A Man for All Seasons is set in the early 1500s, during which time Catholicism was the primary type of Christianity practiced in Western Europe; Eastern Europe and some other areas favored Orthodox Christianity. The Catholic Church, which answered to the Pope, had been the prevailing religious authority for centuries, and Catholicism was the state religion of many nations, including England. Some people, most notably the German friar Martin Luther (1483-1546), raised objections to some of the Catholic Church’s practices. Luther argued that practices such as the observance of seven sacraments instead of two, the appointment of a Pope, and the reliance on priests for biblical interpretation did not have clear precedents in the Bible. He also argued against the Catholic practice of selling indulgences, which allowed people to essentially pay for their own absolution and deliverance. Luther was not alone in his objections, and proto-Protestant sentiments soon spread to England and other countries.

King Henry VIII (1491-1547) ruled England during this time of change. He was married to Catherine of Aragon, who had previously been married to his brother, Arthur. After Arthur died, Catherine and Henry received the Pope’s permission to marry on the basis that the marriage between Catherine and Arthur, which lasted only 20 weeks, had never been consummated and was therefore not wholly legally binding.