This week in Christian history: England tolerates Protestants, Edict of Worms, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop declares Henry VIII’s second marriage valid – May 28, 1533
This week marks the anniversary of when Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer declared the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn valid, having approved the annulment of Henry’s first marriage days earlier.
Henry VIII had severed ties to the Roman Catholic Church over the pope’s refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, a move that was objected to by many, most notably Sir Thomas More.
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That June, Cranmer crowned Boleyn the Queen of England and in September of that year, he baptized the daughter of Henry and his second wife, the future Queen Elizabeth.
A devout Protestant and church reformer who helped create the Book of Common Prayer, Cranmer was later executed in 1556 for his beliefs by Catholic monarch Queen Mary I.
