Royal weddings were rarely fascinating fairytales of love – they aimed to foster allegiances and cement alliances. Soon after his return home, Prince Henri, Duke d’Orléans (future King Henri II of France), found himself at the center of his father King François I’s marial plans for him. Henri and his...
Pope Clement VII prohibits Henry VIII from remarrying
Throughout many years, King Henry VIII was loyal to Roman Catholicism, and his publication of Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (“Defence of the Seven Sacraments”) in 1521 earned him the title of Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) from Pope Leo X. Catherine of Aragon failed to give the king a male heir, and Henry decided to...