Henry VIII: An Unjust Divorce and Reformation

Henry VIII let the amount of power he had get to his head. His ego grew to be so much that he decided that he had the right to make himself the head of the Church of England after the Vatican would not let him divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry wanted to divorce Catherine because she could not give him a son, which he would need to keep the throne in his family. Henry’s divorce of Catherine and making himself head of the Church was unjustified: A king needs to be kept within restrictions so that he does not become power crazy. The changes Henry made; divorcing his wife for no justifiable reasons, appointing himself head of the Church of England, and taking away Catholicism, were all unfair to the people and did not show that he was a good ruler.
Henry and Catherine of Aragon had been happily married for many years and even had a daughter named Mary, but Catherine could not produce a son. This was the original cause of the Reformation. Catherine and Henry tried many times, but with every pregnancy ending in a miscarriage, still born baby, or the baby dying as an infant. Henry wanted a son to carry on his family’s reign. Catherine deeply loved Henry as you can see in an excerpt from a letter she sent to him after England’s victory at Flodden Field, “And with this I make an end, praying God to send you home shortly, for without this no joy here can be accomplished.” In the end, though, her love did not matter. Henry found another woman named Anne Boleyn, who he fell in love with and was ready to marry. Henry treated Catherine horribly, but she still always loved him saying in her final letter to him, “For my part, I pardon you everything, and I wish to devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also.” Catherine forgave Henry for everything. He approached the Vatican asking for a divorce from Catherine so he could carry out his plans with Anne, but they would not give in to him. At this point in time the Holy Roman Empire spread over parts of France, Hugary, and modern day Germany. It was extremely powerful and could not be scared into letting Henry do as he pleased. Charles V, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at this time was also the nephew of Catherine of Aragon, which most likely affected his decision on Henry’s inquiry of a divorce. Henry was denied his request for a divorce, but he found a loophole in the rules and he used it to his advantage.
Henry could not receive permission from the Vatican for a divorce, but he really did not need that at all. The only person he had to adhere to was himself. Henry found out that he could declare himself to be the head of the Church of England, so that is exactly what he did. In the Act of Supremacy (1536), Henry is declared head of the Church of England: “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…” Henry separated from the Vatican, severing ties with them, and causing a tense relationship between the two countries. Henry created his own church using Protestant ideas from Germany. He finally got the divorce from Catherine of Aragon that he had been waiting for and married Anne Boleyn. Henry did not have the right to create his own church just because he could not get what he wanted. He was very selfish; only caring about himself and his throne.
England was on it’s way to becoming a fully Protestant country. Henry started the beginning of the reformation.  His change to the Church of England would cause much tension and fighting between religious groups in England and with other parts of Europe for many years to come.. Henry and the new religion he was forcing upon the English Catholics had violated them. It was unfair of Henry as ruler to change the ways of the church just because of his own selfish desires.
Henry hurt a woman who loved him deeply, unjustly appointed himself head of the Church of England, and was religiously unfair to many of the English people. He was selfish and cruel to even those who loved him the most. Ironically, he never ended up getting the male heir that he had always dreamed of, which was the reason for the whole divorce and reformation to begin with.

Works Cited
"Primary Sources - Letter from Anne Boleyn to King Henry VIII, Late Summer 1526." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. .

"Primary Sources - Letter of Katharine of Aragon to Her Husband, King Henry VIII, 7 January 1536." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. .

"The Act of Supremacy." Then Again. . . Web. 01 Oct. 2010. .

"Medieval Sourcebook: Letter of Thomas Cranmer, 1533." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. .

"HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE--1500." McMurry University | Christian College | Universities In Texas. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. .