Reformation in England - Henry VIII (Part 2)

Why the Divorce?

In an age where divorce was almost unknown, why was Henry so desperate for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon?

The obvious answer is that he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. However, the question is much more complex than that. Henry was only the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty. England had never been ruled by a woman and Henry was concerned that a woman on the throne might weaken the kingdom - especially if she should enter into marriage with a foreign king, allowing domination from abroad. It was, therefore, very important to him that he should have a male heir. Catherine had now reached her forties and was unable to bear further children.

The Break with Rome

Henry tried to persuade the Pope to allow an annulment on the grounds that the marriage was illegal. However, another Pope had declared it legal and, besides, pressure was brought to bear on the Pope by Ferdinand of Spain (Catherine's father), Louis XII of France (Henry's brother in law) and Emperor Charles V (Catherine's nephew). Eventually, when all diplomacy failed, Henry decided to ignore the Pope. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared the marriage invalid and Henry married Anne Boleyn in 1533.

The Pope responded by excommunicating Henry who then declared the Church of England independent of the Pope. This was followed by the Act of Submission of the Clergy, the Act of Succession and the Act of Supremacy (1534), making Henry the supreme head of the Church of England.

The clergy of England, along with those who held office in the state, were thus forced to chose between the Pope or the King. There were, of course, many who could not accept the new state of affairs, perhaps the most famous case being that of Sir Thomas More. More was tried and executed for treason because of his inability to accept the Act of Supremacy.

Anne Boleyn

Henry's hope that Anne Boleyn might produce for him the male heir he desperately wanted was short lived. Like her predecessor she bore him a daughter, Princess Elizabeth, but no son and he eventually accused her of treason and adultery. She was found guilty (despite the fact that she was almost certainly innocent of the charges) and was executed in 1536.

An Heir at Last

In 1537 Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, bore him a son whom they named Edward. Edward was never a very strong child and Jane died twelve days after his birth.

There were, as everyone knows, three more wives but they do not affect the history of the English Church.

Henry, himself, died on 28th January 1547 and Edward succeeded to the throne as Edward VI.