On the morning of May 23, in 1533, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer declared that Henry VIII’s marriage to Katharine of Aragon had been annulled. This declaration emphasized the ruling made in earlier that year in March by Convocation, where it was determined that Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon’s marriage was contrary to Biblical law, and that a papal dispensation should never have been granted allowing the two to marry back in 1509. However, after Cranmer was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury, one of his first acts was to open a special trial at Dunstable Priory in Bedfordshire to look into the annulment proceedings. He wanted everything to be done as thoroughly as possible, so that no one could question the validity of Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. Once the court ruled on the invalidity of Henry’s marriage to Katharine, Cranmer immediately sent a message to Henry letting him know that he had pronounced “sentence to your great and weighty matter.” This also paved the way for Anne Boleyn’s coronation, which was set to take place on June 1st at Westminster Abbey. The following excerpt describes the events of May 23rd:
“My lord of Canterbury gave sentence this day at 11 o’clock* in the great cause of matrimony; has declared it to be against the law of God, and has divorced the King from the noble lady Katharine. He has used himself in this matter very honorably, and all who have been sent hither on the King’s behalf have acted diligently and towardly. Sentence shall be given for the King’s second contract of matrimony before the Feast of Pentecost. The process is partly devised. 23 May.”
It should be noted that Henry and Anne had already married earlier that year, but Cranmer’s ruling on the invalidity of Henry’s marriage to Katharine, as well as the annulment of their marriage, now made Henry and Anne’s marriage 100% legal and valid, although this fact would be officially declared on May 28th. It also meant that the child Anne was pregnant with would be unquestionably legitimate. One can only imagine the triumph and relief the couple felt after years of waiting and struggle.
*Thomas Bedyll, in a letter to Cromwell, states that the sentence was declared at 10am, not 11am.
Sources:
Fox, J. (2009). Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford. New York: Ballantine Books.
Ridgway, C. (2012). On This Day in Tudor History. MadeGlobal Publishing.
Starkey, D. (2003). Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers.
Weir, A. (2001). Henry VIII. United States: Random House, Inc.
Weir, A. (n.d.). Six Wives of Henry VIII.