“What would have happened if Henry VIII had obtained his divorce?”
Saturday July 4, 2009
Britain’s Independent newspaper published a playful article on King Henry VIII this week, taking a look at the English Reformation via the question: “What would have happened if Henry VIII had obtained his divorce?” This is a reference to Henry’s attempt to get an annulment of his first marriage and his decision to split with the Catholic Church when the Pope refused. The article concludes that England would probably have remained Catholic - although the modern era would have seen a very loosely observed Catholicism - and the Church of England would never have existed.
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The other question would be:
What if Catherine could have conceived a child?
In Biblical times and throughout the Middle Ages a woman’s womb was opened or closed according to God’s will not Henry’s or anyone male sperm count?Today we can measure both the uterine passages and the sperm levels and scientifically explain why a couple cannot have children.This certainly does not solve the problem,but it leads us to be more intelligent in the next step which is to shift our efforts to more fecund women or escape weak sperm donors.
Those who have not read Shakespeare or studied the War of the Roses are dismissive of history’s impact on the eagerness of Henry to have a male heir.Yes, with the Virgin Queen we have a wonderful leader,but follow this magnificent reign with the most dismal shift in dynastic fortune in England’s history.