King Henry VIII and the Church of England
Henry VIII is approached as one of the most dependable kings in English history. The king was determined to have his name carried on with male heir. This led him to doing something that no one ever had dared to do during the 1400s and 1500s. After establishing that his first wife Catherine of Aragon was not able to bare him a son, he wanted to divorce. Henry asked Pope Clement to divorce him and his wife but the pope refused. By the king being so determined to continue the tradition it persuade him to do something. King Henry VIII hopelessness to divorce his first wife drove him to becoming head of The Church of England. This paper will examine his early life, the purpose of the church
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, the process of the Church, the Church before reformation, the new king and the historical impact. Henry VIII was born January 28, 1491 in the United Kingdom (“History” 5). He was the third child of his parents but he was the second of their four sons (Scarrisck 8). As a child he found enjoyment in hunting ,writing ,jousting, and playing music. King Henry VIII did not always want to be a king he steered to more of a church career , with an education in the ology,music , languages, poetry and sports. His older brother Arthur was preparing himself more for the throne than Henry was (“History” 5). Henry took his position at the throne when he was only 17 years old in 1509 (Scarisbrick 8). The teenager king got married 6 weeks after to his brother's widow (“History” 5). King Henry VIII life journey begins . Throughout his life King Henry had been married 6 different times (Elton 2). His first wife Katherine of Aragon was the youngest child of the Catholic kings family. They were married for over 20 years. Henry divorced her because she could not bare a son for him to continued the male heir. Anne Boleyn the second wife was the daughter of an ambitious knight, and she was executed after three years of marriage (“Biography” 4). The following excerpt contains a part of a letter written to Anne Boleyn: Though I have scant leisure, yet, remembering my promise, I thought it convenient to certify you briefly in what case our affairs stand. As touching a lodging1 for you, we have got one by my lord cardinal's means, the like or hire of which could not have been found hereabouts for all causes, as this bearer shall more show you. As touching our other affairs, I assure you there can be no more done, nor more diligence used, nor all manner of dangers both foreseen and provided for, so that I trust it shall be hereafter to both our comforts, the specialties whereof were both too long to be written, and hardly by messenger to be declared. Wherefore, till your repair hither, I keep something in store, trusting it shall not be long to; for I have caused my lord, your father, to make his provisions with speed; and thus, for lack of time, darling, I make an end of my letter, written with the hand of him which I would were yours. (“Love Letter of King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn” 10) Type a followup. She was executed because of the accusation of adultery, incest, and high treason (“Biography” 4). Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour died after less than two years of marriage having finally produced a son and heir for henry. The fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was divorced months after the wedding. Henry found her to be very unattractive and he was already courting with his fifth wife. Catherine Howard was only sixteen or seventeen when she married forty- nine year old Henry VIII. She was executed after at less than two years of marriage for committing adultery while with henry. Katherine Parr was Henry's last marriage; they were married until his death (“Biography” 4). When the pope refused to divorce Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon he wanted to become head of the Church. In order to do that he had to have some help or someone by his side. After Wolsey's downfall, a man named Thomas Cromwell became Henry's chief minister (Elton 2). He earned the confidence of the King by helping him to break with Rome and establish Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. This also brought him much needed wealth through the dissolution of the well-funded monasteries . Of course Henry was just a king but since he was a child he thought of having a church career. After he became head of the church people did not know how to feel (Elton 2). They were raised to believe that divorce was a sin and you so never get one. People did not want to disobey god's word . However things change when a king says it is okay to do so. It was not like he was changing god's word he was just basically making some exceptions ( “Henry and Religion” 7). He still believe everything that he was raised to believe besides one. Honestly he would not have even thought about divorcing if he was not so determined to continue the male heir. His motives were more sinister, but the Lord sometimes uses the evil intentions of men to bring about His glory. King Henry VIII had in fact, requested that the Pope permit him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The Pope refused. King Henry responded by marrying his mistress anyway. and thumbing his nose at the Pope by renouncing Roman Catholicism, taking England out from under Rome’s religious control, and declaring himself as the reigning head of State to also be the new head of the Church. (ADD SENTENCE) King Henry VIII started the process of creating the Church of England after his split with the pope in the 1530s.
Henry was determined to make sure that he has a male heir after his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had only birth a daughter. He wanted to divorce he so he could get remarry. In 1534 after several attempts to persuade the Pope to give him a divorce, Henry passed the Act of Succession and then the Act of Supremacy. The Act basically stated that the king was supreme of the Church of England . Henry adopted the title given to him by the Pope in 1521, that of Defender of the Faith. The Church of England is the established or state church in England . It is divided into two parts , Canterbury in the South of England and York in the …show more content…
North. The Church is also party Anglican Communion. Meaning that it is a worldwide family of churches in about 160 countries. On sundays more than a million people would come to sercive. he Church of England is Thepart of the Anglican Communion, which is a worldwide family of churches in more than 160 different countries. On any one Sunday more than a million people attend Church of England services, making it the largest Christian denomination in the country. (NEEDS 3) The Church of England is a broad church, representing a wide range of religious thoughts and practice .
