Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn)

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was 3 when she was betrothed to Arthur and she was 16 when they were married in 1501. Quite soon she became a young widow, but 14 months after she was betrothed to Henry VIII, who was only 10. They fell in love and they were crowned after Henry VII’s death. Soon after their marriage, she was pregnant, but all the children that she had, died. Only Mary lived. Henry was happy but not so much so if the baby had been a boy! So he was really angry. He was quite confident about the divorce. But the Pope didn’t help him, so Henry made himself head of the Church in 1534, and get a divorce.

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn spent part of her childhood at the court of the Archduchess Margaret. Then she became lady-in-waiting of Mary, Henry VIII’s sister (in France). When she returned in England, she went to court to attend Queen Catherine. There Henry VIII fell in love with her and tried to make Anne his mistress. But she would only be his wife, not his mistress. So she offered a solution: breaking any link with Rome and become an independent Church. So Henry liked the idea and asked Parliament to pass a new law: The Act of Supremacy(1534). Anne Boleyn was pregnant in 1533. So they married secretly because Henry VIII wanted this child to be legitimate in order to become the heir to the English throne. But born princess Elizabeth. Henry was disappointed, and Anne was unhappy. All the children that she had, died. Finally she was arrested and accused of adultery. His brother was condemned to death too. She was executed in 1536 and her body and head were buried.