The Act passed by Henry VIII that disavowed his daughter Mary by Catherine of Aragon and—by passing succession to the crown to Anne Boleyn's children—recognized the validity of his marriage to the latter. It also made it compulsory for any subject, if confronted, to swear an oath to uphold the bill on pains of forfeiture of all properties and death.
While many adherents of the Catholic faith, such as Thomas More, were unhappy with the bill, they were prepared to let it pass on the grounds that the king's marriage was a matter between him and God. Real trouble for them began when the Act of Supremacy was passed, which made the king the head of the national church, since (as in More's case) they believed that it was not for any person to claim such authority for himself.
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