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by rsynnott 820 days ago
> Additionally, ostensibly to Adams, it would have been something he would have to answer to his creator for moreso than the crown or Shogun, if he was a true believer anyway.

I mean, bear in mind that about 30 years before Adams was born, Henry VIII had broken with Rome so that he could get a divorce. Religious views on the sanctity of marriage in England were, ah, evolving rapidly at this point.
1 comments
mariuolo 819 days ago
> Henry VIII had broken with Rome so that he could get a divorce

As far as I know, Henry VIII never divorced any of his wives, they all ended because of annulment or death.

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rsynnott 819 days ago
I mean, Henry certainly _claimed_ that it was an annulment, but it was self-granted, on a basis seemingly made up for the occasion, so realistically considering it to be an annulment was a _bit_ of a stretch.

(Not that this was exactly unprecedented; the whole thing kind of came to a head because the Pope wouldn't grant a spurious annulment to cover a divorce to Henry, but various Popes had certainly granted dodgy annulments to various monarchs _before_.)

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