Henry VII

King Henry VIII was an extremely powerful and well known king, but how could he stay this way, when he broke away from the Catholic Church and destroyed churches and monasteries? Well, it all begins with the separation of the church of England from Roman Catholicism. This separation was caused by the King's want for a male heir to the throne. Henry wanted an annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, but the pope would not grant it, so Henry passed the Act of Supremacy. This stated that "the King's Majesty justly and rightfully is and oweth to be the supreme head of the Church of England." Even though he broke away from the church, he made himself have ultimate power by making himself the supreme head of the church. He knew now that he had unlimited power, and could do anything at anytime he wanted. He now was able to marry Anne Boleyn, who would give birth to Elisabeth, the future queen of England.

Sources:

"Acts of Supremacy." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Supremacy.

"The Act of Supremacy." TudorHistory.org. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.tudorhistory.org/primary/supremacy.html.

Britannia: British History and Travel. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon41.html.

Photograph From:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Henry_VII.jpg.