1527:
- Henry VIII begins seeking an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, claiming that their union was invalid due to her previous marriage to his older brother Arthur.
1529:
- Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry's chief advisor, fails to obtain an annulment from Pope Clement VII, who is under the influence of Catherine's nephew, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
1531:
- Henry breaks with the Roman Catholic Church and establishes the Church of England, declaring himself its Supreme Head.
1532:
- Parliament passes the Act in Restraint of Appeals, which forbids appealing to Rome in ecclesiastical matters.
1533:
- Henry's new archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marriage to Catherine null and void. Henry marries his mistress, Anne Boleyn, just a few days later.
1534:
- Pope Clement VII excommunicates Henry VIII, formalizing the break between England and the Roman Catholic Church.
Throughout these years, Henry's divorce from Catherine was a complex legal and political matter that involved negotiations, diplomatic pressure, and ultimately, a break with the Catholic Church.