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Article: Divorce began British royals' golden age, may also end it.(World)(Briefing/Europe)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- September 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If Queen Victoria were watching, she would not be amused. The golden era of the English monarchy started with a royal divorce and now it may end with one.
King Henry VIII in the early 16th century loved his wife, the Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon. But she only bore him a daughter, not the son he craved to secure his line. Henry wanted the marriage annulled so that he could marry his far younger mistress Anne Boleyn.
But Catherine's nephew was the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, whose troops had sacked Rome in 1527. The pope did not dare defy him and carry out Henry's wishes to annul the marriage.
So Henry abandoned the Catholic Church ...