Why Did the Protestant Reformation Happen?

Knowledgia: "Why did the Protestant Reformation Happen? ♦ The Protestant Reformation is widely known for Martin Luther’s publication of his “95 Theses” or “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” and marks the second schism of sorts for the Catholic church. In reality, the reformation of western Christianity was long in the making, and …

Debates: History Vs. England’s King Henry VIII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdZcqAss92w TED-ED: "He was a powerful king whose break with the church of Rome would forever change the course of English history. But was he a charismatic reformer who freed his subjects from a corrupt establishment or a bullying tyrant who used Parliament for his own personal gain? Mark Robinson and Alex Gendler put this …

Sir Thomas More, Man of Conscience and Principle, Rebelled Against King Henry VIII’s Ban on Catholicism

In the 1950s and 1960s, A Man for All Seasons, a play and movie, helped to diminish anti-Catholic bias in American society by telling the story of Sir Thomas More (1478 – 1535), an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist who also served as English King Henry VIII's chancellor. He is …

‘Bloody Mary’: Catholic Daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, Was A Religious Fanatic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqLcxzv2_-o Mary I  (1516-1558) was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death. Her executions of Protestants caused her opponents to give her the sobriquet “Bloody Mary.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=942&v=tV89qCXpVco&feature=emb_logo Among The Most Evil Woman in World History: "She was the only child of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon who …

Anne Boleyn Was Lied About, Executed on False Charges, But Mothered England’s Most Powerful Queen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7-1lXLdNAI Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) was the second wife of Henry VIII who became queen in her own right. She served only three years, then became the first queen in English history to be executed -- beheaded by Thomas Cromwell (who was later himself beheaded as a traitor and a heretic). Anne was the second of …

Scotland’s Mary Queen of Scots’ Rivalry with England’s Queen Elizabeth I Is Focus of Movie and Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5l8cvuo7IA The 2018 film, Mary Queen of Scots, told the remarkable story of the girl "who became Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18. Mary Stuart defied pressure to remarry. Instead, she returned to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. However, Scotland and England fell under the rule of the compelling …

Most Important Break-Ups in History?

The Atlantic solicits answers from readers, authors, and intellectuals on big questions of the day, such as what were the most important break-ups in history. Among the answers that involve historical characters and not trivial celebrity break-ups, in chronological order: "Mark Antony’s (83-30 BC) abandonment of his wife Octavia, the sister of his fellow triumvir Octavian, in …

What If Pope Granted Henry VIII’s Divorce?

"What if Pope Clement VII had agreed in 1527 to Henry VIII's request for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon? Henry did have very strong legal and theological arguments on his side, and more than anything it was the presence of the armies of Catherine's nephew, Emperor Charles V, that made Clement …

Did Cleopatra’s Nose, Helen’s Face, Henry the VIII’s Libido, Richard III’s Horse and Your Ancestors’ Luck Make Crucial Historical Differences?

I love the "what if's" of history, and try to teach them to my son and my students as a way of drawing them into the dramas of history. My son's middle school history book makes the rise and fall of empires seem inevitable, determined by great forces beyond the control of any one individual. But …