The King's Great Matter

1527 · Event

Without a son after eighteen years of marriage, and in love with Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII convinces himself his marriage to his brother's widow is cursed by scripture — and demands Rome annul it. The pope, whose city has just been sacked by Catherine's nephew Charles V, can neither grant nor refuse. Six years of stalemate follow; England's church will be the collateral.

On these timelines: Henry VIII's Break with Rome, England, England: Monarchs, The Reformation, United Kingdom (combined)

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