Comparison Of King Henry VIII And Anne Boleyn

During the time of King Henry VIII’s reign, several controversies arose about his relationship with Anne Boleyn. Indeed, many rumors were whispered about Anne Boleyn’s manipulation of the King, which speculated that it was the cause of King Henry VIII’s separation from the Roman Catholic Church. It was also pointed to as the cause of the Act of Supremacy being catapulted, an act which effectively proclaimed Henry VIII’s as the head of the Church of England. Protestantism during that time was regarded as a church for heretics and because people perceived Anne Boleyn as the chief reason for it, many critics insisted that lust had driven the King to create the new church. However, historical evidence does not support these claims. Anne Boleyn,

She held sway over Henry’s religious views, introducing him to several books which combined views on religion and authority. Two of these books were William Tyndale’s The Obedience of the Christian Man and How Christian Rulers Ought to Govern. Evidence showed that Anne had, “Drawn attention to the passages regarding the idea that a ruler is accountable to God alone and that the Church should not control a monarch” (Ridgway 1). Her defiance of ecclesiastical authority was readily evident in her willingness to protect the illegal trade of bibles (Ives 315). At this point, Anne’s avid support for the reformation became quickly evident (Pettegree 1). As British historian E.W. Ives notes: “Brief though Anne’s influence was, it was a thousand days of support for reform from the throne itself. And hindsight can say more. The breach in the dyke of tradition which she encouraged and protected made the flood first of reformed, and later of more specifically Protestant Christianity, unstoppable” (Ives 303). However, there were a series of events that do not involve Anne which led to Henry’s secession from the church, beginning with his first wife, Katherine of

The union was intended to preserve their Spanish alliance, and gave rise to six children, only one of which survived. Only Mary I survived, and Katherine ceased to have children after her last miscarriage in 1518 (Turdorhistory.org). This left Henry with no male heirs to ensure his lineage on the throne. It was also that same year when Mary was engaged to her cousin, Charles V, the holy Roman Emperor. At first, this engagement was favorable for Henry, as it involved political gain. However, the engagement did not continue as Charles V married another. Henry’s struggle for a male heir became even more pronounced, as the succession to the throne of England came into question. During this same period, Henry met Anne, who was Katherine’s lady in waiting. Although many historians have argued that it was Henry’s desire and lust for Anne that caused his divorce, it was actually his powerful desire for a male heir that caused the turn of events involving his separation from the Roman Catholic