Henry VIII’s last appearance before Parliament

On 24th December 1545, Henry VIII appeared before Parliament and made his final speech, where Henry mixes threats and flattery as he chastises the Lords and the Commons for the absence of religious unity in England and for some other things. Henry comes across as a belligerent and absolute monarch, who...

Henry VIII’s excommunication

On this day in history, on 17th December 1538, Pope Paul III excommunicated King Henry VIII of England. Pope Clement VII threatened the king with excommunication in March 1530, when Henry wasn’t married to Anne Boleyn. Henry didn’t abandon Catherine and continued courting Anne, and soon he banished his aging...

Birth of Catherine of Aragon

On 16th December 1485, Catherine of Aragon, a daughter of Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Castile, was born at Alcala de Hernares, near Madrid, the capital of Spain. She was the youngest of the five royal children, the others being Isabella, Juan, Juana, and Maria. Catherine’s...