December 17 – The excommunication of Henry VIII

On this day in Tudor history, 17th December 1538, King Henry VIII was excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Pope Paul III.

The papacy had threatened the English king with excommunication several times during the Great Matter, but the final straw was Henry VIII's desecration of one of the holiest shrines in Europe.

How did Henry VIII go from being "Defender of the Faith" to being excommunicated? Find out...