Henry desperately wanted a son to take over once he died. In order to do this he needed to marry someone else who could bear him more children. For this he needed to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. However, the pope was not allowing the divorce. This must have infuriated Henry because he desperately wanted a son.
Another reason for his break from Rome was the fact that Henry’s wife Catherine of Aragon, had given birth to a few still births and some miscarriages. Henry began to realise that the chances of her giving him that son was immensely thin. He was therefore desperate for a divorce, but of course he was being denied this as well. He would have therefore had to think of another way to get what he wanted.
Moving away from the divorce, Henry also fought many wars during his reign. This would have cost him a lot of money. The wealth of the church was another political reason for Henry's decision to break from Rome. The king was always in desperate need for money and Henry himself was always short of money. The wealth and land of the church were therefore obvious targets, particularly when Thomas Cromwell reminded Henry of them. The church owned lots of the farming land in England. Henry knew that if he could become head of the church then he would own this. Therefore he could sell this land or rent it providing a steady income of money to himself. This was important as the number of country gentlemen increased by a thousand, therefore helping the stability of England. Becoming head of the church meant that Henry could pass acts such as the Act of First Fruits and Tenths in 1534, which meant the transferring of these payments from the Pope to the king. Also the Act of Annates was passed through parliament, which ended the payment of a third of a Bishop's first year's income to Rome and instead it went to the king.
Henry had also fallen for Anne Boleyn, and was deeply in love. However, he had had mistresses before, and thought she would be another in a long list of names. However, Anne Boleyn refused to be his mistress and wanted to be more than just a mistress. Henry was not used to not getting what he wanted, and therefore it made him more determined to be with her. For this he needed the divorce.
Henry also took into account ideas of Fish and Tyndale before he broke from Rome. He used as an addition to his long list of excuses. Fish criticised the Clergy, and therefore this gave Henry an excuse to reform the Church saying the Church was not doing its job properly.
He also took into account Tyndale’s theories which stated that the King should have the overall power.
Some Historians have stated that Henry really did lover Anne Boleyn and therefore was desperate for a divorce and therefore had to break from Rome. However Henry really needed Anne Boleyn more than anything else because he wanted a male heir to the thrown.
Other Historians have also argued that Henry wanted to reform the Church for the good of the country and the Church. However Henry was becoming more and more frustrated at the fact that the Church would not allow him a divorce and was envious of its wealth. He therefore reformed the Church to benefit him.
The most important reason for Henry’s break from Rome was the fact that Henry desperately wanted a divorce for one reason or another. The obvious reason for a divorce was the fact that Henry needed a male heir to the thrown to take over England once he died. Other reasons such Catherine’s miscarriages and Anne Boleyn’s refusal to be his mistress also made him more determined to get a divorce. Once he realised that the Church was not going to allow him the divorce, he knew there was only really one thing he could do.
Evidence that the Church rejected the divorce of Catherine of Aragon was the most important factor for the break with Rome is Anne Boleyn's pregnancy of Anne Boleyn in late 1532. This would probably have made Henry think about ending Papal power and giving himself the power to divorce Catherine and marry Anne; otherwise their expected child would be illegitimate. This would have been unacceptable for an heir to the throne. However, what was the real reason for the divorce? It was the fact that he desperately wanted a male Heir to the thrown. He also liked Anne Boleyn very much, and to marry her, he would need a divorce.
Whichever way he looked at it, he needed a divorce desperately. The only thing he could have done was to reform the Church.
The main reason for the break from Rome was that Henry needed a male Heir to the thrown and therefore a divorce which was rejected by the Church.
