Why did Henry VIII break with Rome?
There are many different reasons why Henry VIII broke away from Rome, including the need for power and money, because of religious reasons, divorcing Catherine of Aragon and lastly but not least Henry VIII needed a successor to the throne. In my opinion, there were many reasons why King Henry broke away from Rome, but the most important one is because of the need for a succession, without a succession, the throne would be taken over by someone who was not a Tudor.
The most important reason why Henry broke with the throne is the reason for a successor. This was important because Henry needed a son to take over his throne, and without a Tudor successor, the throne was going to be taken by a person who was not…show more content… The pope of the Catholic Church refused to Henry VIII asking if he could get an annulment with Catherine of Aragon. Henry was frustrated at the Catholic Church, as Henry wanted an annulment from Catherine for many reasons. Firstly, the desire for a son. This was linked with the main question reason ‘a desire for a son’ because Catherine wasn’t having a son. The chances of Catherine having a son at that time was very slim, and Henry wanted to annul Catherine as soon as possible. Next, the sin of marrying his dead brother’s widow. This reason is important because Henry came to think that his marriage to Catherine was a blasphemy. He believed that God himself was punishing Henry by not giving him a son for marrying the widow of his late brother. This also links into Henry’s desire for a son because it shows that Henry put his desired succession as first priority in his mind, making him think that God was punishing him by not giving him a son, making him want to annul Catherine even more. Henry fell deeply in love with Anne Boleyn, a popular female court member. Henry thought Anne was young enough to bring Henry an heir to the throne. Henry fell head over heels in love with Anne, so bad he wanted to make her his “true, loyal mistress”, “rejecting from thought and affection all others save yourself, to serve you only.” – Henry