A level History Question help

Hello , I was wondering whether anyone had any informative points I could write about for this question:
The most important reason why Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1533 was his desire to resolve his marital problems and the 'great matter'. Assess the validity of this view

Ahhh you’ve come to the right place!! I LOVE the Tudors (I’ve been obsessed for years before a level) and got an A* in my history a level mock at end of y12 so hope I can help.

As 1 counterargument I would use money/power as a potential motivation he had. Henry became Head of the Church (power) and changed the rules so that taxes the clergy paid to the pope were now paid to him.

As another counter argument I would mention corruption as a potential one. You could say Henry was opposing the corruption of the Pope who turned a blind eye to the sales of indulgences and that Henry also was putting himself in a powerful position in order to deal with the corruption of the monks (hence why he dissolved the monasteries).

Btw I would say these are weak counter arguments (but obviously you have to acknowledge them) as the overwhelming motivation does seem to have been what the question says (I would agree with statement!!)

Evidence for agreeing
* It wasn’t until Henry was denied an annulment that he started pursuing the idea of leaving the Roman Catholic Church.
* He was in love with Anne Boleyn for years and wanted to marry her to have a living male heir (important dynastical reason)
* Henry never actually properly dealt with corruption in the church anyway (so this is a bad counter argument) he kept corrupt officials like Bishop Gardiner high up
* Henry might have gained some money but he lost a great deal too by enduring a 6 year process of mediating with the Pope - having trials like the 1529 Blackfriars etc. Henry couldn’t have been primarily motivated by money or power! He had even defended the Pope’s power and RC ideas in 1520s


- A diff counter argument you could go down is arguing Henry did it for religious reasons (ie Protestantism) which is obviously weak as Henry wasn’t a Protestant
The evidence for that would be like getting rid of monasteries, english Bible (although restricted use), and getting rid of some Catholic sacraments


Sorry this is all a mess but hope some of it helps!!! I would defo agree with the statement

Wow, this is AMAZING !! I can't believe I didn't see this sooner , however I'm going to note these points for future reference ! Also congratulations on your end of year grade , I was wondering whether you had any tips / revision websites you found really helped you . Thankyou once again for your really beneficial answer !!

I’m ngl I think having an interest in the topic for so long was probably what benefitted me most as I had prior knowledge but there’s one revision guide which I found so helpful and loved! Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Level-History-AQA-Tudors-1485-1603/dp/1316504328/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?crid=C5ZOBKCQJT8A&keywords=the+tudors+a+level&qid=1636839745&sprefix=the+tudors+a+level%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-6

It’s sooo expensive but I would look on Depop or EBay for it. Amazon also sell it used and I kept an eye on this bit and got it when it was £5. Honestly I owe a lot to this book for my A* in the mock - it was amazing!