The 16th century was a tumultuous time for England. For years, the country had remained steadfast in its Catholic faith, until the reign of Henry VIII. The monarch, infamous in history for having had six wives, founded a new church free from papal control. Thus, the Anglican Church, or Church of England, was born in the midst of a growing European Reformation. A brief history of the monarch is necessary to understand the separation from the Catholic Church. Henry Tudor was born as the second son of King Henry VII who became heir upon his older brother's death in 1502 (Phillips 99). In June 1509, Henry VIII was crowned king of England (Phillips 103). To secure the succession, he received a papal dispensation allowing him to marry the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, his brother's widow (“Divorce of Henry from Catherine”). Henry VIII was a devout Roman Catholic, having defended the religion against the reformed ideas of Martin Luther (Pettegree). This led to Henry being appointed Fidei Defensor, or Defender of the Faith, by Pope Leo X in 1521 (Robinson). In the early years of their marriage, Queen Catherine had a series of pregnancies that ended in stillbirths and short-lived children, with the exception of a “healthy little girl, afterwards baptized Mary” in 1516 (Phillips 102). In 1524 or 1525, Queen Catherine was examined by doctors who believed she was past childbearing age ("Divorce of Henry from Catherine"). Henry's desire to have a legitimate child, as well as pressure from Anne Boleyn, a court lady with whom he had fallen in love, acted as a catalyst to end the marriage which he said "in the absence of a male heir,... threatened the future of his dynasty” (Pettegree). Nicene Creed that that of the Apostles are declarations of faith and Holy Communion is practiced (Firth). Baptism at an early age is also practiced (Firth). basis for worship and doctrine (“A Brief History of Anglicanism”). The Anglican Church permits the ordination of women (Firth) and “[maintains] a hierarchy of priests and bishops” within the Church, similar to the Catholicism, without Pope (Firth). The current head of the Anglican Church of England is Queen Elizabeth II. Henry VIII made history with the foundation of a new reformed religion. The Anglican Church has stood the test of time, through reforms and counter-reforms by the monarchs of England.