he Papacy, as
we have seen, had not been uniformly cordial. To him the Pope was a little
Italian prince whilst he was a great one, and he was jealous of the
slightest interference of Rome with the Spanish Church. His position in
Germany, moreover, as suzerain of the princes of the Empire, some of whom
already leant to Lutheranism, complicated the situation: so that it was
not yet absolutely certain that Charles would finally stake everything
upon the unification of the Christian Church by force, on the lines of
strict Papal authority.

On the other hand, both Francis and Henry had for political reasons
strongly supported the Pope in his greatest distress, and their religion
was certainly no less faithful than that of the Emperor. It was inevitable
that, whichever side Charles took in the coming religious struggle, would
not for political reasons commend itself to Francis, and _vice versa_; and
everything depended upon the weight which Henry might cast into one scale
or the other. His national traditions and personal inclination would lead
him to side with Charles, but at the crucial moment, when the first grain
had to be dropped into the balance, he found himself bound by Wolsey's
policy to Francis, and at issue with the Emperor, owing to the
relationship of the latter to Katharine. Wolsey felt, in the letter quoted
above, that the Pope's shilly-shally, in order not to offend the Emperor,
would drive the impatient King of England to flout, and perhaps break
with, the Papacy, and events proved that the Cardinal was right in his
fears. We shall see later how the rift widened, but here the first fine
crevice is visible.

Henry, prompted by Anne and his vanity, intended to have his way at
whatever cost. Katharine could give him no son: he would marry a woman who
could do so, and one that he loved far better than he ever loved his wife.
In ordinary circumstances there need have been no great difficulty about
the divorce, nor would there have been in this case, but for the peculiar
political and religious situation of Europe at the time, and but for
Katharine's unbending rigidity of character. She might have made her own
terms if she had consented to the conciliatory suggestions of the
churchmen. The legality of her marriage would have been declared, her
daughter recognised as heiress presumptive, her own great revenues would
have been left to her, and her title of Queen respected.[68] She was not
even to be asked to immure