Henrietta I: Difference between revisions
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In the 1680s, Henrietta and William's marriage deteriorated. Palace attendants often reported fights between the two regarding religion, their children, the Stuarts, and national politics. Eventually, in 1683, Henrietta requested Parliament to annul her marriage. When it was not approved, Henrietta invited Calvinist preachers from the [[Netherlands]] to address Parliament and 'amend English [marriage] laws'. During the divorce process - which would take four years - several rumours of Henrietta spread among London, accusing her of adultery and nymphomania.
In 1686, in order to clear her reputation, Henrietta was convinced to fabricate claims of adultery against William. This was successful, with Parliament approving the annulment of marriage in 1687. Detested in England, William exiled himself to [[History of Virginia#Colonial Era|colonial Virginia]]. He would go on to
Henrietta chose not to remarry after her marriage's annulment in order to protect her reputation, and vowed to live as chastely as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I the Virgin Queen]. Henrietta later established the first bones of unified British divorce law in 1691, based on the existing divorce laws of Holland and Scotland. Each divorce had to be approved by the English Parliament and could only be based on grounds of adultery or malicious desertion.
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