflect on how the queens should be remembered today

a historic document with a purple effect

Teach the Six Queens Differently Learning Resources

Discover our full collection of resources to help you teach the six queens differently including videos, source banks, quizzes and more!

Cast members from SIX the Musical visit Hampton Court Palace and join Chief Historian Professor Tracy Borman to uncover the lives, achievements and influence of the six Tudor queens.

Key Stage

  • KS3 (age 11-14)
  • KS2 (age 7-11)

Subject

  • History

Topic

  • Tudors

Download ready-to-use six wives of Henry VIII resources, including fact sheets, biographies and timelines. These free, editable resources introduce each queen as a historical figure in her own right - going beyond the familiar rhyme of “divorced, beheaded, died”.

Key Stage

  • KS2 (age 7-11)
  • KS3 (age 11-14)

Subject

  • History

Topic

  • Tudors

Uncover the journey of Catalina of Motril. She was possibly an enslaved Muslim woman and she moved to England with a famous queen.  

Key Stage

  • KS2 (age 7-11)
  • KS3 (age 11-14)
  • KS4 (age 15-16)
  • KS5 (age 16+)
  • Home Educators

Subject

  • History

Topic

  • Tudors
  • Diverse Histories