take over when he died, and that was fatal in the politics of a kingdom at the time. >> narrator: not only does henry want a son that his wife cannot give him, but he also has a mistress that he would like to marry. >> if you want to marry somebody else, there is no divorce. you need the pope to anull your marriage. >> he wants the pope to say he can mary anne boleyn. >> he needs a declaration that his marriage to catherine was never valid. >> narrator: the vatican archives contain the letter henry viii sent to pope clement vii requesting the anullment of his marriage to catherine of aragon in 1530. his request is signed by 81 members of parliament.