Henry VIII’s Desire for a Divorce as the Sole Cause of the English Reformation
The English reformation is widely discussed amongst historians; it was
a process that saw the removal of the longstanding Papal influence and
the beginnings of a new English Church. Although Henry’s divorce with
Catherine of Aragon played a significant part in provoking a
reformation there were other factors that lead to the creation of the
English Church. Henry’s desire for a nation free of foreign religious
intervention and total sovereign independence combined with a yearning
of church wealth contributed significantly to the break with Rome.
After many years of marriage Henry’s wife, Catherine of Aragon had
failed to produce a male heir to the Tudor dynasty. Henry believed
that God was punishing him as he was living in sin. Henry was a pious
monarch as well as being an accomplished biblical scholar; he
personally believed he was going against the teachings of the bible.
‘If a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an impurity: he hath
uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.’
(Leviticus chapter 20 verse 16) This sparked the beginning of Henry’s
struggle to persuade the pope to withdraw the previous dispensation
that allowed Henry and Catherine to marry in the first place. This
would therefore annul the marriage and Henry would be free to marry
Anne Boleyn, the woman of which Henry had fallen in love. Moreover he
could eventually bear an heir to the Tudor lineage.
Henry believed that obtaining a divorce would be simple yet he was met
with many difficulties. The Pope employed stalling tactics that
resulted in augmented tension bet...
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...was clearly beneficial. Henry
himself believed that the same person should be both the temporal and
religious leader. For example he ordered Cramner, Archbishop of
Canterbury to collect historical evidence to support such views. The
evidence had been collected by 1530 and was named ‘Collectenea satis
copiosa’. This shows that even before Henry wished to break with Rome
he believed that he should be the sole, independent ruler of England.
It is clear that although Henry’s desire for a divorce was probably
the main cause of the reformation in England there were other factors
that significantly contributed to a state free of foreign
intervention. For example the rise in anticlericalism and Henry’s
desire for further power and wealth both allowed the divorce
proceedings to progress into a full blown attack on the Papacy.
There are so many causes from the Protestant Reformation. In the Protestant, there was three different sections that got affected more the the others. When the Protestant Reformation happened it affected the Sociality, Political, and Economic the most.
After many failed attempts to obtain a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII took momentous steps that led to "The Reformation," a significant occurrence in the history of religion. Prior to the reformation, all of England's inhabitants including King Henry VIII prescribed to Catholicism. In fact, King Henry VIII was such a strong supporter that he was given the title "Defender of the Faith" by the pope for his efforts in protecting Catholicism against the Protestants. However, all these changed upon the pope's denial of Henry's request for a divorce.
The first appeal that Henry uses in his speech is ethos which appeals to ethics. Evidence from the text is, “fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country” (lines 13-14). This shoes that God has credibility. It also shows that you need to respect God over Britain. The next piece of evidence that I found in the speech is whenever the text said, “…and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings” (lines 16-17). This is saying that you should respect God above man. That is two ways how Henry used the ethical appeal, ethos.
Henry is the mirror of all Christian kings. He is a great king. He is
Henry's flaws were very similar to those of Pip and the Greek heroes. Arrogance was a flaw that many Greek mortal heroes, especially Odysseus and Oedipus, had. When Henry realized that none of his fellow soldiers were aware that he had run from the first battle, he regained his self-pride and self-confidence. Before long, he had convinced himself that he was "chosen of the gods and doomed to greatness." At first, Pip believed that status and wealth determined the "goodness" of a person. Henry had similar illusions. He believed that a war hero was a person who could manage to escape every tight situation he got into, and also a godly figure people looked up to and were fascinated by. His other illusions were that the only the best could survive against the hideous "dragons" of war, and that the enemy was a machine that never tired or lost will to fight.
