After it became clear that his wife Catherine of Aragon would not produce a male heir, King Henry VIII infamously sought to divorce her. Many years prior, Catherine had married his older brother Arthur but the prince died shortly after marriage. The brothers’ father King Henry VII wanted to keep the alliance he had with Spain and agreed to marry Catherine to Henry. Henry VIII pleaded with the Catholic Church as the Bible forbids marrying your brother’s wife, and he claimed that while he loved Catherine he no longer wanted to “live in sin”. All of this of course was just words as Henry VIII never cared about being that kind of pious, as he was known for many affairs and at least one known illegitimate child.