The Act of Supremacy 1559 arguably was a key turning point in the relationship between Church and State in the 16th century because most of the changes it introduced were permanent. However, it could be said that it was not the only factor which contributed to the changing relations as the Act of Supremacy 1534, the role of key individuals and the changes under Edwards reigns played a significant role. This implies that the changing relationship between the Church and state in the 16th century was not a consequence of Act of Supremacy 1559 but all of them together. The Act of Supremacy 1559 was the key turning point in the relationship between Church and State in the 16th century because it reintroduced Henry VII’s religious policies and in …show more content…
some cases extended the change. This can be seen as the Act of Supremacy enabled her to declare herself as ‘Supreme Governor ‘ and pass an oath of loyalty - which forced officials to swear allegiance to her supremacy. This indicates that the Act of Supremacy 1559 was a key turning point in the relationship between the Church and state because the inclusion of oath made it more difficult for people to disobey this law, thus implying that the change in the relationship was permanent. However, the significance of the Act of Supremacy 1559 had in changing the relationship between the Church and State may have been undermined by Queen Elizabeth I’s insistence to reach a via media. This is because it prevented a radical shift to protestant’s doctrines. This is exemplified in 1563, when Elizabeth ordered the removal of Article 29 from the Thirty-Nine Articles (derived from Edward’s Forty-Two Articles of faith) as the article denied the real presence in the Communion. Along with this, she disapproved of iconoclasm and attempted to prevent the destruction of the funeral monuments. This suggests that the Act of Supremacy 1559 was not a key turning point because it implies that Elizabeth I still supported catholic doctrines promoted by the Church. Furthermore, it indicates that the main aim of the Act of Supremacy was not to induce a reformation in religious policies within England and Wales, but to extend royal control. This is because it can be inferred that Elizabeth had no intentions of giving preference to one of the denominations over another because it could have upset a particular group of people which may have resulted in a rebellion. This implies that religious changes were used to avoid rebellions by ensuring that as many subjects were as happy as possible rather than to break away from Rome, suggesting that Act of Supremacy was not significant at all because the changes appeared to have been aiming to provide good governance. Hence the relationship between the Church and the state may have remained relatively unchanged by the passing of this Act. Furthermore, the fact that the act reinstated the policies passed during the Henirician reformation could suggest that it was the most significant turning point was not the Act of Supremacy 1559 but the Act of Supremacy 1534 because it pushed for more Protestants’ doctrines and resulted in an actual break from Rome.
One of the consequences of the Act was that the first allegiance of the clergy was changed from the papacy to Henry VIII. As well as this, traditional privileges the Church was entitled such as the benefit of the Clergy and sanctuary were abolished .This implies that the Act of Supremacy 1534 played a greater role in changing the relationship between the Church and State because it undermined the authority of the church within England as the controlling of the church’s finances, administration and development was shifted Henry. All of these changes suggest that the previous close relationship between the Church and state had weakened as they contributed to the paving for the growth of Protestantism. In addition, despite the fact both the Acts of Supremacy reinforced royal control, Henry being confirmed as ‘Supreme Head of Church’ would have had a greater impact on the relationship between the Church and State in the 16th century than Elizabeth becoming ‘Supreme Governor’ because Elizabeth’s title still applied that the pope was supreme head whilst Henry’s highlighted the fact that Henry was the only head of church - further undermining the influence of the
Pope.
The Elizabethan Deliverance - Arthur Bryant Reformation and Revolution 1558-1660 - Robert Ashton Elizabeth and her Parliaments - J.E. Neales Elizabeth and her Reign - Richard Salter Elizabeth I and religion 1558-1603 - Susan Doran Tudor England - John Guy Elizabeth I - David Starkey
However, he would also stress the importance for a centralized religious authority. Henry VIII used the church and the idea of the church being all powerful in combination with the monarchy to solidify his position as a strong ruler. When Henry VIII had to repeatedly ask the church for permission to take action with his marriages and life, he realized that he was limited by the church. Henry VIII wanted to be all powerful, and having to answer to the church meant that he was not. In 1533 he passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals. This act, which stripped the papacy the right of taking judicial action, made Henry VIII the highest judicial authority in England. This was his first move to take some of the power away from the church, while still leaving it as a respected institution involved with the state. Shortly after though, in 1534, Henry VIII passed the Act of Supremacy. This created the Anglican Church of England, and named Henry VIII the head of it. This break with the Catholic church and merge of head of church with the head of state was not an action made to create a more holy and divine nation, it was political. He knew that the path to true power and control was through the church and he used it to his advantage. The relationship that Henry VIII forced between the church and his position as head of state made it essentially impossible for him and his rule to be
Roper, H. R.. The crisis of the seventeenth century; religion, the Reformation, and social change. [1st U.S. ed. New York: Harper & Row, 19681967. Print.
