The lawyers and diplomats assembled by Henry pleaded this argument with the Pope. But it was refused. Henry did not secure an annulment. After that, Henry decided, with the advice of Cromwell, that a more drastic solution was required. Instead of an annulment, Henry would get a divorce. Since the Catholic church did not allow divorce, this was to be secured by means of separating the English church from the church of Rome. If Henry was himself was the head of the English church, then he might award himself a divorce.
Naturally all this took some time to arrange, and produced an upheaval not only in England’s religious life but in its balance of power within the nation. Henceforth Henry was all-powerful; the Pope was no longer a counter-balancing force. One of his first moves was to dissol
