Henry VIII and The Church of England
Written by lara
Our first fact will be a very brief course of history focusing on none other than the famous King Henry VIII, widely known around the world as the king that changed the face of religion forever. (He also just happened to have six wives, but we’ll get to that in a sec.) So, what exactly did he do and why? Up until King Henry’s reign, England was a catholic land (I know, shocker) like any other. Well, if you don’t count a certain Marin Luther a liiiittle south from England starting to revolution his own land with how the church should act and be.
But back to England. Believe it or not Henry XVIII wasn’t even supposed to be king as he was the second born son of the preceding king; Henry XVII. Instead, his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, was promised the crown and along with it the beautiful princesses of Spain, Catherine of Aragon’s hand in marriage. Sadly, the prince died just five months after their marriage leaving to his little brother both the throne and his widow which the youngest and now sole heir married eight years later when he ascended as king. There there were, young, powerful and expected to provide the next heir of the kingdom. Thing is…Catherine did give Henry lots of children, but all of them died as infants safe for one, Mary, who being born a girl was of no use to the English crown.
Thing is…Catherine did give Henry lots of children, but all of them died as infants safe for one, Mary, who being born a girl was of no use to the English crown. Frustrated by the Queen’s “inabilities” of conceiving him a male heir the King found solace in many mistresses who funnily enough bore him a multitude of sons. Although being illegitimate they had no more use to him had they been born girls. The king’s infidelities led him in the bed of the woman for who he didn’t know it yet, he would divorced Catherine and found a new Church. The English Church. The woman, as you’ve all already guessed was none other than Anne Boleyn. Beautiful, beautiful Anne.
The woman, as you’ve all already guessed was none other than Anne Boleyn. Beautiful, beautiful Anne. Having learned the ways at the French court, it was no time before Anne had the king wrapped around her little finger. Her charms were strong enough to make the lovestruck man make (not without many, many, many difficulties though, but that’s an entirely other conversation) annule his twenty-four years marriage to Catherine. An unseen course of action up until then! Catherine was forced to leave court, but not with her tail between her legs as she never acknowledged Anne as the new queen.
The king’s infidelities led him in the bed of the woman for who he didn’t know it yet, he would divorced Catherine and found a new Church. The English Church.
So, here we are, in the year 1533, Catherine’s final year as queen and Anne’s first.
Oh, how glorious for the Boleyn House! What an ascension it was! But, because there always is a “but”, the Boleyn’s victories cheers were short lived. To the King’s frustration, Anne too, was too unfortunate to give him a son. She almost did though, they say that she miscarried a male babe the day of Catherine’s funeral. How ironic is that? Poor King Henry would have been better of if he just legitimated the sons Mary Boleyn (you guessed it, Anne’s sister who just happened to be Henry’s mistress before her) had given him. But had he done that, he would’ve changed history forever as the first female ruler of England would’ve never ascended to the throne. She was none other than the daughter of Anne Boleyn: Elisabethe I. The king hypocritically ended Anne’s life, executing her by beheading after only three years of marriage. All that political and religious trouble for that, huh?
The King, as we’ve established would end up having no less than six wives in his fairly short life of only fifty-five years. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
Here’s a little catchy tune to remember them:
Horrible Histories Songs. (2021, April 5). Divorced, Beheaded & Died | Horrible Histories song [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbi7lbwV6U8
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