BOOK II.

Of the Process of Divorce between King Henry and Queen Katharine, and of what passed from the nineteenth to the twenty-fifth Year of his Reign, in which he was declared Supreme Head of the Church of England.

KING HENRY hitherto lived at ease, and enjoyed his pleasures; he made war with much honour, and that always produced a just and advantageous peace. He had no trouble upon him in all his affairs, except about the getting of money, and even in that the cardinal eased him. But now a domestic trouble arose, which perplexed all the rest of his government, and drew after it consequences of a high na

ture.

Henry the Seventh, upon wise and good considerations, resolved to link himself in a close confederacy with Ferdinand and Isabella, kings of Castile and Arragon, and with the House of Burgundy, against France, which was looked on as the lasting and dangerous enemy of England. And therefore a match was agreed on between his son, Prince Arthur, and Katharine, the infanta of Spain, whose eldest sister Joan was married to Philip, that was then duke of Burgundy and earl of Flanders; out of which arose a triple alliance between England, Spain, and Burgundy, against the king of France, who was then become formidable to all about him. There was given with her 200,000 ducats, the greatest portion that had been given for many ages with any princess, which made it not the less acceptable to King Henry the Seventh.

The infanta was brought into England, and on the 14th of November was married at St. Paul's to the prince of Wales. They lived together as man and wife till the 2d of April following; and not only had their bed solemnly blessed when they were put in it, on the night of their marriage, but also were seen publicly in bed for several days after, and went down to live at Ludlow Castle, in Wales, where they still bedded together. But prince Arthur, though a strong and healthful youth when he married her (1501), yet died soon after (Apr. 2, 1502), which some thought was hastened by his too early marriage*. The Spanish ambassador had by his master's orders taken proofs of the con

* See the depositions of witnesses in L. Herbert.

summation of the marriage, and sent them into Spain; the young prince also himself had by many expressions given his servants cause to believe, that his marriage was consummated the first night, which in a youth of sixteen years of age, that was vigorous and healthful, was not at all judged strange. It was so constantly believed, that when he died, his younger brother, Henry duke of York, was not called prince of Wales for some considerable time* : some say for one month, some for six months. And he was not created prince of Wales till ten months were elapsed, viz. in the February following, when it was apparent that his brother's wife was not with child by him. These things were afterwards looked on as a full demonstration (being as much as the thing was capable of) that the princess was not a virgin after prince Arthur's death.

But the reason of state still standing for keeping up the alliance against France, and King Henry the Seventh having no mind to let so great a revenue as she had in jointure be carried out of the kingdom, it was proposed, that she should be married to the younger brother Henry, now prince of Wales. The two prelates that were in greatest esteem with King Henry the Seventh were Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, and Fox, bishop of Winchester. The former delivered his opinion against it t, and told the king, that he thought it was neither honourable nor well-pleasing to God. The bishop of Winchester persuaded it, and for the objections that were against it, and the murmuring of the people, who did not like a marriage that was disputable, lest out of it new wars should afterwards arise about the right of the crown, the pope's dispensation was thought sufficient to answer all; and his authority was then so undisputed that it did it effectually. So a bull was obtained on the 26th of December, 1503 (Collect. No. i), to this effect, "That the pope, according to the greatness of his authority, having received a petition from prince Henry and the princess Katharine, bearing, That whereas the princess was lawfully married to prince Arthur (which was perhaps consummated by the carnalis copula), who was dead without any issue, but they, being desirous to marry for preserving the peace between the crowns of England and Spain, did petition his holiness for his dispensation; therefore the pope, out of his care to maintain peace among all catholic kings, did absolve them from all censures under which they might be, and dispensed with the impediment of their affinity, notwithstanding any apostolical constitutions or ordinances to the contrary, and gave them leave to marry; or, if they

* Bacon's Henry VII. + Warham's deposition in L. Herbert.

were already married, he, confirming it, required their confessor to enjoin them some healthful penance for their having married before the dispensation was obtained."

It was not much to be wondered at that the pope did readily grant this; for though very many both cardinals and divines did then oppose it, yet the interest of the papacy, which was preferred to all other considerations, required it*. For as that pope, being a great enemy to Lewis the Twelfth, the French king, would have done any thing to make an alliance against him firmer; so he was a warlike pope, who considered religion very little, and therefore might be easily persuaded to confirm a thing that must needs oblige the succeeding kings of England to maintain the papal authority, since from it they derived their title to the crown; little thinking, that by a secret direction of an overruling Providence, that deed of his would occasion the extirpation of the papal power in England. So strangely doth God make the devices of men become of no effect, and turn them to a contrary end to that which is intended.

Upon this bull they were married, the prince of Wales being yet under age. But Warham had so possessed the king with an aversion to this marriage, that on the same day that the prince was of age, he, by his father's command, laid on him in the presence of many of the nobility and others, made a protestation in the hands of Fox, bishop of Winchester, before a public notary (June 27, 1505), and read it himself, by which he declared, "That whereas he being under age was married to the princess Katharine; yet now, coming to be of age, he did not confirm that marriage, but retracted and annulled it, and would not proceed in it, but intended in full form of law to void it and break it off; which he declared he did freely and of his accord t."

