King Henry VIII
...g his subjects. Matters of state were left in the hands of others, most notably Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York (Britannia, 1). Thanks to Wolsey, King Henry was able to establish England as a European power. During his reign, several wars were fought between France, Spain and Italy, which resulted in varying results. Though Henry was content on following Wolsey’s lead, he took command whenever he felt the need to. Meanwhile Henry’s personal affairs had reached a crisis, which was soon to involve the whole country (Collier’s Encyclopedia, 46). Henry’s married life was not going too well. His wife, Catherine, suffered several miscarriages and bore him an only daughter Mary, in 1516, and was soon way past her childbearing years. The marriage thus failed, in Henry’s mind, in its primary purpose to produce a male heir to secure the Tudor dynasty and the future political stability of the kingdom (Encyclopedia Americana, 100). Meanwhile, he had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. Henry was determined to have his marriage to Catherine declared null and void. He went as far as claiming that his marriage to his brother’s widow was against God’s law as it is stated in Leviticus 20: XX 21, that if a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity and they shall be childless (Encyclopedia Americana, 100). The negotiations over this matter went on for about eight years. Wolsey tried repeatedly to secure a legal annulment from Pope Clement VII, who at that time was beholden to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Catherine’s nephew (Britannia 2). However he was not successful at doing so and his failure ultimately led to his downfall. Henry refused to give up and his determination never wavered. In 1532, he found a new chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, who replaced Wolsey. A new policy, under the guidance of Cromwell, was brought about, which broke of the allegiance to Rome denouncing Papacy and creating a national Church in England under the supreme leadership of the king himself (Collier’s Encyclopedia, 46). Thus the Church of England or the Anglican Church came into being under King Henry’s leadership. The separation of the Church of England from Roman Catholicism was primarily due to his obsession with producing a male heir. His marriage to Anne Boleyn lasted only three years before she was convicted of infidelity in May 1536. His next wife was Jane Seymour wh...