The 17th century was a chaotic time period in England. England saw a transition in their nation’s religion during the reign of different monarchs. Before the start of the 17th century, England was under a Roman Catholic monarch with Queen Mary. Mary attempted to turn the Church of England into a Catholic Church and in the process earned the name “Bloody Mary”. She earned this name through her executions of many Protestants in England. However once Mary was unsuccessful in creating a Catholic England and was no longer the monarch, the Church went back to a Protestant Church. With the church now being Protestant, the Catholic minority in England began to become upset with the church and even plotted to make the church Catholic again through violence.
With any new monarch’s ascension to the throne, there comes with it changes in the policies of the country. From Elizabeth’s new council, to Henry’s documented polices and even to William the Silent’s inaction in response to threats were all policies that needed to be worked out by the new rulers. This group of rulers all had something in common; they chose to let their people make their religious preference solely on their beliefs but they all differed in their ways of letting this come about. This was monumental for the time period in which they lived, but it was something that needed to be done to progress national unity.
The Anglican Church and the English government were closely related to each other; the king not only ruled the country, but was the head of the church as well. Therefore, disobeying the church meant that people also acted against the king[i]. Like governmental organization, the Church of England was based on a hierarchal structure. It favored powerful bishops, ornate services and liturgies, and allowed people to personally observe the religion. During King Charles I’s reign, royal and elite citizens of England largely composed the Church of England[ii]. These close connections between the church and the state allowed for much corruption to take place[iii].
The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.
The English Civil war was partially a religious conflict, which brought Church and State against Parliament. Under the reign of James I, England saw the rise in Protestants dissenters. Groups like Barrowists, Puritans, Fifth Monarchists, Quakers, and many more demanded for more religious reform. They felt that the Church of England’s liturgy was too Catholic for a Protestant church. James VI and I accepted the more moderated Puritans and other dissenters, and he was able to keep his kingdom in peace. However, his son Charles I did not believe that kings were answerable to Parliament, but to God. In fact, he ruled without Parliament for many years. He trusted the running of the Church of England to William Laud, who believed that the Church had already gone through too many reforms. Laud went wrong when he tried to make church services more about doctrine and sacraments, and sought to make freewill the official doctrine of the Church. He did not stop there. He ordered that alters should be re-sited from the central places in churches to the east end of churches across the country. This essay will discuss Laud’s Arminian doctrines and his misjudgement of England’s religious mood, which led to his downfall and to the civil war.
Loach, Jennifer. “Mary Tudor And The Re-Catholicisation Of England.” History Today 44.11 (1994): 16. World History Collection. Web. 18 Nov.2013
1553 and briefly tried to reinstate catholicism at the helm of religious teachings in England, but
While still in England, many monarchs take steps that affect the Puritans in both positive and negative ways. In the late 1500s, he creates the Protestant Church of England, which is a step in the right direction for Puritans. Henry’s action might seem like he is giving religious freedom to his citizens; however, Henry forces all his subjects to convert to
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.
By the 1580’s, an impending threat loomed over Her Glorious Majesty. Europe had been divided, not for military as such, but by religion. The catalyst for such a divide culminated in the 16th Century, where courageous reformers like Martin Luther and Jean Calvin found the practices of the Roman Catholic Church absolutely corrupt, and sought reformation of such practices. It was arguably one of the first major challenges to the omnipotent control of the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps the most significant catalyst to the Protestant Reformation was a publication from Martin Luther himself entitled “The Ninety-Five Theses,” which expounded the most damaging of exploits and subsequently led to the slow beginning of reformation. Such exploits involved acquiring considerable profit from the sale of indulgences and positions within Church hierarchy. Now Europe has been divided almost equally, with countries including France and Spain who remained devoted to Catholicism, while England turned away from this religious disposition to create the Church of England.
Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I may have been the English Reformation’s greatest benefactors, all because of self interest. Henry VIII was not originally Protestant, but after the pope denied him of his divorce, Henry VIII took things into his own hands. Due to the power kings had in the Middle Ages, Henry VIII was able to control Parliament and force it to do whatever he wanted. So in 1534, Henry VIII forced Parliament to pass a law he made known as the Act of Supremacy. The Act of Supremacy stated that the king ought to be the head of the Church of England. This law gave the king complete power over the Church of England, instead of the pope. However, the type of church and state relationship did not change. Rather all the Act of Supremacy did was take power from the pope and give it to the king. Surprisingly, the Catholics did not retaliate against this strong change. The pope had always been the head of the church, but now the king had taken his position. This serves as an example of nationalism. The Catholics did not think about how removing the pope could harm their religion in any way. However, instead the people blindly followed Henry VIII because he was the leader of the nation and they assumed he was right. Also, by imposing other laws that punished Protestants, Henry VIII did not give the people much of a choice. Fortunately, for Henry VII, nationalis...
During the middle ages, culture and government were influenced greatly by the Church of Rome. The Reformation of Henry VIII (1529-39), and the break of ties with that church meant that the monarch was now supreme governor. This altered the whole balance