Thus it it stood during his father's life, who continued to the last to be against it; and when he was just dying, he charged his son to break it off, though it is possible that no consideration of religion might work so much on him, as the apprehension he had of the troubles that might follow on a controverted title to the crown; of which the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster had given a fresh and sad demonstration. The king being dead (April 22, 1509), one of the first things that came under consultation was, that the young king must either break his marriage totally, or conclude it. Arguments were brought on both hands; but those for it prevailed most with the king; so, six weeks after he came to the crown, he was married again publicly (June

* L. Herbert.

+ Collect. No. ii, Morison.

3), and soon after they were both crowned (June 24). On the first day of the year she made him a very acceptable new-year's gift of a son (1511), but he died in the February thereafter (Feb. 22): she miscarried often, and another son died soon after he was born (Nov. 1514); only the lady Mary (born Feb. 19, 1516) lived to a perfect age.

In this state was the king's family when the queen left bearing more children, and contracted some diseases that made her person unacceptable to him; but was, as to her other qualities, a virtuous and grave princess, much esteemed and beloved both of the king and the whole nation. The king being out of hopes of more children (1518), declared his daughter princess of Wales, and sent her to Ludlow to hold her court there, and projected divers matches for her. The first was with the dauphin, which was agreed to between the king of France and him the 9th of November, 1518, as appears by the treaty yet extant. But this was broken afterwards upon the king's confederating with the emperor against France, and a new match agreed and sworn to between the emperor and the king at Windsor, June 22, 1522, the emperor being present in person. This being afterwards neglected and broken by the emperor, by the advice of his cortes and states, as was formerly related, there followed some overtures of a marriage with Scotland (Sept. 1524). But those also vanished, and there was a second treaty begun with France, the king offering his daughter to Francis himself, which he gladly accepting, a match was treated and on the last of April (1527) it was agreed, that the lady Mary should be given in marriage either to Francis himself, or to his second son the duke of Orleans; and that alternative was to be determined by the two kings, at an interview that was to be between them soon after at Calais, with forfeitures on both sides if the match went not on.

But while this was in agitation, the bishop of Tarbe, the French ambassador, made a great demur about the princess Mary being illegitimate, as begotten in a marriage that was contracted against a divine precept, with which no human authority could dispense. How far this was secretly concerted between the French court and ours, or between the cardinal and the ambassador, is not known. It is surmised, that the king or the cardinal set on the French to make this exception publicly, that so the king might have a better colour to justify his suit of divorce, since other princes were already questioning it. For if, upon a marriage proposed of such infinite advantage to France, as that would be with

* Treaty Rolls, 10 Reg.

the heir of the crown of England, they nevertheless made exceptions, and proceeded but coldly in it; it was very reasonable to expect that, after the king's death, other pretenders would have disputed her title in another manner.

To some it seemed strange that the king did offer his daughter to such great princes as the emperor and the king of France, to whom if England had fallen in her right, it must have been a province: for though in the last treaty with France, she was offered either to the king, or his second son; by which either the children which the king might have by her, or the children of the duke of Orleans, should have been heirs to the crown of England, and thereby it would still have continued divided from France; yet this was full of hazard: for if the duke of Orleans by his brother's death should become king of France, as it af terwards fell out, or if the king of France had been once possessed of England, then, according to the maxim of the French government, that whatever their king acquires he holds it in the right of his crown, England was still to be a province to France, unless they freed themselves by arms. Others judged, that the king intended to marry her to France, the more effectually to seclude her from the succession, considering the aversions his subjects had to a French government, that so he might more easily settle his bastard son the duke of Richmond in the succession of the

crown.

While this treaty went on, the king's scruples about his marriage began to take vent. It is said, that the cardinal did first infuse them into him, and made Longland, bishop of Lincoln, that was the king's confessor, possess the king's mind with them in confession*. If it was so, the king had, according to the religion of that time, very just cause of scruple, when his confessor judged his marriage sinful, and the pope's legate was of the same mind. It is also said, that the cardinal, being alienated from the emperor, that he might irreparably embroil the king and him, and unite the king to the French interests, designed this out of spite; and that he was also dissatisfied toward the queen, who hated him for

* Sanderus De Schism. Angl. In a MS life of Sir Thomas More, wrote not many years after Longland's death, this account is given :"I have heard Dr. Draycot, that was his (Longland's) chaplain and chancellor, say, that he once told the bishop what rumour ran; and desired of him to know the truth. Who answered, that in very deed he did not break the matter after that sort, as is said: but the king brake the matter to him first; and never left urging him, until he had won him to give his consent. Of which his doings he did forethink himself, and repented afterwards," &c. MS. Coll. Eman. Cant.

VOL. I, PART I:

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