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the arms of other women. Henry may have had several mistresses over the course of his life, however two that are known are Bessie Blount and Mary Boleyn. It was Mary Boleyn's younger sister Anne that truly caught the king's eye and intrigued him enough to change the country forever.

Henry's ultimate goal was producing a male heir for his throne. Anne, telling Henry that she would not be another of his mistresses, refused his sexual advances unless he made her his Queen. He began to read Leviticus in the Bible which stated that a man who takes up with his brother's wife would remain childless. Because female children did not count in his eyes Henry believed he was being cursed by God and would die without a son unless Catherine was no longer his wife. He petitioned the Pope for an annulment. Catherine's nephew was Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and with his help the annulment dragged on for 6 years.

Anne had few friends at court and was disliked by many in England. To keep her happy while the legal battles over his marriage to Catherine droned on and on Henry spent more and more money on Anne for jewelry, clothing and anything else that provided her with amusement. He gave her precedence over everyone, including his own sister Mary, the Duchess of Suffolk. On September 1, 1532 Henry gave Anne the title Marquess of Pembroke, and then took her with him to meet the French King in Calais where they received his support in their marriage.

Apparently no longer able to resist the king's advances, by December 1532 Anne was pregnant. Henry knew he had to do something, and fast. He didn't want what he knew was a son to be born a bastard and risk the legitimacy of his heir. Henry married Anne in a private and secret ceremony on January 25, 1533. Henry had decided that his marriage to Catherine wasn't legal and it simply didn't matter what the Pope said. He separated from Rome and proclaimed himself the head of the Church of England. In June Anne was crowned Queen of England and in August preparations were being made for the birth of the new prince.

On September 7, 1533 Princess Elizabeth was born. Though disappointed with the birth of a girl, Elizabeth was given the royal rights of a princess. In Parliament's Act of Succession Henry and Catherine's daughter Mary was deemed illegitimate and Elizabeth became the rightful heir to the throne.

Anne's inability to hold her tongue and play the role of the submissive wife led to much marital discord. After a miscarriage in 1534

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