Episode 219: The King’s “Great Matter”

Sometimes in history, an unexpected event or emergency changes its course. In the late 1520s, Henry VIII, King of England, wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn. In normal times, this would not have been an issue. But it just so happened that at that exact same time the Pope was the prisoner of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who happened to be Catherine's nephew. And he was not about to let that happen. So Henry, with the help of Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer, pushes England to the brink of reformation. Oh, and Thomas Wolsey, he gets kicked to the curb.

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