Assessment of the View that Henry VIII’s Wish for a Male Heir Was the Main Reason for the Break with Rome
Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon’s was claimed void by the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Was it the fact that Henry wanted a male
heir to the thrown that he decided to break from Rome? Or did Henry
decide to break from Rome due to his desire for Anne Boleyn.
Henry married Catherine in 1509, aunt of Charles V of Aragon, Spain.
She bore Henry six children five died (two of which were boys) and one
survived, Mary. Since Catherine had failed to produce a male heir and
therefore this may have led to a succession crisis or possibly a civil
war when he died. There was Mary of course, who was nine years old in
1525, but it was seen as unseemly to have a female heir. (Salic Law)
So looking at this we can see that at this period in time it may have
been worrying for a king to have no son to carry on the throne. But
would this have been a good reason for the break with Rome? At this
early stage it is probably not the main reason. Henry used an idea
from Leviticus, that if a man should marry his dead brother’s wife
(Arthur) then he shall remain childless, even though this was note
entirely true as Henry did have Mary. Also as Henry wished for this
divorce so much (as he had already become infatuated with Anne Boelyn)
it might have been for this reason that he created this new faith and
appointed the new Archbishop of Canterbury (Thomas Cranmer, 1533) so
his divorce could be declared void.
Henry desperately wanted a son to take over once he died. In order to
do this he needed to marry someone else who could bear him more
children. For this he needed to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry
Anne Boleyn. However, the pope was not allowing the divorce. This must
have infuriated Henry because he desperately wanted a son.
tough being a king and you had to be tough. Your first loalty was to
war often, for the sake of his country, but when he did he put in a
The relationship between Henry VIII’s desire for a male heir and the Dissolution Act was that Henry VIII wanted a boy for a son. Katherine of Aragon had not been able to produce a male heir. So he decided he needed to get rid of her so he can marry his next wife. Katherine was to old to have any more children
King Henry VIII is considerable the most controversial monarch Great Britain has ever had. He is commonly known for his ill-advised decisions, six wives, and splitting Great Britain from the Catholic Church to create the Church of England. King Henry VIII of England’s determination to guarantee his family line’s continuation in the throne caused many problems, such as religious tensions, economic hardships, and political adversaries that continued one long after his death.
such a process, this was just one of the causes of the break with Rome
Henry V is not a simple one as it has many aspects. By looking into
Henry VIII wanted a male to take the throne when he passed away. He paved the way for his son Edward. After Edward died in 1553 Elizabeth found herself once again in political intrigue. [Elizabeth’s older sister, M...
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In 1197 the Imperial throne had created an opening with the death of Henry VI. No one had been elected into his spot; The...
Henry VIII became interested in the navy and toke on learning of new subjects. His new found interest led to the new design of war-like plans on France. Henry VIII followed an English army across the Channel in 1513, “and personally took part in the successful sieges of Therouanne and Tournay and the battle of Guinegate” (Jokinen, 2012), which led to the peace of 1514. Ferdinand deserted the English alliance and everything Spanish. There was talk of a divorce between Henry VIII and his wife, Catherine of Aragon. The birth of Lady Mary held out hopes for Henry VIII and his desire for a male heir. The question of a
II. The Pride of King Henry a. King Henry VIII was a prideful man, full of fire and vigor, and despite being a devoted catholic in his early life, soon began to chafe at the notion of anyone other than God having power over him, which began his troubles with the Pope. Many people took Henry VIII’s break with Rome as complete proof of his status as a heretic, and in their defense, Henry VIII most certainly was a heretic from the point of view of a Roman Catholic or a Romanist. Many laymen were of course unaware of Henry VIII’s pathological need for control and the fact that the King hated having any authority above his own in any and all matters, both spiritual and secular, and so of course they just assumed his break with Rome and the Pope to be a purely spiritual matter. There are numerous examples of people accusing Henry VIII of heresy such as a layman named Henry Kylbrae in a discussion with the proprietor of the White Horse Inn in Cambridge, which was a hotbed of religious discussion.
When one thinks of Henry the eighth the first thing that comes up is fat, wife-killer, meat eater, old, mean and overall horrendous. But almost no one refers to him as misunderstood, manipulated or young man who was not meant to be King of England. This is how Suzannah Lipscomb portrays Henry VIII in her book, 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII, King Henry faces many tribulations in 1536 that shaped the rest of his reign; from his marriages, injuries, heirs, to his influence in the European spectrum.
King Henry VIII’s reign before he met Anne Boleyn must be assessed in order to understand why he severed his ties with the Roman Catholic Church, and subsequently instated the Act of
The King’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, have fled, raising suspicions of them being the ones who have done the deed. Because of this, a new king is to be appointed tomorrow.
after by his sister Mrs. Joe as both of his parents had died and he