Henry VII’s eldest son was Arthur, Prince of Wales. He married Catherine of Aragon, but died shortly thereafter, leaving the throne to his younger brother Henry. History has not proved kind to the memory of Henry VIII (1509-47).
He is often remembered as the strongest and dictatorial king of his later years. In his youth, however, Henry was everything it was thought a king should be. A natural athlete, a talented musician and composer, Henry was erudite, religious, and a true leader among the monarchs of his day.
Marriages
Marriage to Catherine
Henry received a special dispensation from the pope in order to marry his brother’s widow, Catherine. The only child of that marriage was a daughter, Mary. Henry desperately wanted a male heir, and as time went on it became obvious that Catherine would have no more children, so he decided to look for a solution.
Anne Boleyn
Henry had enough of his marriage, so he started to look for one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting, Anne Boleyn. Anne refused Henry’s advances without the benefit of a wedding, so Henry sent his chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, to ask the pope for a cancellation of his marriage to Catherine. Unfortunately for the powerful Wolsey, he failed, and was deposed from office. Even the «gift» of his magnificent new palace at Hampton Court to Henry could not save Wolsey, who died shortly after his deposition, saving Henry the bother of a trial for treason. In Wolsey’s place Thomas More became Chancellor.
The Act of Supremacy
Henry’s situation was now desperate, for Anne was pregnant, and at all costs the child, which Henry was sure must be a son, had to be legitimate. Henry got Parliament to declare that his first marriage was invalid, and he secretly married Anne. Unfortunately for Henry, the child proved to be female once again, the future Elizabeth I. Over the next several years Henry’s fight with the pope grew ever deeper; until in 1534 the Act of Supremacy was passed, making Henry, head of the church in England. This was not at first a doctrinal separation, but a personal and political move.
Sir Thomas More opposed the divorce and was executed by Henry. At the foot of the scaffold More is reported to have said the very famous quotation: «I pray you, Master Lieutenant, see me safely up, and for my coming down, let me shift for myself».
How was Henry able to carry off the separation from Rome? For one thing, the church had provoked a tremendous amount of bad feeling over the years. High church officials were seen as rich, indolent, and removed from the people they were supposed to be serving. The abbeys and monasteries were wealthy, and certainly subject to jealousy. Feelings against priests and churchmen grew and the church had become too far removed from its spiritual roots and purpose.