General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do you know why Catholics put money in the collection plate at Sunday mass? [View all]Warpy
(114,758 posts)After all, she could have been forced. Henry had the means to throw her family off their lands, impoverish them, and keep them from all but the meanest itinerant labor. Her sister had borne five children for Henry during their affair and had been well taken care of. There was no reason for her to hold out for marriage, not with the precedence of another of Henry's illegitimate sons being inserted into the lineage.
The truth was that he was sick of a system whereby any of his decisions could be called into question by the church, whose officials were controlled by what he saw as a foreign power. In other words, he wanted to be the monarch of England and everyone in it, including all the vassals of Rome.
It was the question of a divine right king who wanted all the power, who was sick of answering to a bunch of bishops, and who wanted a free hand in his own country.