Henry Viii's Succession Acts
148.216 Document Exercise, Assignment 1.
Student ID # 99245875
THE FIRST SUCCESSION ACT, 1534.
The Act of Succession 1534 is a statute issued by the English Parliament under the reign of King Henry VIII, which confirmed the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Queen Katherine and validated Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. Also, through this Act the line of succession moved to the children of his marriage to Anne, or any future marriages, effectively removing Mary, Henry’s only surviving child from his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, as heir. Furthermore, the Act contained a clause that subjects must swear an oath recognising the terms of the Act, any refusal would be held as a treasonable offence.
A predominant pre-occupation of Henry during his reign was to establish a clear line of succession for the Tudor dynasty. When his marriage to Catherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir, Henry became convinced this was punishment under devine law for marrying his dead brother’s wife (Lotherington, p.71). He petitioned the Pope for an annulment of the marriage, however the Pope was under the influence of Charles V of Spain, Katherine of Aragon’s nephew, and ultimately refused Henry an annulment (Robinson, 2010). Henry also had ambitions to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. There followed numerous Acts of Parliament instigated by Henry and his close advisors; beginning with the Act in Restraint of Appeals, which stated that ‘no appeals were to be made from England to Rome in any matters concerning wills, marriages, or payments to the Church; cases were to go no further than the Archbishop’ (Lotherington, p. 84), that paved the way for a break from the papacy enabling Henry to fulfil his personal ambitions.
The main claim in relation to grounds for annulment of Henry’s marriage to Katherine was that it was incestuous, therefore illegal, as Katherine had previously been married to Henry’s brother Arthur, despite Katherine’s solemn claim that her marriage to
Student ID # 99245875
THE FIRST SUCCESSION ACT, 1534.
The Act of Succession 1534 is a statute issued by the English Parliament under the reign of King Henry VIII, which confirmed the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Queen Katherine and validated Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. Also, through this Act the line of succession moved to the children of his marriage to Anne, or any future marriages, effectively removing Mary, Henry’s only surviving child from his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, as heir. Furthermore, the Act contained a clause that subjects must swear an oath recognising the terms of the Act, any refusal would be held as a treasonable offence.
A predominant pre-occupation of Henry during his reign was to establish a clear line of succession for the Tudor dynasty. When his marriage to Catherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir, Henry became convinced this was punishment under devine law for marrying his dead brother’s wife (Lotherington, p.71). He petitioned the Pope for an annulment of the marriage, however the Pope was under the influence of Charles V of Spain, Katherine of Aragon’s nephew, and ultimately refused Henry an annulment (Robinson, 2010). Henry also had ambitions to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. There followed numerous Acts of Parliament instigated by Henry and his close advisors; beginning with the Act in Restraint of Appeals, which stated that ‘no appeals were to be made from England to Rome in any matters concerning wills, marriages, or payments to the Church; cases were to go no further than the Archbishop’ (Lotherington, p. 84), that paved the way for a break from the papacy enabling Henry to fulfil his personal ambitions.
The main claim in relation to grounds for annulment of Henry’s marriage to Katherine was that it was incestuous, therefore illegal, as Katherine had previously been married to Henry’s brother Arthur, despite Katherine’s solemn claim that her marriage to
Bibliography: Levine, First Succession Act, 1534. From 25. Henry VIII cap. 22; Stat Realm iii. 471-4, 1973, pp.151-53. (provided Course Material), 1973. Lotherington, J. (ed), The Tudor Years, London: Hoddler and Stoughton, 2nd ed., 2003. Fraser, A., The Wives of Henry VIII, New York: Alfred A Knopf, Inc., 1992. Robinson, B., An Overview of the Reformation, retrieved 25 June 2010 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/reformation_overview_0 Williams, The Second Succession Act, 1536. St. 28 Hen. VIII, c. 7 (Stat Realm, III, 655)1967, pp. 452-53. (provided Course Material), 1967.