Henry Needed a Male Heir to Inherit the English Throne

Henry needed a male heir to inherit the English throne. He was unable to produce an heir with Catherine of Aragon. By 1526 Catherine had suffered several miscarriages and five other children had died. Henry and Catherine only had one healthy child, a daughter called Mary, born in 1516. / Henry needed to make the Break with Rome in order to secure the annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon. The Pope would not agree to the annulment for fear of offending the powerful Spanish monarchy. The Pope also refused to legitimise Henry’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy.
Henry gradually came to believe that he had been cursed for marrying his brother’s widow. He also fell madly in love with Anne Boleyn, one of the young ladies at court. Henry was sure that Anne could provide him with a son. Between 1527 and 1533 he grew more and more impatient to find a way of ending his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. / Henry VIII was extremely proud of his commitment to the Catholic Church. In 1521 he had defended the Catholic Church against the teachings of Martin Luther in a book called In Defence of the Catholic Faith. The Pope had rewarded Henry with the title Defender of the Faith and this was proudly displayed on English coins. Henry never removed this title from English coinage.
In 1533 Henry ended his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn. In 1534 he passed a new law called the Act of Supremacy. This law enabled Henry VIII to take control. He became head of the Church in England. For anybody who obeyed the Pope, rather than the king, the punishment was death. / By 1533 two of Henry’s most important advisers were encouraging him to start a new Church of England. Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer were Protestants and they told Henry that the Pope should have no power in England. Anne Boleyn was also Protestant and she was pregnant with Henry’s child.
Following the Act of Supremacy, the Pope had far less control over England. Henry was free to make his own marriage arrangements and he was able to keep the church taxes, called tithes. Henry also closed down the Catholic monasteries, confiscated their property and sold it to landowners and merchants. Gold and silver ornaments were melted down and beautiful old books were burnt. / After the Break with Rome Henry made important changes to the way people worshipped. All church services were held in English and a copy of the Bible in English was placed in every church. This meant that ordinary Christians could now understand the teachings of the church. However, Henry did not make any other changes to church worship, despite the demands of the Protestants.
In 1513 Henry VIII had fought a great battle against France in defence of Pope Julius II. The French king was stripped of the title ‘most Christian king’ and this was instead bestowed upon Henry VIII. / The Book of Leviticus in the Bible forbids a man to marry his brother’s widow on pain of childlessness, but the Pope had given special permission for Henry to marry Catherine of Aragon.