(Reposted) Was Henry VIII justified in divorcing Catherine and making himself head of the Church of England?

The powerful King Henry VIII was ruler of the nation of England during the years of 1509 and 1547. He was a strong man who had desires to see England strong. In order to do this though, he needed to have a son which would be his successor. He married Catherine of Aragon who was of Spanish royalty (Hapsburg). She was a devote catholic as was mostly everyone else in Spain. Catherine and Henry VIII tried many times to have a son. But as history would have it, they were unable to produce a male successor. Because of this dilemma, King Henry VIII had an idea that if he could divorce Catherine, then he would be able to marry another women and have a son with her. In order to do this though he needed permission from the Pope in the Holy Roman Empire (Letter). Since Henry VIII was Catholic at the time, he was not justified in divorcing Catherine and then marrying another women. However, because of his advisers King Henry VIII justified in making himself the head of the Church in English. Henry VIII was not justified in divorcing Catherine because of his religion, he only wanted to marry again for a chance to have a son, and in order to make himself head of the Church of England.

King Henry VIII was Catholic and so was his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Because of their religion they were not able to get a divorce because it was non catholic. However, they could get an annulment which is the was the Church says they did not recognize the marriage in the first place. But in order to get an annulment, they had to get permission from the Pope. At the time the Pope was under house arrest by the Holy Roman Emperor who was Charles V (Hapsburg). Charles V happened to be the nephew of Catherine of Aragon. Because of his position of having the Pope under house arrest, the Pope would not agree to Charles V or Charles would not even want Henry VIII and Catherine to get an annulment (Hapsburg). Either way, Henry VIII did not receive an annulment which means his divorce was not recognized and not justified.

Not only did Henry marry but he did it six more times. He is also thought to have ordered the deaths of at least two of his wives (Contemporary). This pushed Henry VIII even further from the Catholic church and the Vatican in Italy. His main desire was to get a male heir, and because of this he went to such great lengths to marry a women who would be able to have a son. Henry VIII wanted to get rid of Catherine of Aragon because it was said that he who marries his brother's wife was "blighted in Gods eyes"(Contemporary). This means that he would never be able to have a son with Catherine. Not only was it with Catherine, but Henry VIII could not father a son from any of his other wives. In the end with so many wives and deaths, Henry VIII was and could not be justified with divorcing his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

On the other hand, Henry VIII was able to justifiably make himself the head of the Church in England. Through the Act of Supremacy was he able to pass laws making himself head of the church. Because he took the legal route, he was able legally make himself the head of the church. It went through parliament, and because of Henry VIII's advisers, made it seem as if the people and other political figures were having a say in the matter of Henry VIII becoming head of the Church (The Act of Supremacy). Henry VIII made it seem like it was the will of the people that he would become head of the Church. Because of his conniving schemes Henry was able to land himself in the position of one of the most powerful monarchs in the world (The Act in Restraint of Appeals).

King Henry VIII of England was a very intelligent man. He knew that if he wanted to keep the Tudor line, he would need a male heir. But his first wife could not give him what he needed, so he decided to have her divorced. This was not legal because he was of the Catholic Church. Henry VIII wanted and pleaded for an annulment but was not granted one and took matters into his own hands. He divorced Catherine of Aragon which was not justified and made himself the head of the Church in England which was justified through legal means. Overall, Henry's actions seemed right to him, and if things had been different, the future would not be the same.



Works Cited

"The Act of Supremacy." Then Again. . . Web. 04 Oct. 2010. .

"Habsburg History - European Monarch Genealogy." Welcome - European Monarch Genealogy. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. .

"The Act in Restraint of Appeals." History Learning Site. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. .

"Medieval Sourcebook: Letter of Thomas Cranmer, 1533." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. .

"Primary Sources: A Contemporary Description of Henry VIII, 1515." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. .