Henry VIII: Reasons for the Annulment

Question 1

3 Causes

Answer 1

1. Succession problem
2. Role of Anne Boleyn
3. Desire to govern the English church

Question 2

What had Henry’s marriage with Catherine of Aragon failed to produce

Answer 2

A male heir

Question 3

Why was the only living heir to the throne (Princess Mary) a problem

Answer 3

The previous female monarch (empress matilda) on accession had sparked a Civil War.

Henry didnt want to begin the Wars of the Roses again, especially as a female monarch meant a weaker tudor dynasty and stronger Yorkist one

Question 4

How old was Catherine and why was this a problem

Answer 4

She was 40 and it was a problem because she was above childbearing age

Question 5

What significance did religion hold in the succession problem

Answer 5

Henry read Leviticus in 1525 that it was unlawful to marry a brothers wife, and doing so would lead to an impossibility of a male heir.

The marriage was not sanctioned by God

Question 6

Why was Anne Boleyn attractive to Henry

Answer 6

1. He was personally lustful towards her due to personality and looks
2. Anne was 15 years younger than Catherine therefore she was much more likely to produce Henry’s much needed/wanted Male heir.

Question 7

What faction within court influenced the marriage to Anne Boleyn

Answer 7

The Boleyn faction because they would gain status from the marriage.

e.g. Thomas Boleyn

Question 8

Why was the desire to govern the English church a factor in the annulment

Answer 8

Henry wished to re-establish England as a sovereign state