Sunday, October 3, 2010

Was Henry VIII justified in divorcing Catherine?

The king of England, Henry VIII was desperate for a legitimate male heir to his throne. His first wife Catherine of Argon was not helping this cause, with two children surviving birth, and the male child dying less than sixty days afterwards. Henry was certain that Catherine was not a suitable partner because she was unable to have children. He courted a younger woman, Anne Boleyn. In king Henry's mind, he thought that Anne was better for himself, but he was not justified by the pope. To meet his desire, he broke from the Church. Henry believed himself supreme in England, but in terms of spiritual matters, there is absolutely no power higher than the Church, and the pope.
The English Parliament saw to it that Henry was made head of the new formed Anglican Church, giving him complete power. He found a passage saying that royal rights surpass the Church in terms of major decisions, this only bolstered his ego. He declared he shares all of the royalties that the clergy had before the division. This act also declared that any legitimate successor of Henry would have the same authority. As soon as the divorce was complete, princess Mary was also declared a bastard, and Catherine was sent away.
The rightful ruler of England also had the power to change matters related to the Church as long as the Act of Supremacy was in effect. After Catherine died, Mary was welcomed back into the Tudor family. The Act was justified with the belief that it was best for the nation of England as a whole. Last, it allowed the king or queen of England to have foreign wars, or claim land in the name of God.
At the time Henry wanted the divorce, Italy was invaded by Catherine's cousin, which meant that her cousin would not let the pope annul the marriage. Charles V, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, was completely against reformation and was urging people to resist. After some of these altercations, Charles V's Holy Roman Empire found itself fighting religious wars against French Protestants.
Henry was not justified in his divorce, but he believed he was. Catherine was actually supposed to be the wife of Henry's brother Arthur, until Arthur's death. This loomed high on Henry's head because of a verse in the Bible, which said that any man who takes his brother's wife will not have any children. Henry believed he should divorce Catherine because 5 of their 6 children were dead before age 1. However, Henry was not justified because he is still married to her, and is a devout Catholic.

1 comment:

  1. Lack of any citations to primary sources render this argument not worth a whole lot. Without primary sources, you don't have an argument, you just have vague opinions based on heresay.

    I suggest re-doing this essay.

    75%

    ReplyDelete