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On May 23, 1533 Thomas Cranmer presided over a special court in Dunstable Priory and ruled that Henry's marriage to Katherine was null and void. Five days later he pronounced that Henry and Anne's marriage was valid, stripping Katherine of her title and making Mary a bastard. The Act of Succession 1533 refused the ruling of the Pope and made Anne's children with Henry the only rightful heirs to the throne. Henry had officially broken ties with Rome and appointed himself, and all kings to follow, the head of the Church of England.

The annulment of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon grew from the frustration of not having a son to the lust and love for another woman who could have provided Henry with a male heir. Stretching on over seven years, the dissolution of their marriage gave way to the birth of Queen Elizabeth I, who would become one of England's greatest rulers. In the end Henry did have a son with his third wife, Jane Seymour, however Edward died at 15, just like his ill-fated Uncle Arthur. After nine days of strife Henry and Katherine's daughter Mary succeeded her younger brother and gained the nickname 'Bloody Mary' for her short reign of religious terror. Henry and Anne's daughter Elizabeth ruled for well over 40 years - longer than her father! In short, Henry and Katherine's annulment paved the way for history.

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