Henry's quest for a divorce

Question 1

What action did Henry take that proved that the divorce wasn’t urgent?

Answer 1

He started to prepare his illegitimate son for kingship and created him the Duke of Richmond.

Question 2

When did the divorce become urgent?

Answer 2

In 1527, when he met Anne Boleyn and she stated that she wouldn’t be her mistress.

Question 3

Why did the HRE Charles V not want to grant the divorce?

Answer 3

He was the nephew of Catherine and didn’t want to see his family be ridiculed.

Question 4

What three approaches did Wolsey take to ensure this divorce?

Answer 4

1) Scriptural arguments
2) Diplomatic manoeuvres
3) Legal efforts

Question 5

What did Wolsey argue in terms of scripture?

Answer 5

the validity of the marriage to C in 1509 relied on the vow that her marriage to Arthur hadn’t been consummated and if it wasn’t the case then Henry had been misled and the marriage was invalid.

Question 6

What did the Old Testament - Leviticus Chapter 20 state?

Answer 6

“if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an impurity, they shall be childless”. Henry believed he was living in sin.

Question 7

What do theologians argue about the Leviticus argument?

Answer 7

Not marrying your sister-in-law whilst your brother was still alive. The book of Deuteronomy stated that “it was a man’s duty to marry his brother’s widow and have children on his behalf”

Question 8

How did Wolsey attempt to free the Pope from Charles’s influence? (DM)

Answer 8

by using an alliance with France and the renewal of warfare in Italy to distract Charles. This failed as Cahrles was too strongly entrenched in Italian Peninsula to be evicted by France.

Question 9

How did Wolsey use legal efforts to ensure the annulment?

Answer 9

He hoped to hold the hearing in England where he could make the judgement as Papal Legate but Pope didn’t want to offend Charles and sent Cardinal Campeggio to delay the hearing.

Question 10

How did Wolsey’s use to Henry end?

Answer 10

1) Campeggio was unwell and wanted to do things thoroughly, Henry and Wolsey grew impatient.
2) Court met in 1529 and Cathy refused to acknowledge it and appealed to move it to Rome, which it did.
3) Became clear to Henry that Wolsey had run out of options.

Question 11

What were the two main failures of Wolsey?

Answer 11

1) Collapse of his anti-Hapsburg strategy in Europe (forced on him by the success of Charles V in Italy after 1525)
2) inability to obtain divorce for Henry

Question 12

When was Wolsey accused of praemunire?

Answer 12

Summer 1529.

Question 13

What happened to Wolsey’s offices?

Answer 13

Were stripped off of him and sent to exile in the diocese of York.

Question 14

What did Wolsey believe when it came to his downfall?

Answer 14

The the king had been manipulated by the supporters of Anne Boleyn at court, as she blamed Wolsey for the failure to win the royal divorce approval.

Question 15

What did David Starkey suggest about his downfall?

Answer 15

There was evidence that Wolsey had been losing control of the Royal court in late 1520s while Anne’s father, brother and other supporters gained influence.

Question 16

How did Henry give hope to Wosley that he may be reinstated?

Answer 16

He sent tokens of friendship to him twice.

Question 17

How did exploiting weaknesses in the Church help Henry to get the divorce?

Answer 17

1) Catholic Church=weakened by humanist criticisms of Colet, Erasmus and Simon Fish.
2) H8 was supplied with intellectual justifications by Collectanea Satis Copiosa, collection of historical documents by Cranmer and Foxe, to justify king’s divorce on basis of legal and historical principles.
3) H sought and received expert opinions on marital situation from the number of continental unis which worked in his favour and also humiliated More by requiring him to present these opinions to both houses of Parliament.

Question 18

Who masterminded the parliamentary attack on the church?

Answer 18

Cromwell.

Question 19

How was Henry helped in terms of religious reformers?

Answer 19

By the common ground that he had with these reformers who wanted radical religious changes with the common view that the Church was the main obstacle to ambition.

Question 20

How were problems to the Church solved, for the reformers?

Answer 20

improving religious leadership and to achieve this it was vital to strengthen royal power to protect and develop the church in England.

Question 21

What did Henry write in the 1520s?

Answer 21

“In defence of Seven Sacraments” to oppose this view of improving religious leadership.

Question 22

When was Parliament encouraged to voice anti-clerical feelings?

Answer 22

1529, Cromwell, MP, collected evidence of abuses

Question 23

When was the revival of medieval law of Praemunire?

Answer 23

1530, 15 of the upper clergy were charged with supporting Wolsey’s abuse of power.

Question 24

When did Henry pardon the clergy of crimes against the crown?

Answer 24

1531, demanded that they should recognise him as ‘sole protector and supreme head of church’. only supreme head as far ‘as law of Christ allows’

Question 25

When did Cromwell introduce the ‘supplication against Ordinaries’?

Answer 25

March 1532. Introduced in the House of Commons. called a petition to call on king and deal with abuses and corruption of clergy. Cromwell didn’t hold major offices and was invited to join Henry’s inner circle of advisers on the Royal Council.

Question 26

When did Henry demand that the Church should agree to the ‘submission of the clergy’?

Answer 26

May 1532, was a document giving him power to veto Church laws and choose bishops, even if not approved by Rome. More resigns.

Question 27

When did Anne B and Henry marry?

Answer 27

Jan 1533.

Question 28

When were scholars from Cambridge and Oxford sent to Europe universities?

Answer 28

1530, to find support for Henry’s divorce

Question 29

When did the payments of annates to Rome stop?

Answer 29

Jan 1532, banning of this payment was a significant attack on Pope’s rights over the clergy.

Question 30

When did Archbishop of Canterbury, William Warham die?

Answer 30

August 1532. Henry asked Pope to appoint Cranmer, a reformer with some Protestant views.

Question 31

When was the Act in Restraint of Appeals passed?

Answer 31

1533, it denied Henry’s subjects the right to appeal to the Pope against decisions in English church courts. this law prevented C of A from seeking the Pope’s arbitration when the divorce case came before the courts.

Question 32

What were the steps in marrying Anne Boleyn?

Answer 32

1) Anne consenting to have sexual relations with H and fallling pregnant in 1532.
2) Anne took the gamble of her pregnancy to force H to take decisive action and this required open defiance of Pope by H and authorities of English church.
3) The divorce was made easier as Cranmer (new ABC) became a leader of the Reformation
4) marriage of C and H annulled in May 1533 and Anne crowned shortly after. Child, Elizabeth, born on 7 September 1533.