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with the troops during the Scottish invasion and sent Henry the bloodied coat of James IV of Scotland. Sadly, when Henry returned from France Katherine had lost their son. A year later another son was born stillborn. On February 18, 1516 Katherine finally gave birth to a strong, healthy baby - a girl, who would later become Mary I of England. Katherine miscarried another baby the following year and in 1518, her last pregnancy, resulted in another girl who died shortly after birth.

While in the beginning Henry remained faithful and supportive of Katherine, eventually he became frustrated. A King's duty was to rule the country AND provide a son to follow in his footsteps. His daughter Mary was of no use to him as Henry felt a solitary Queen would not only be weak but a marriage to a Prince or King of another country could put England in foreign hands. Katherine had reached the age where conception was no longer possible. Henry was facing the idea that he would not be putting his male issue on the throne and began to look for a way out.

During this time Henry took up with the two mistresses who's names have made it into the history books. Elizabeth Blount, who produced an illegitimate son for Henry. Henry was elated but as his son was illegitimate he had no legal claim on the throne. His other mistress, Mary Boleyn, was the older sister of Anne Boleyn, the woman who would become Henry VIII's 2nd wife and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

As Henry had originally prepared for a life in the Church he continued to spend a great deal of time studying theology. Henry began to read Leviticus, which stated that a man who married his brother's wife was to be punished by God and be doomed to a childless marriage. Mary was a girl so in Henry's eyes she didn't count. Now he was convinced that he was living in sin and would never have a son as long as he remained married to Katherine. Many believe that it was Anne's influence that caused Henry to seek to dissolve his marriage to Katherine, however it's very likely that Henry was considering this before he even met her.

In 1525 Anne came to court as Katherine's maid of honor and caught Henry's eye at a masque. In contrast to her older sister Mary, Anne rejected the king's advances and told him she would only concede to an intimate relationship if she were his wife. This frustrated and intrigued Henry. He began to pursue her more vehemently, lavishing her with gifts of jewelry and clothing. Anne remained ever-vigilant in her tactics

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