Question

Henry viii asks the pope to annul his marriage cause and effect

Answer 1

Political Causes

• Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon, who was aunt of Charles V, King of Spain.

• England participated in support of Spain in its war against France.

• The English people considered that the alliance with Spain was unsuccessful because this involved paying high taxes requested by Cardinal Wolsey intended to support the war against France and the clergy of the Church.

• When Spain managed to defeat the Army of Francisco I, King of France, the English crown decided to break the pact with Spain.

Personal causes

• Henry VIII wanted a son to be his heir to the throne, which he had not yet achieved with Catherine.

• He fell in love with Ana Bolena, who was Catalina's maid.

• To be able to marry Ana, she had to separate from Catalina.

Event

Henry VIII asked to annul his marriage to Pope Clement VII, who after a long time extended a formal decision not to grant the annulment of the marriage.

Consequences

• Henry VIII removed Cardinal Wolsey from office and placed Cardinal Cromwell in his charge.

• The King established marital life with Ana Bolena and later Cardinal Cromwell declared the marriage annulment with Catalina.

• This was worth the King was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.

• The King decided to establish the Anglican Church as a new religion in England of which he would be  head.

• Immediately afterwards the King decreed the dissolution of the Monasteries and the confiscation of Catholic property.

• There were many people who resisted the new ecclesiastical situation and some referents like Tomás Moro were executed.

• The majority of the people accepted the situation because the tax pressure was removed.

Conclusion

Henry VIII solved political and personal causes and secondarily created the Anglican Church, which continues to this day.

Answer 2

Henry viii asks the pope to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon because she was his brother's widow and that why she could not yield him a son. Henry justified his request for a marriage annulment by using an Old Testament text  from Leviticus Chapter 20 Verse 16 which states; “If a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.”

The pope's refusal to nullify Henry's marriage resulted in the withdrawal of England from the Catholic Church and creation of the Church of England( Anglican church).