Note (43) — Chapter III

The position of the daughters of Henry the Eighth was of course practically affected by the fact that each was the child of a mother who was acknowledged as a lawful wife at the time of her daughter’s birth. There was manifest harshness in ranking children so born with ordinary illegitimate children; but, in strictness of Law, as Henry married Anne Boleyn while Katharine of Aragon was alive, the daughter of Katharine and the daughter of Anne could not both be legitimate. The question was, which marriage was lawful. It should also be remembered that the marriage of Anne Boleyn was declared void, and her daughter declared illegitimate, on grounds—whatever they were—which had nothing to do with the earlier question of the marriage and divorce of Katharine.