GCSE History Edexcel: Henry VIII - How did Thomas Cromwell Secure the Annulment? (Lesson 12)

This lesson can be specifically used for Edexcel GCSE History (1-9) British Depth Study – Henry VIII & his Ministers OR it can be easily adapted to teach students about how Thomas Cromwell was able to cleverly secure an annulment from Catherine of Aragon. The lesson is suited for or could easily be adapted for students aged 12-16

This lesson examines the following questions relating to Cromwell:
Why did Henry VIII want to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon?
How did Thomas Cromwell secure the annulment?
How did securing the annulment further Cromwell’s career in Henry’s government?

This is a fully resourced lesson which includes a printable fact sheet based on the GCSE Edexcel specification as well as worksheets, discussion tasks, engaging background information, warm up tasks and learning reviews.

The downloaded lesson includes the following:

2x A4 printable worksheets for students to write on

1x main Power Point:
Slide 1: Title slide – How did Cromwell secure Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon?
Slide 2: Main Lesson Aims
Slide 3: As You Enter Warm Up: Which statement best describes religion in England at the start of Henry’s reign? Answer given with challenge question to follow.
Slide 4: Learning Recap 1: Students use images to help them recap why Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon.
Slide 5-6: Learning Recap 2: Students aim to recap the role of 6 key individuals to help explain why the annulment to Catherine had failed by 1529.
Slide 7: Starter Task: A problem solving discussion task. You can then return to this at the end of the lesson.
Slide 8: Task – Students to be given two sided A4 worksheet (also included in the resource)
Slide 9: Follow Up Challenge Questions
Slide 10: Example Exam Questions
Slide 11-12: Learning Review Quiz – with answers revealed
Slide 13: Lesson Fact Sheet

I would be really grateful if you could leave a review for the lesson if you feel the lesson is effective for you. Many thanks if you spend some of your valuable time doing this as feedback is highly valued.

All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.