Why did Henry seek an annulment from Catherine of Aragon?
-Henry convinced by 1527 that his marriage was unlawful and invalid in the eyes of God. He wanted a divorce
- Believed it contravened divine law as Leviticus says:
“If a man shall take his brother’s wife it is an impurity: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless
-Therefore marriage was invalid from the start, presenting clear justification for an annulment
Contradiction to Henry’s justification for an annulment
- Biblical passage existed which contradicted Leviticus teaching
- “When brethren dwell together, and one of them dieth without children, the wife of the deceased shall not marry another; but his brother shall take her, and raise up seed for his brother” - Deuteronomy
- Henry had to neutralise Deuteronomy to uphold leviticus
- Henry had to prove that Catherine’s marriage to Arthur was consummated in order to uphold Leviticus (she said she was a virgin when she came to Henry so Leviticus would be invalid)
Was Henry motivated by lust to seek an annulment?
- Fell in love with her 1525-7
- Daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, Niece of duke of Norfolk
- Wolsey broke up affair with Henry Percy
- Sister of Mary, former mistress, but she wanted to be the queen and would not give in to his demands
- Catherine was older, Anne young and appealing
- Numerous love letters
Was Henry motivated by pragmatism to seek an annulment?
- 18 years of marriage and multiple pregnancies, only one daughter (Mary)
- Aging fast, unlikely to conceive
- Needed a legitimate son/heir to secure dynasty. War of the Roses not long over so needed a son
- Two sons dead in infancy, bad omens. Had illegitimate Henry Fitzroy with mistress so knew he could conceive
- Had been granted in past (To Louis XII)
Why did Imperial dominance prevent Wolsey granting an annulment in 1527?
- Catherine’s nephew, Charles V, had captured Pope Clement. Consequently Clement did not want to antagonize Charles for fear of loosing papal independence in Italy
- –> Wolsey tried to call a council of archbishops to pronounce the annulment but French cardinals would not cooperate+Pope technically free by Dec 1527 though still under Charles’s influence
- –> Pope suggested divorce in England, marriage to Anne then annulment later, but Henry rejected this as it amounted to bigamy
- –> Pope suggested Anne enter Nunnery in 1528, which she rejected and Henry too as he needed the annulment to be confirmed by Rome
Why did the Aragonese faction prevent Wolsey from granting an annulment?
- Strong views. Determined to protest her virginity and the legitimacy of her marriage and daughter
- Powerful sympathizers like Bishop John Fisher, Thomas More
- Determination to prove she was more than a mistress and her daughter more than a bastard
- Remained loyal to Henry
Campeggio arrives in England
- April 1528 permission granted for a commission to hear the case in England
- Campeggio arrives in October 1528
- Letter appears from Julius II to Catherine’s mother, confirming legitimacy of Catherine’s marriage to Henry
- –> Allegations of fakery, delayed hearings, Wolsey anxious to proceed before Charles V revoked case to Rome
- Court opens at Blackfriars March 1529
Blackfriars court proceedings
- Court opens March 1529
- Continue until July 1529 with no resolution
- Court adjourned for long summer, Campeggio delaying proceedings
- Treaty of Cambrai confirmed ascendancy of Charles V in Italy + ensured Catherine’s case would be heard in Rome (made without Wolsey)
- –> Wolsey has failed to Grant the annulment in England, charged with Praemunire
What was the role of the reformation parliament?
- Seven parliamentary sessions from 1529-1536…when concluded Henry had established supremacy and broken from Rome
- Legislation was anti clerical and a warning to Rome, but also to help Henry establish supremacy
- Opened November 1529
- Passed Probate, Pluralities and Mortuaries act in hope of scaring Pope - a warning to the consequences of not granting a divorce
Developments in 1530
1) Collected opinions from Universities in Europe (inc. Oxford/Cambridge) on the Great Matter
- Most bribed to support Henry’s case
- Findings published 1531, presented to parliament by Thomas More who was feeling conflicted
- –>Seven supported Henry’s view, confirming Leviticus and agreeing that the Pope had no right to dispense an illegitimate marriage
2) Collectanea satis copiosa compiled by Henry’s leading clerical supporters such as Edward Foxe and Thomas Cranmer (later Archbishop of Canterbury)
- EnglishAnglo Saxon texts supporting concept of Royal Supremacy
- –> Henry excited by idea of supremacy, and using his authority over the church to grant his annulment
How was pressure exerted on the Church in the early 1530s?
- February 1531: Whole clergy charged with Praemunire for endorsing Wolsey’s papal posts
- -> Forced to pay subsidy as fine, £118 000
- -> Increased pressure on Rome
- 1531 Pardon of the Clergy with regard to the charge of Praemunire
- -> Conditional on grounds that Henry be addressed as “sole protector and Supreme Head of the English Church and Clergy” - edited to “…as far as Christ’s law allows”
- -> Evident that Supremacy appealed to Henry
- Radical faction beginning to dominate
Conservative and Radical factions
Conservative:
- Bishop Fisher
- Bishop Tunstall
- Bishop Standish
- Thomas More
Radicals:
- Fox
- Cranmer
- Thomas Cromwell by 1531
How important was Thomas Cromwell in introducing the Royal Supremacy?
- Instigator of the Supplication against the Ordinaries in 1532. Act complaining of clerical abuses
- Anti clerical nature allowed Cromwell to convince commons it was for their benefit, and irrelevant to the supremacy
- –> May 1532 Submission of the Clergy, surrender of church independence to the Crown
- Convocation could only meet with Henry’s permission
- New canon laws had to first be approved by the King
- Existing canon laws were to be reviewed, any undermining royal authority would be removed
- –> More resigns, cannot remain loyal
Conditional restraint of the Annates
- March 1532
- Annates paid by Bishops –> Rome would be suspended
- If the Pope refused to consecrate Bishops as a result of annates being suspended then they would be consecrated by English authority
- –> Remained conditional until 1533 as VERY radical. Challenged authority of the Pope economically and spiritually, and was voted against by traditional bishops despite how they would benefit financially
