"Who would rid me of this troublesome wife?"

Yes, I know, I still have another timeline but hear me out. What if after Henry VIII finds out that the Legatine Court ruled in favor of Catherine, he utters the fatal words "Who would rid me of this troublesome wife?" and some ambitious knight overhears the King's half-meant words, jumps at the chance, and assassinates Catherine in broad daylight expecting a reward? What would have been the repercussions of Catherine's assassination in England and the continent?

Highly implausible. Becket was actively opposing Henry II politically; he didn't have to. Catherine was Henry's loyal wife; nothing could be said against her save her infertility, which was not her fault (Henry blamed himself for provoking God's anger by committing incest by marrying his brother's wife). Murdering her would be an outrageous crime, much worse than killing Becket, and that was bad enough.
 
Uh, hate to interrupt this with reality, but by the time the pope ruled in favor of Katherine of Aragon, Henry had already bedded and wedded (in that order) Anne Boleyn. Why would he care what the Bishop of Rome said?

It would need to happen after Campeggio adjourned the English hearing on the matter and scuttled back to Rome (where the weather was kinder to his gout).

Point of fact aside, Anne Boleyn and her family will be blamed. They already thought she had bewitched the king.
 

Kaze

Banned
It would be better for an unfortunate accident - such as falling down a flight of stairs or poison in her wine- then the knight stabbing her with a knife. An accidental death can be hidden and dismissed, but a knight stabbing her would not be able to keep the whole of the court turning on Henry (and Anne) wondering if he (or Anne) had a personal hand in it.

As for the knight - his head is going to be on Tower Bridge by the end of the week.
 
As for the knight - his head is going to be on Tower Bridge by the end of the week.

While I don't doubt that Henry would make a big show of demonstrating that the murder had nothing whatsoever to do with him, it's unlikely that he'd go so far as to build a steam powered bascule bridge four and a half centuries ahead of schedule.
 
About the poisoning idea, when Katherine died in 1536 of cardiac cancer they thought she had been poisoned anyway. So why would her dying suddenly a decade early not arouse suspicion. There'll be two lines of thought on the matter: Henry's (God has decided in my favour) and everyone else's (if it walks like a duck).

However, I've been thinking, if Katherine WERE to die of natural or "natural" causes (nothing so flashy as a stiletto to the heart or a headsman from Calais), what's to stop Henry ditching Anne for a continental royal? Especially if its widely believed to have been natural causes? Sure, he wants a lil somethin-something from Anne, but if he DOESN'T have the reputation of a Bluebeard what's to stop him presenting a suit for anybody from the Emperor's sister to the OTL duchesses of Ferrara or Prussia? Anne brings nothing to the table that a French/Danish/Imperial match can't do in truckloads.
 
About the poisoning idea, when Katherine died in 1536 of cardiac cancer they thought she had been poisoned anyway. So why would her dying suddenly a decade early not arouse suspicion. There'll be two lines of thought on the matter: Henry's (God has decided in my favour) and everyone else's (if it walks like a duck).

However, I've been thinking, if Katherine WERE to die of natural or "natural" causes (nothing so flashy as a stiletto to the heart or a headsman from Calais), what's to stop Henry ditching Anne for a continental royal? Especially if its widely believed to have been natural causes? Sure, he wants a lil somethin-something from Anne, but if he DOESN'T have the reputation of a Bluebeard what's to stop him presenting a suit for anybody from the Emperor's sister to the OTL duchesses of Ferrara or Prussia? Anne brings nothing to the table that a French/Danish/Imperial match can't do in truckloads.
Because at that point Henry wanted Anne and the only way for having her was marrying her. And Henry had already promised to marry Anne and had zero reasons for breaking his word
 

Kaze

Banned
While I don't doubt that Henry would make a big show of demonstrating that the murder had nothing whatsoever to do with him, it's unlikely that he'd go so far as to build a steam powered bascule bridge four and a half centuries ahead of schedule.

There was a Tower Bridge before that - London Bridge (also known as Tower Bridge) has been around since the Romans (who also built the foundations of part of the Tower of London). The Roman Bridge after the Saxon invasions was "falling down", so it was torn down and later replaced by a bridge built by William the Conqueror (who also built the White Tower within the Tower of London). Then Henry II replaced William's bridge - it was "falling down".

The southern gatehouse of London Bridge became the scene of one of London's most notorious sights — a display of the severed heads of traitors, impaled on pikes and dipped in tar and boiled to preserve them against the elements. The head of William Wallace was the first to appear on the gate, in 1305, starting a tradition that was to continue for another 355 years. Other famous heads on pikes included those of Jack Cade in 1450, Thomas More in 1535, Bishop John Fisher in the same year, and Thomas Cromwell in 1540. As late as 1772 there were heads on spikes on the gate-houses of the London Bridge.

