Henry VIII and the Politics of Divorce: Banquets and Bribes.

In this series:

• Henry VIII and the Politics of Divorce: Banquets and Bribes.
• Henry VIII and the Politics of Divorce: It's Complicated.

The politics between Rome and the other powers of Europe during King Henry VIII's machinations to accomplish a divorce from Katherine of Aragon, his queen, were particularly convoluted. Spanish gold from the New World was giving Katherine's nephew, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, the funds to vigorously prosecute a wide range of international interests. Here we look at just a representative snippet.

By the end of 1529, Eustace Chapuys had become the Emperor's ambassador to England. This exceptional diplomat would serve in this position for an unheard of 15-plus years. His dispatches will be the main source of detail information concerning the divorce and the Emperor's staunch support for the queen and her daughter, Princess Mary.

By March of 1530 Chapuys was informing the Emperor that Henry was undertaking a campaign to gain the support of European universities for the position that the Pope had no authority to forbid his divorce. He was starting with the English universities where he was sure eventually to receive positive responses.

There can be no doubt, as I have already in formed Your Majesty, that the King, by fair means or foul, will at last wring consent from the English universities, but there still remains that of Paris, which is said to have the privilege of the Apostolic See, and to be in great difficulty as to its decision; the fear is that the king of France, in fulfilment of the promise made here by his ambassador, will by “fas aut nephas” induce that university also to give her seal, and by threats or promises through those already on their side gain over many more, oblige their opponents to absent them selves, and then bring about a unanimous decision in favour of this king.¹

The imprimatur of the University of Paris, the most respected and privileged in all of Europe, was the end goal.

Pedro Garay had been selected as the main representative of the Emperor at the Sorbonne, in Paris.² The reason why his services were necessary at this point is that Henry's representatives were making preliminary visits at the Sorbonne in order to prepare the conditions for a favorable opinion supporting Henry's divorce. A favorable decision would be transmitted throughout Europe making it difficult for the Pope to oppose.

Henry did not stop with the Sorbonne. His representatives were traveling to every major European university with the same instructions.

That his resolution was so firmly taken on this point that it could not possibly be firmer; the first authorities in Christendom agreed with him. He hoped, moreover, to have his own opinion confirmed by most of the Christian universities, the only judges in this matter, not the Pope, who would never dare to oppose Your Majesty, and that in Paris only four doctors could be found to hold with the Queen. As to himself, his determination was unalterable, and no living man could ever persuade him to change his opinion or to return to the Queen even if he were to lose everything through persisting in his purpose; it would be wiser of his opponents to try gentle means rather than violent ones, as the latter course would only lead to his acting differently from what he had done hitherto.³

They were to do whatever was necessary in order to get a favorable decision from the highest theological and canon law minds. In this way he expected to overcome the Pope's resistance to that point.

Henry also impressed upon his representatives that his was a matter of the utmost urgency. A letter from Garay, just over a month later, fills us in on the details of the methods employed at whichever university they undertook to convince to approve of the divorce.

Meanwhile the king of England has worked, and is working so furiously in this matter of the divorce, that his doings are enough to set the world on fire. Fearing lest he (Garay) should obtain the signatures of the majority of these doctors which might easily have been accomplished had not the above mentioned obstacles been thrown in his way — he has hit upon a diabolical device to mar our success and ensure his own, which consists in the appointment of a gentleman named Langes (De Langeais), a 

brother of the bishop of Bayonne, French ambassador at the English court, and as it is to be believed well trained in civil law, to serve his plans. This is the very man, who, as above stated, caused the original conclusion in favour of the Queen, signed by 15 doctors, to be snatched out of his (Garay’s) hands by the Rector on the plea that in doing so they were only acting in obedience to superior orders, and fulfilling their duty. The same individual has since managed to call together, sometimes 10 at other times 12 doctors, as many in fact as he could collect, in order to serve king Henry's purpose. The way he set about it was this: he called together a number of doctors, all whom he could secure, of the opposite party, and gave them a dinner, after which he exhibited a conclusion already drawn out in favour of the English king stating that the Pope had no right to dispense in such a marriage as this, which was contrary to Divine Law. The consequence was that some of the doctors out of shame, others out of fear, owing to Langes having frequently said in public that whoever opposed this conclusion was no friend to his king, many again by downright bribery — for he has given them one crown per head — and several more overcome by sheer importunity have voted in favour of the English king. Has been told that no less than 30 doctors of this university have thus signed the conclusion prepared by Langes. Nor is this all; some of those who signed in the first instance, of which document an attested copy was sent in at the time, and which is entirely in favour of the marriage and its perfect legitimacy, have now been compelled by all manner of shameful bribes and threats to adhere to this later one. Such, at least, is the public rumour, and no wonder at it, if the fact of these Frenchmen being generally very patriotic, and such enemies of Spain and the Emperor, be taken into consideration.⁴

Indeed, every means fair or foul had been employed. But there was still much more of the game to play out.

1 Calendar of State Papers. Spanish, Henry VIII. (1879). IV.I.476. Eustace Chapuys to the Emperor. Mar. 16, 1530.

2 Calendar of State Papers. Spanish, Henry VIII. (1879). IV.I.xvii.

3 Ibid. IV.I.465. Eustace Chapuys to the Emperor. Feb. 22, 1530.

4 Ibid. IV.I.498. Doctor Garay to the Emperor. Apr. 9, 1530 [fr Paris].

Also at Virtual Grub Street:

• William Cecil's Masques for Two Queens. July 28, 2024. “This document is furnished with dates and marginal notes in the hand-writing of Sir W. Cecill,...”

• The Dukes of Normandy and the Rise of Mont St. Michel. June 7, 2024. “In 1154 Henry took the English crown back for the Duchy of Normandy.”

• Some Curious Facts About Mumming. December 3, 2023. “Not only were usurping kings in potential danger from mummers,...”

• Rocco Bonetti's Blackfriars Fencing School and Lord Hunsdon's Water Pipe. August 12, 2023. “... the tenement late in the tenure of John Lyllie gentleman & nowe in the tenure of the said Rocho Bonetti...”
• Check out the Medieval Topics Article Index for many more articles about this fascinating time.
• Check out the Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.