When Henry VIII’s marital troubles got out of hand in the 16th century, they prompted a schism with the pope and Britain’s big break with the theological leadership of Continental Europe.

Now the Tudor monarch is influencing Britain’s modern-day divorce from the Continent, with powers that were first used by the king set to be deployed to help unpack four decades of European Union membership.

Among the many complications created by Britain’s decision to quit the European Union, known as “Brexit,” is the need to unscramble British and European laws, which have become intertwined.