In the 1500s, marriages were often used as international diplomacy, creating alliances between countries. To create peace, royal families married off their daughters to princes and other royalty. One of these political marriages was Catherine of Aragon, from Spain, to Henry VIII of England. Catherine was the daughter of Spanish royalty and, in hope of sustaining a peace between England and Spain, was married off first to Henry VIII's older brother. When Henry VIII's brother died, Catherine of Aragon married Henry. Henry VIII is infamous for having six wives, and beheaded two of them. Although many people only know of Henry VIII's bloody behavior, he strengthened England's navy and built churches as well. .
Catherine and Henry had a daughter named Mary. Henry VIII believed strongly that it was his duty to provide England with a male heir, and was set on having his successor to the throne be someone of his own blood. When all of Henry and Catherine's children who were born after Mary, died in infancy, Henry determined to produce an heir, and became frustrated and angry. Henry VIII could not behead Catherine of Aragon because of her Spanish ties and because her nephew was the Holy Roman Emperor, so Henry wanted to annul the marriage.
The problem for Henry was that the majority of England was Catholic, and the Catholic Church did not believe in divorce. Henry argued that his marriage was illegitimate because Catherine was once married to Henry's brother, so her subsequent marriage to Henry was incest in the eyes of the Church. The Church still did not grant Henry the divorce. Henry was so persistent that he defied the Catholic Church and created his own church; the Anglican Church.
Henry and Catherine's marriage was considered sinful and was annulled by Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury. Henry deported Catherine, and she was sent to live in several private dwellings for the rest of her life.
