Henry VIII married six wives over the course of his reign as King of England in order to have a male heir to secure the throne's succession. His first wife Catherine of Aragon provided only daughters, Anne Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth but was beheaded for adultery, and Jane Seymour died shortly after bearing Henry's only son Edward. Henry's later marriages to Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr also ultimately ended without producing additional sons.