Spaniel and the Anglican Church

The Anglican (Protestant) Church owes its appearance to the dog. How is this possible? The English King Henry VIII wanted a son and a heir. He and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had six children, but only one little girl survived, Princess Mary. Henry decided that since Catherine was previously married to his older brother Arthur, who died of the "sweating disease" shortly after the wedding, she was rather his sister, and it was a great sin to marry her. Because of this sin, their marriage was cursed, and Catherine could not have a living and healthy son.

It is not known whether Heinrich really believed in the curse, but he was definitely fascinated by another woman. He wanted to see the lovely and flirtatious Anne Boleyn both in his bed and on the throne, which should have a beneficial effect both on the birth of healthy sons and on the creation of cheerful moods in the kingdom. Obviously, Catherine had to leave.

In 1527, the king sent a delegation to Rome to explain to Pope Clement that his marriage to Catherine was sinful and that the Lord wishes to annul it without fail. The delegation included the best of his mediators and orators, Thomas Boleyn, who was the Earl of Wiltshire and also Anne's father.

But judging by Fox's Book of Martyrs, the meeting between the Pope and the Count of Wiltshire turned out to be a disaster. The trouble began when Pope Clement bared his big toe in order for the Count to kiss him. But it happened unexpectedly and the count's spaniel, feeling hungry or threatened, bit the Pope on the leg. In response, the Pope tried to hit the dog.

At this point, Boleyn decided that the bitten finger was defiled and, of course, was not going to kiss it, which clearly did not help Henry's request to be satisfied. The pope, who did not want to offend Catherine’s influential European relatives, did not allow the marriage to be annulled. Heinrich and Catherine were still married in the eyes of God.

Finally, the king found another way to get what he so desired. He simply declared himself head of the new Anglican Church. Those clerics who wanted to keep their heads on their shoulders turned their backs on Pope Clement and hailed Henry as their new head and consecrated the annulment of his marriage. Thanks to the bite of the Count of Wiltshire's dog, the Protestant Church was born in England.