On this day in Tudor history, 7th March, the Pope threatened Henry VIII with excommunication of her married again, Germaine Gardiner and John Larke were executed for denying the royal supremacy, and the Great Comet was seen…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 7 March
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#OTD in Tudor history – 5 January
What happened on this day in Tudor history, 5th January, in Tudor times?
Let me share with you some events from 5th January during the reigns of the Tudor kings and queens…
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Catherine of Aragon – The Case for Non-consummation by Amanda Glover
Thank you to Amanda Glover for writing this guest article for us on the question of whether Catherine of Aragon's marriage to Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, was consummated.The story
More than 500 years ago two teenagers married. Only four and a half months later the boy sadly died. Since then, historians have hotly debated whether the marriage was ever consummated.
The girl was called Catalina, known in England as Catherine of Aragon, and the boy was Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir to the fledgling dynasty of the Tudors.
But why was the question of the consummation so important?
When Arthur died so tragically young, his ten-year-old brother, Henry became the heir to his father’s crown. In 1509, eight years after Arthur’s demise, the 17-year-old Henry ascended the throne as Henry VIII on the death of his father, Henry VII. One of his first acts was to marry Catherine, having obtained Papal dispensation, a necessity in the eyes of the Church because of Catherine’s first marriage to Arthur, which made the new couple “related”.
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May 28 – Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn is valid
On this day in Tudor history, 28th May 1533, at Lambeth Palace, Thomas Cranmer, the recently appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, proclaimed the validity of the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
This proclamation was the result of a secret enquiry carried out by the archbishop following the ruling of the special court set up at Dunstable Priory to hear the case for the annulment of Henry VIII’s first marriage. That court dissolved the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Convocation had already determined, on 5th April 1533, that the Pope had no power to issue a dispensation for a man to marry his brother’s widow when it was contrary to God’s law.
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May 10 – Archbishop Cranmer opens a special court into Henry VIII’s great matter
On this day in Tudor history, 10th May 1533, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, opened a special court at Dunstable Priory in Bedfordshire.
The court’s job was to rule on the validity of Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
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May 10 – Henry VIII’s annulment is nearly done, Ivan the Terrible, and the suicide of John Clerk
On this day in Tudor history, 10th May 1533, the Great Matter, Henry VIII’s quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, neared its conclusion.
Find out what happened on this day in 1533, and what happened next…
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Henry VIII’s Great Matter Crossword Puzzle
As yesterday was the anniversary of Catherine’s demotion from queen to dowager princess in 1533, I thought I’d test your knowledge of Henry VIII’s Great Matter, his quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
How much do you know about the Great Matter?
Find out with this fun crossword puzzle.
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7 October – A poet hired to woo Elizabeth I and there’s bad news for Henry VIII
On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1529, Pope Clement VII wrote to King Henry VIII regarding his quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
It wasn’t good news. Catherine of Aragon had won this battle, with the pope deciding that the marriage was valid, but she hadn’t won the war. Henry VIII did get the marriage annulled in the end, but the pope didn’t do it.
But what was going on? Why wouldn’t the pope help? What was Henry VIII’s argument for an annulment and on what grounds did Catherine appeal?
Find out more…
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18 June – Catherine of Aragon protests
On this day in Tudor history, 18th June 1529, Catherine of Aragon made her protest at the Blackfriars legatine court. What was she protesting about? What were the grounds of her appeal?
Find out in today’s #TudorHistoryShorts video…
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7 October – Catherine of Aragon wins this round
On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1529, Pope Clement VII wrote to King Henry VIII regarding his quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
It wasn’t good news. Catherine of Aragon had won this battle, with the pope deciding that the marriage was valid, but she hadn’t won the war. Henry VIII did get the marriage annulled in the end, but the pope didn’t do it.
But what was going on? Why wouldn’t the pope help? What was Henry VIII’s argument for an annulment and on what grounds did Catherine appeal?
Find out more in today’s talk.
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29 September – A papal legate arrives for Henry VIII’s annulment case
On this day in Tudor history, 29th September 1528, the papal legate, Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio, landed at Dover on the Kent coast.
Campeggio and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who had been appointed the pope’s vice-regent, were given the task of hearing Henry VIII’s case for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Find out more about what happened when next, what happened at the special legatine court, and how Henry ended up waiting for his annulment for a few more years, in today’s talk.
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31 May – Henry VIII’s annulment and a special Blackfriars court
On this day in Tudor history, 31st May 1529, a special legatine court opened at Blackfriars in London. The court’s purpose was to hear the case for an annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and it was presided over by papal legate Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
Find out about the context of this court, what happened at the court and what happened next in today’s talk.
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5 April -The pope was wrong
On this day in Tudor history, 5th April 1533, the English Church’s legislative body, Convocation, ruled that the pope was wrong and that Henry VIII was right, i.e. it ruled that the Pope had no power to dispense in the case of a man marrying his brother’s widow, and that it was contrary to God’s law – Catherine of Aragon should not have been able to marry Henry VIII.
Henry VIII was finally getting the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon sorted out, and it was just as well, seeing that he was married to Anne Boleyn now, she was expecting their first child and was due to be crowned queen shortly!
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15 March – Henry VIII uses foul language!
On this day in Tudor history, 15th March 1532, King Henry VIII used what was described as “foul language” to William Warham, Archbishop of Canterburyt. Henry VIII also threatened the poor man, and it is amazing that Warham kept his head as the king was furious.
What happened? Find out what Warham did to upset the king in today’s talk.
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30 November – Henry VIII gets told off by Catherine of Aragon AND Anne Boleyn
On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1529, the feast of St Andrew, Henry VIII was reproached by the two women in his life: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the woman he wanted to marry, Anne Boleyn.
Catherine of Aragon was not impressed by the way her husband was treating her, and Anne Boleyn didn’t like the fact that the king was letting Catherine get the upper hand. They both told the king exactly what they thought. It was not a good day for King Henry VIII.
Find out exactly what happened with Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn on this day in 1529, in today’s talk.
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12 June – Catherine of Aragon gets cross with Henry VIII
On this day in Tudor history, 12th June 1530, Queen Catherine of Aragon got rather cross with her husband, King Henry VIII, who, according to her, was leading an evil life and being a bad example.
What led to Catherine’s strong words on this day in 1530? What exactly was Henry VIII doing to upset his wife?
Find out in today’s video.
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23 March – Who’s queen: Catherine of Aragon or Anne Boleyn?
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd March 1534, the Pope issued a bull proclaiming Catherine of Aragon to be England’s true queen and Mary the heir to the throne, while the English Parliament declared Anne Boleyn to be England’s rightful queen and her daughter, Elizabeth, the heir. Weird!
In today’s video, I explain what was going on and what the 1534 Act of Succession stated.
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5 January
On this day in Tudor history, 5th January 1531, the Pope got rather cross with Henry VIII. Find out why in my video.
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Video – The Annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s Marriage
