Henry VIII of England was a controversial king, especially in his handling of his divorce from Catharine of Aragon. Henry VIII no longer had a use for Catharine in his mind, but the Pope would not annul his marriage. What was a king who was used to getting what he wanted to do? The shameful divorce of Henry VIII and Catharine of Aragon took its form in the Act of Supremacy, causing huge religious changes within England, and causing a split from the church that changed England for the worse.
Catharine was originally had married Arthur, Henry VIII’s older brother, in 1501. However, Arthur died suddenly at 15, and Henry became the heir to the English throne. He married Catharine after he became king in 1509, and only thought of the political implications of the marriage. However, he came to realize later how wrong it was to marry his brother’s widow. Henry was a religious man, and when Catharine could only produce a female heir (Mary) and no boy, Henry had to think of Leviticus 20:21, “'If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.” (http://bible.cc/leviticus/20-21.htm) Henry must have realized that this verse applied to him, and wanted to be rid of the burden that was Catharine, however unfair that was to her and Mary.
“Albeit the king's Majesty justly and rightfully is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and so is recognized by the clergy of this realm in their convocations…” (http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/ActSupremacy.html) The Act of Supremacy was a way for Henry to get whatever he wanted. He had made himself the head of the Catholic Church, which meant that there was literally no check or balance for what he did. He divorced Catharine and took a new wife, Anne Boleyn, who on her coronation day was “as the condition thereof doth well appear by reason she is now somewhat big with child.” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cramner-hen8.html) Henry never had to worry about the Catholic Church saying ‘no’ again, but splitting a Catholic nation from the Catholic Church us not a good idea. After Henry VIII died, there would be bloody battles between the Protestants and Catholics, partly because of the failure on Henry’s part to take ‘no’ for an answer. Henry thought way too highly of himself, and just wanted more power. He crossed a line by taking control of the Church too, and was obviously a king with no one’s agenda in mind besides his own.
While not many people truly ‘deserve’ to be shunned by their spouses, Catharine was perhaps one of the least deserving women you could imagine. While she did not give him a male heir, she tried as hard as she could to please him, and seemed to love him with all her heart. While she was still the Queen, she wrote him encouraging letters while he was off at war. “And with this I make an end, praying God to send you home shortly, for without this no joy here can be accomplished.” (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter2.html) She obviously cared deeply for him both during and after their marriage, always signing her letters ‘Your humble wife and true servant, Katharine.’ Even in her last letter to him, she speaks of her love for him, and wished him the best. “The hour of my death now drawing on, the tender love I owe you forceth me, my case being such, to commend myself to you, and to put you in remembrance with a few words of the health and safeguard of your soul which you ought to prefer before all worldly matters.” (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter5.html) However, she does let on in her signature her indignity of having her title stripped and being sent off as dowager princess. Instead of signing in her usual way, she signed the letter ‘Katharine the Queene.’
Henry VIII was power hungry, selfish, and spoiled. He wanted to have everything go his way, and was willing to do stupid things to get what he wanted. He was married six times, and never stopped to think that his bad fortune was brought on by his bad decisions. Catharine was a good and loving wife, and he should have appreciated that and stayed loyal to her. Instead, he took away her crown, her dignity, and her daughter’s legitimacy. He became ruler of the Catholic Church on a whim, and did not have the responsibility to have that much power. When Mary I would rule, she would burn Protestants to try and fix her father's mistake, and leave Elizabeth I to deal with the mess. Henry VIII had no right to make himself the head of the Catholic Church, to divorce Catharine of Aragon, or to put himself before England.
"The Act of Supremacy." Then Again. . . Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/ActSupremacy.html>.
Leviticus. New International Version. Biblos. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <http://bible.cc/leviticus/20-21.htm>.
Leviticus. New International Version. Biblos. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <http://bible.cc/leviticus/20-21.htm>.
"Medieval Sourcebook: Letter of Thomas Cranmer, 1533." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cramner-hen8.html>.
"Primary Sources - Letter from Katharine of Aragon to Her Husband, King Henry VIII, 16 September 1513." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter2.html>.
"Primary Sources - Letter of Katharine of Aragon to Her Husband, King Henry VIII, 7 January 1536." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter5.html>.
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