How Did King Henry Viii Different From The Church

The Church of England was established when King Henry VIII split off from the Roman Catholic Church, but it was quite different to the church of today and the motivations were more complex than is usually suggested. It is commonly thought of that Henry VIII split from Rome simply because he wanted a divorce to marry Anne Boleyn to produce an heir, but Henry really wanted an annulment for a marriage he considered to be illegitimate. The Pope actually granted these under normal circumstances, even for Henry VIII’s sister (“Why Did Henry VIII Seek an Annulment of His Marriage to Catherine of Aragon?”). Henry was married at this time to the Spanish Catherine of Aragon, who was the aunt of one of his main rivals, Emperor Charles V of Spain and the