Henry VIII
Short History Of...
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The Great Matter
Henry's quest for separation from Catherine becomes known as the Great Matter. His advisor Cardinal Wolsey takes up the legal challenge of freeing his master. The verse in Leviticus that tormented Henry becomes the backbone of their case. But hundreds of miles away in Rome, other matters are afoot. In 1527, troops of the Holy Roman Empire besieged the Vatican and imprisoned the pope. After years of delay, the pope sides with the Spanish. He insists that divorce will mean Henry's excommunication from the Catholic Church. Back in England, Catherine puts up her own legal fight to retain her title. She argues that her first marriage were never consummated.
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