Henry VIII is most well known for his six wives and his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church that generated the Reformation. Henry ended his marriage with three of his six wives via an annulment. An annulment makes a marriage null and void, retroactive from the beginning. It is unlike a divorce in that it cancels the married status of the parties. Historians refer to the end of the marriage between Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon as a divorce, yet evidence demonstrates the marriage ended in annulment. In nothing else during his decades long reign did Henry put as much research and energy as this dissolution.
Did Henry work so hard to divorce Katherine so he could marry Anne Boleyn because he was so much in love with her? Perhaps he needed to complete this mission to flatter his very large ego with the concept that he was a sovereign that owed allegiance to no foreign entity? Maybe Henry was cornered, and his pride forced him to follow through once he stated his intentions. The thought of the Pope not giving Henry what he wanted was too much for him to let go without one hell of a fight. Maybe the mere thought of leaving his only child, a daughter named Mary, to rule England after his death was too much to bear.