One of the key words in his dialogue is 'honour' because in Elizabethan times honour was bound up with ideas of nobility and manliness. Henry has constant reference to the divine, to get permission for his actions, 'God's will.' Additionally there is various uses of semantic fields, associated with religion, God, covet, honour and sin; all taken from the bible. Henry applies a very close relationship term, 'cuz.'
Henry's past is described by Ely and Canterbury, the two bishops. Canterbury quotes, "Since his addiction was to cause vain, His companies unletter'd, rude, and shallow, His hours filled with riots, banquets, sports; And never noted in him any study, And retirement any sequestration, From open haunts and popularity. " Ely says, "The strawberry grows underneath the nettle. " And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best.
Henry suffers from retrograde amnesia due to internal bleeding in the part of the brain that controls memory. This causes him to forget completely everything he ever learned. His entire life is forgotten and he has to basically relearn who he was, only to find he didn’t like who he was and that he didn’t want to be that person. He starts to pay more attention to his daughter and his wife and starts to spend more time with them.
After letting the church convince him to go war something changed in henry. His mood changes because he was ready for war after the unexpected gift of tennis balls from the Dauphin. Henry stated whatever happens it’s the will of God. Yes, the childish gift from the Dauphin offends him but instead of conquering France out of anger. The Church influences him to fight with God on his side and God will lead him to victory. As Henry put all his trust in God that demonstrated another characteristic of an ideal Christian king. Regardless of what he might face, he has no fear because he knows that God is with him.
As time progressed Henry also thought of the injustice in working and paying the wages he had earned to a master who had no entitlement to them whatsoever. In slavery he had been unable to question anything of his masters doing. He was unable to have rage, sadness, or even sickness, for he would be b...
The period of the Protestant Reformation was a troubling time for the Catholic Church. During this time the church was one of the most formidable organization throughout the land. The church had power, land, and was aligned with several influential people and governments. Any type of major change was difficult for the church to embrace. This is one reason why much of the doctrine and formalities remained the same for many years (west civ book). However, there were several men that had tried to change some of the principles throughout the church. The Reformation was not the work of a single person, but the work of many who over time disagreed with certain ideas that were either doctrine or beliefs that the church held. This made the Catholic church
We recommend that you stop reading the book at the end of Henry's story (p. 86). You won't want to, because the ending is very bleak and you will be looking for some respite from the story, something to encourage you. Unfortunately, the final part of the book consists of H.L. Roush's theological reflections on the story, and for the most part they aren't edifying. Best to think through the story yourself, perhaps even read it to your children, and together as a family consider what went wrong for Henry, how he might have avoided the downward spiral, and what lessons can be applied to your own circumstances.
Though there was no driving force like Luther, Zwingli or Calvin during the English Reformation, it succeeded because certain people strived for political power and not exactly for religious freedom. People like Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII brought the Reformation in England much success, however their reasons were based on self-gain and desire for political power.
The Reformation was a decisive period in the history not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the entire world. The causes of this tumultuous point in history did not burst on the scene all at once, but slowly gained momentum like a boil that slowly festers through time before it finally bursts open. The Reformation of the Church was inevitable because of the abuses which the Church was suffering during this period. At the time of the Reformation, a segment of the Church had drifted away from its mission to bring Christ and salvation to the world. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church had gradually become weaker because of abusive leadership, philosophical heresy, and a renewal of a form of the Pelagian heresy.
In 1500’s the Roman Catholic was all-powerful in Europe as there was no legal alternative at the time. The Church jealously guarded its position with so much force that if anyone went against the learning’s and the ways of the church was burned at the stake and labeled as a heathen. Some of the causes for Protestant reformation were the corruption within the Catholic Church because during the time of the black plague as soon as people knew they had the plague they knew they were going to die within a 3 day period after developing the symptoms of the black plaque, so the people affected would have paid their local catholic ministers for indulgences so they were guarantied to get into heaven and not go to hell or purgatory. Martin Luther exposed this particular practice in 1517 through the 95 theses, as he was upset that people and Catholic ministers could make God over look peoples sin just by being bribed through brought indulgences.