Why did King Henry VIII break with the Catholic Church?

• A. Had been denied an annulment of his marriage
• B. They sought to reform church for political reasons
• C. Disagreed over transubstantiation
• D. Wanted to divorce because of political reasons

Answer: (A)

The essential point is Henry’s attempt to obtain an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and the pope’s refusal. An annulment would declare the marriage invalid from the start, allowing Henry to remarry in the eyes of the Church. When the pope would not grant this, Henry broke with Rome and established the Church of England with himself as head, so he could authorize the desired remarriage. The other options miss the specific trigger: it wasn’t a broad reform movement or a doctrinal dispute over things like transubstantiation, but the denial of the annulment that pushed him to separate from the Catholic Church.