The Succession & Annulment

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The Annulment of Henry VIII's Marriage

The annulment of Henry VIII's marriage was called the "Great Matter".

Reasons for wanting an annulment

Henry wanted to get an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon by about 1527.
- She only had one surviving daughter (Mary) and no son, which Henry saw as God’s punishment for marrying his brothers’ wife.
Henry had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn around 1527. Henry wanted to marry her instead (she refused to become his mistress).

Wolsey negotiating with the Pope

Wolsey was put in charge of getting the annulment.
As a cardinal and Papal Legate, he should have had good relations with the Pope, who would grant the annulment.
However, Pope Clement VII said no as he had been captured by Charles V (Catherine’s nephew), and it would be embarrassing for the Pope to admit a mistake.

Arguments over the annulment

Wolsey tried to use Leviticus in the bible to argue the marriage should never have happened, that said, ‘no man should marry his brother’s wife’.
However, Catherine used Deuteronomy which said that a man should look after his dead brother’s wife by marrying her.
Wolsey then tried to argue the original dispensation that allowed Henry and Catherine to marry was incorrectly worded, so therefore invalid. This would give the pope a non-controversial reason to annul the marriage. However, Catherine’s supporters found a correctly worded version in Spanish.

The Pope's response

Wolsey finally got the Pope to agree to trying the case in England.
He thought as Papal Legate he could just make the decision himself.
However, the Pope sent Cardinal Campeggio to run the trial, and told him to stall a decision so Henry still didn’t get his annulment.

Catherine of Aragon's opposition

Catherine of Aragon had been married to Henry for 20 years and refused to accept the annulment.
She was a Princess of Spain and had been raised since the age of five to be the Queen of England.
- She believed it was her duty from God.
She also would not accept the annulment as it would make her daughter Mary illegitimate.
Finally, accepting the annulment would mean that she had been living as a royal mistress which she would never accept as a devout Catholic.
Catherine spoke up against the divorce at the Blackfriars trial.

Opposition from contemporaries

John Fisher, the Bishop of Rochester, and Thomas More, an advisor to Henry, supported Catherine, as did most of the public, and most importantly, Charles V.

1Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-1529

1.1Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-1529

1.1.1Henry VIII, Renaissance Prince

1.1.2The Rise of Wolsey

1.1.3Wolsey's Domestic Reforms

1.1.4Wolsey's Foreign Policy

1.1.5Evaluating Wolsey's Foreign Policy

1.1.6The Succession & Annulment

1.1.7Fall of Wolsey

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Wolsey

1.1.9End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Wolsey 2

2Henry VIII & Cromwell, 1529-1540

2.1Henry VIII & Cromwell, 1529-1540

2.1.1The Rise of Cromwell

2.1.2The King's Annulment

2.1.3Cromwell & the King's Marriages

2.1.4Cromwell & Government

2.1.5Cromwell & Parliament

2.1.6Fall of Cromwell

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Cromewell

2.1.8End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Cromwell 2

3The Reformation & its Impact, 1529-1540

3.1The Reformation & its Impact, 1529-1540

3.1.1The Break with Rome

3.1.2Opposition to the Reformation

3.1.3Impact of the Reformation

3.1.4Role of Religious Houses

3.1.5Dissolution of the Monasteries

3.1.6Impact of Dissolution

3.1.7The Pilgrimage of Grace

3.1.8Evaluating the Pilgrimage of Grace

3.1.9End of Topic Test - The Reformation

3.1.10End of Topic Test - The Reformation 2

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