Then came the New London Bridge - it was sold "take a key and lock her up", and dismantled and you can find pieces of it in the US.

Then came the Modern London Bridge of the Victorian Period with its iconic steam-powered towers to match the style of Westminster Abbey.
 
Because at that point Henry wanted Anne and the only way for having her was marrying her. And Henry had already promised to marry Anne and had zero reasons for breaking his word

That's OTL's Henry who only has the alternative of a girl in his court as a replacement for Katherine. If Katherine dies of "natural" causes and the emperor/king of France can offer his sister, with a very tempting alliance/dowry, what's Thomas Boleyn got? Sure, Anne's got the king in thrall, but IMO she said her maidenhead belonged to her hubby, she never said to tear your country apart to get in my pants/kirtle as the case may be. I'd have married her to Percy or Butler or whoever, let them have a week together, then send Percy to the Scots marches or Butler to Ireland in some cushy job as a bribe for being a willing cuckold.
 
So if Catherine has a accient, who is the next prospective queen of England?
In what year? After 1525/27 Henry would marry only Anne Boleyn because he wanted her and not a political alliance...
For another match with an european princess you need to have it before Anne is on the scene...
Henry is not so interested in the alliances... He married also Catherine because he wanted to marry her. At the death of his father Henry was engaged to Catherine's (sadly too young) niece who was a much better prospect on everything but age...
Henry's maternal grandfather also refuted a political match with an european princess for marrying Elizabeth Woodville because he loved her...
 
Henry VIII with non-dynastic marriage from love would not be exception among 16th century European monarchs-Eric XIV of Sweden could be 'justified' by his menthall instability, but there were also Sigismund Augustus of Poland-Lithuania and Ferdinand Archduke of Tirol.
 
In what year? After 1525/27 Henry would marry only Anne Boleyn because he wanted her and not a political alliance...
For another match with an european princess you need to have it before Anne is on the scene...
Henry is not so interested in the alliances... He married also Catherine because he wanted to marry her. At the death of his father Henry was engaged to Catherine's (sadly too young) niece who was a much better prospect on everything but age...
Henry's maternal grandfather also refuted a political match with an european princess for marrying Elizabeth Woodville because he loved her...


The only one of his wives that he married for an alliance and not love lust was Anne of Cleves and look how well that went. Although there was a bit of lust there when he saw her portrait, he just started disliking her after she reacted badly to his Robin Hood jig.
 
Well, that guy won't have a head for long. Or more likely, he'd lose his intestines and bowels first.

Henry would be humiliated and treated as a leper by European royalty if it got out that he had indirectly caused her death in that manner. He'd have to marry domestically anyways even if he doesn't go with Anne.
 
Well, that guy won't have a head for long. Or more likely, he'd lose his intestines and bowels first.

Henry would be humiliated and treated as a leper by European royalty if it got out that he had indirectly caused her death in that manner. He'd have to marry domestically anyways even if he doesn't go with Anne.

One major thing I'm thinking...
The Act of Succession might not be enacted. A pretty big Butterfly, as both Bishop John Fisher and Thomas More don't get executed...
 
In what year? After 1525/27 Henry would marry only Anne Boleyn because he wanted her and not a political alliance...
For another match with an european princess you need to have it before Anne is on the scene...
Henry is not so interested in the alliances... He married also Catherine because he wanted to marry her. At the death of his father Henry was engaged to Catherine's (sadly too young) niece who was a much better prospect on everything but age...
Henry's maternal grandfather also refuted a political match with an european princess for marrying Elizabeth Woodville because he loved her...

If Katherine of Aragon has an 'accident' on/about Henry's declaration of Anne or no one (some historians give the date of initial infatuation as 1526, with 1527 the declaration when she said 'no ringee, no flingee' - or the 16th century version of it); THE BOLEYNS ARE GOING TO BE BLAMED. (It may not be their fault, but they'll be blamed.) So, apart from Mary, who has already fled the scene (so to speak), which of the four remaining Boleyns will be sacrificed? Anne? Thomas? Elizabeth (who was supposed to have already turned Henry down in their youth)? George?
 
Anne, certainly. Rightly, or wrongly, she'll be seen as the woman who connived to murder to get the man and the crown. Also, her father will get his share as her father. After that, it's anyone's guess, although I wouldn't be surprised if Norfolk caught some flack for it too...
 
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