Guest Author - Nicola Jane Soen

As Henry VIII grew older his behaviour grew increasingly despotic. People began to be terrified of him. Now Henry was disgruntled with his wife Catherine of Aragon, and enamoured of a woman who would not become his mistress. This was to have a devastating affect on the King, who when he had ascended the throne in 1509 had been loved and was known by his people as Bluff King Hal. It was also to sow seeds that had a tragic effect on the Catholic population of England for centauries to come.

So Henry began to battle with his conscience. He had found a verse in Leviticus, wherein a man who married his brother’s wife was cursed as childless. It mattered not to him he had a daughter. He set about divorcing Catherine, in what became the greatest farce in medieval history. It also saw the end of the Catholic Church in England. The Catholic Pope, Clement, would not grant Henry his divorce.

When the Kings Divorce case was heard in court it was adjourned to Rome, Cardinal Compeggio of Italy, had been ordered by the pope to do so unbeknown to Henry. English counterpart Cardinal Wolsey was representing Henry and had assured him of success. This coupled with Anne’s hatred of him, sealed Wolsey’s down fall. Anne had held a grudge against Wolsey because he had refused to let her marry the man she truly loved, Percy Northumberland. Henry had possibly been behind this because he had spied Anne for himself, but Anne never knew. Henry heard of Protestant ideologies and broke with the Pope and set himself up as head of the Church of England. The trouble was by the time he had his divorce and had married Anne, who by then had born him a daughter; he had fallen for another woman. Who incidentally, said the same thing about marriage as Anne had.


His ministers were ordered to find away to get rid of Anne. She was accused of witchcraft and other heinous crimes and beheaded in 1536. Henry was not present. He was a Wolf Hall; home of his soon to be third wife Jane Seymour.
Jane bore him the son he desired, but died shortly after. Henry was bereft and mourned deeply. However his adviser, the protestant Cromwell arrange him a new wife Anna of Cleves, who he chose because of a miniature painting by Holbein. When Henry met Anna he is supposed to have called her ‘A Flanders Mare.’ What ever he said, he loathed her, but instead of beheading her (she was after all royally) he divorced her on the grounds of non consummation and made her his sister. He already has his eye on a fifth.

At nearly fifty Henry had grown corpulent and old. His lifestyle of eating gargantuan feasts had caught up with him. But Katherine was about 19 and this brought Henry into an Indian summer. He rode again and played sport and married Katherine in 1540. However Katherine had been forced into the marriage, by her ambitious family and she did not love Henry. This caused her downfall. Eventually news was brought to the King of her infidelity and she was arrested, charged and beheaded. This broke Henry. He had adored Katherine, and he had also been made a public fool because of her adultery.

Now old and infirm (even though he was only in his fifties) Henry married a sixth time to Catherine Parr in 1543. This was more for her nursing skills and companionship, as she had also been married a few times before herself. Catherine narrowly escaped being arrested herself. Henry by this time was so ruthless and had such a brutal conscience he could order the death of a person then eat lunch with them! However due to her nursing skill and Henrys ill health she was saved and Henry died in 1547. He had reigned 38 years, drained the coffers and left England torn in half with religious strife, with three children of different religions and parentage. Henry came to the throne loved, but he died a mocked and feared king.