Claire | May 23, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd May 1533, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, declared the sentence of the special court that had met at Dunstable Priory in Bedfordshire. The Dunstable Priory court had convened to hear the case for the annulment of King Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Predictably, the court […]
Claire | April 5, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 5th April 1531, Richard Roose, the cook of Bishop John Fisher’s household, was boiled to death for high treason at Smithfield. He was found guilty of high treason by an act of Parliament, but why? What happened and why did King Henry VIII take a personal interest in this […]
Claire | June 21, 2016
On this day in history, 21st June 1529, just over twenty years after their marriage, King Henry VIII and his first wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, appeared before Cardinals Wolsey and Campeggio at the Legatine Court at Blackfriars. Cardinal Wolsey had been authorised by papal bull in April 1528 “to take cognisance of all matters […]
Claire | May 10, 2016
Yes, for this “on this day in history” post we are taking a break from the 1536 countdown of Anne Boleyn’s fall to go back to 1533, the year that Anne Boleyn was crowned queen. On 5th April 1533, Convocation gave its ruling on Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, stating that the Pope […]
Claire | April 5, 2016
On 5th April 1533, Convocation gave its ruling on Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, stating that the Pope had no power to dispense in the case of a man marrying his brother’s widow, and that it was contrary to God’s law. Here is the record from Letters and Papers: “Notarial attestation of the […]
Claire | March 15, 2016
Breaking news! Yes, on this day in history, 15th March 1532, King Henry VIII used “foul language” to William Warham, Archbishop of Canturbury, after the archbishop criticised the king in the House of Lords when Parliament was discussing the proposed annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Carlo Capello, the Venetian ambassador, recorded […]
Claire | March 7, 2016
On 7th March 1530, eight months after the Legatine Court was adjourned having failed to come to any conclusion regarding Henry VIII’s case for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Pope Clement VII wrote to Henry VII forbidding him from marrying again and threatening him with excommunication if the king disobeyed. Click […]
Claire | January 29, 2016
Today is the anniversary of Catherine of Aragon’s burial at Peterborough Abbey in 1536, so I just wanted to pose a question: “Was Catherine of Aragon right in fighting for her marriage and not accepting the annulment?” I’d love to hear your views on this so please do leave a comment. Allow me first to […]
