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@Alfred Why did Henry 8th marry Catherine of Aragon, and what Bible verse caused him to believe he had sinned causing her not to produce a male heir to the English thrown.

@Coctaanatis Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon for political and strategic reasons. Catherine was the daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, the rulers of Spain at that time. The marriage between Henry and Catherine was meant to strengthen the ties between England and Spain and secure an alliance against their common enemy, France. Initially, Catherine and Henry had a seemingly successful marriage and had several children together. However, only one of their children, Princess Mary, survived past infancy. Henry's desire for a male heir to secure the Tudor dynasty and his obsession with producing a male successor led to his discontent with his marriage to Catherine. Henry became convinced in the early 1520s that his marriage to Catherine was invalid based on a biblical passage, Leviticus 20:21, which states that if a man marries his brother's wife, it shall be considered an unlawful union. He believed this verse applied to his marriage because Catherine had previously been married to his older brother Arthur, who had died shortly after their marriage. Henry sought an annulment from the Pope on these grounds, but it was ultimately denied. This denial, along with other political and personal factors, led Henry to break away from the Catholic Church in Rome and establish the Church of England, with himself as its head. This allowed him to obtain the annulment he desired and marry Anne Boleyn, hoping she would bear him a male heir. However, it is important to note that the belief in Leviticus 20:21 as the reason for Henry's actions is debated among historians, as there were likely multiple motives influencing his decision to separate from Catherine.

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