Wolsey,Catherine, the succession and annulment

Question 1

Why did Henry seek an annulment?

Answer 1

1. Catherine had 6 miscarriages and by 39 she was past childbearing age.
2. He viewed her failure to produce a son as a sign of God’s displeasure because he married his brother’s widow.
3. He was in love with Anne Boleyn and had fallen out of love. Francis I called Catherine ‘deformed’ as early as 1519.

Question 2

How did a passage from Deuteronomy prove a problem to the annulment?

Answer 2

1. ‘his brother shall take her, and raise up seed for his brother ‘
2. Suggested that a man could marry his brother’s widow and have children.
3. This was suggested by supporters of Catherine.

Question 3

How did a Catherine and Arthur’s marriage prove a problem to the annulment?

Answer 3

1. Henry’s Leviticus (‘if a man shall take his brother’s wife they shall be childless’ ) only worked if C&A consummated their marriage.
2. The only evidence Wolsey had spent the night in the ‘midst of Spain’. This was court gossip.

Question 4

How did the Pope prove a problem to the annulment?

Answer 4

It was embarrassing for the Pope to admit the original dispensation was a mistake.

Question 5

How did Wolsey use technical grounds to gain the annulment?

Answer 5

1. He argued that the Pope’s original dispensation was incorrectly worded so H&C marriage was invalid.
2. This meant that it gave Rome a non-controversial reason for annulling the marriage.
3. Catherine’s supporters found a correctly worded Spanish version.

Question 6

How did Wolsey try to pressure Catherine to gain the annulment?

Answer 6

1. Huge pressure was placed on her to become a nun and renounce her marriage.
2. In a message she was warned if an attempt was made on his life, she would be blamed.
3. She would no longer see Princess Mary.

Question 7

How did Wolsey use his position as Papal Legate to gain the annulment?

Answer 7

1. He tried to persuade Rome to allow the case to be decided in England.
2. Decision would fall to Wolsey and precise arrangements were worked out.
3. It was decided that in April 1528, Cardinal Campeggio and Wolsey would rule on the pope in England.
4. This approach failed.

Question 8

Why did the case for the annulment fail?

Answer 8

1. CC was given instructions by the pope not to reach a final verdict.
2. CC delaying tactics and arrived finally in Oct 1528, partly to illness.
3. When the case finally opened in Blackfriars court in June 1529, CC insisted on doing everything by the book.
4. In July 1529, CC broke up the court for the summer without a final decision being reached.

Question 9

What was the opposition to the annulment?

Answer 9

1. During the hearing, Catherine of Aragon was called to speak. She ignored the officials and knelt before him and pleaded not to cast her aside.
2. Had powerful supporters like John Fisher, Thomas More and Charles V her nephew.

Question 10

How did the Boleyn faction lead to his downfall?

Answer 10

1. They argued that Wolsey was deliberately trying to disrupt the divorce proceedings.
2. They said that he favoured Catherine and he believed the king would tire of Anne.
3. By summer 1529, the Boleyns helped persuade Henry.

Question 11

Wolsey’s downfall:

Answer 11

1. In October 1529, he was stripped of most of his powers and possessions and exiling him to York.
2. In Nov 1530, he was summoned to London for trial on charges of praemunire, treason by a member of clergy working in the interest of the pope not the king.
3. He died on the journey southwards.