However, as part of the Anglican Communion, there are some distinctively Anglican ideas which can be identified in the Church of England. People believe that there information in the bible that is the core of all faith and thoughts. One belief is that worship and life is a loyalty way to live and it was set like that in the beginning (Bates 1). The celebration of the sacraments ordained by Jesus, that of Baptism and Eucharist or Holy Communion. A system of Church order that stems from ancient times and is focused on the ordained ministry of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon. A firm commitment to the ministry of the whole people of God lay and ordained together. A way of Christian thinking that involves Scripture, Tradition and Reason held together in creative tension (Bates 1).
BELIEF The Protestant Reformation, which lasted from the early- 1500 s to the mid- 1600 s, was caused by society noticing weaknesses in the Catholic Church(). Such people as Martin Luther and John Calvin exposed these weaknesses to society and started a widespread reform of the Catholic Church. Although the Reformation originally aimed to renew the Church, it evolved into a great revolt against it. The Protestant Reformation should be viewed as a theological revolutionary movement. One of the major problems of the Church that people had was the sale of indulgences. The Protestant Reformation was a revolutionary movement that ended in new religions, such as Protestantism and Calvinism, being formed. The goals of the Protestants were extremely radical, and such scholars as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and King Henry VIII sparked this theological movement with their writings and actions.(NEEDS 1) Alas, how can the poor souls live in concord when you preachers sow amongst them in your sermons debate and discord? They look to you for light and you bring them darkness. Amend these crimes, I exhort you, and set forth God's word truly, both by true preaching and giving a good example, or else, I, whom God has appointed his vicar and high minister here, will see these divisions extinct, and these enormities corrected.
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
When Henry took the throne, he gave most of the responsibility to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. He did this because as a 17 year old boy, he felt he wasn’t ready for all of that responsibility at once (Sommerville). Even though he was king, he had no desire to know the everyday problems of England. One of Henry’s biggest accomplishments as king was implementing a naval fleet. He tried to get England to fight with Scotland and France (Scarisbrick 738).
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.
Henry II was known as one of England’s greatest kings. Along with being king of England, he was also Count of Anjou, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Duke of Normandy, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland, and controlled little bits of Western France and Scotland. He was most famous for his legal administrative systems, his long disputes with the Church, and his dramatic turmoil with his family. One of his greatest quotes was, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
Loach, Jennifer. “Mary Tudor And The Re-Catholicisation Of England.” History Today 44.11 (1994): 16. World History Collection. Web. 18 Nov.2013
Cromwell, according to Elton, was the architect of the Henrician reformation, in his establishment of royal supremacy over the Church and national sovereignty enacted by parliamentary statute. Nevertheless, Scarisbrick challenges this, by emphasising the role of Henry, who he argues was devoted to reform before Cromwell entered the inner circle. However, the question of significance to the advancement of the reformation also brings into question the role of Cranmer who held responsibility for the divorce decree, but also was involved in parliamentary statute to an extent. This essay will weigh these arguments along with primary sources to show that, it was Cromwell who was more significant in the advancement of the reformation.
When Henry VIII made the decision to have his marriage annulled to his wife Catherine of Arrogan, a devoted Catholic and mother to his daughter Mary and also Cousin to the Pope of Rome, he set in motion a series of events that would have a monumental effect on the future of religion in England. The pope refused Henry’s request and this lead to the reformation of the Church of England to which he instilled himself the head of allowing for his divorce. Once the divorce was complete, Henry married Ann Boleyn, who was part of the growing protestant group, who gave birth to Henrys second Daughter Elizabeth. After he had Ann beheaded, he went on to Marry Jane Seymour, who gave him his long awaited heir Edward. Elizabeth and Edward were both brought up as Protestants, whereas Mary was raised as a catholic. In 1539 Henry took it upon himself to abolish the monasteries his intentions were to gain the wealth and “suppress political opposition.” (http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106122.html)
One of the very first things Henry did was dissolve all the Catholic monasteries and take over their land, selling it to people known as the "gentry class" also referred to as the "land owning class". (which continued to dominate the English commons until the mid-19th century). Henry ridding all of these monasteries' really affected the Catholics, as they were an important part in community life and vital to the economy. People travelling and making pilgrimages often looked to monasteries' as a free place to stay for the night, people were now going to have to look and pay for accommodation, if monasteries' weren't going to be open people weren't interested in coming to England, which really damaged its economy (Tom Richey, 2014). (enotes.com, 2015) explains that during his reign, King Henry VIII permitted a translation of the bible from Latin to English, the "Lord's Prayer" was recited in English rather than Latin and priests of the English church, were not allowed to marry. Around this time was when monarchs were starting to gain more power and the church and nobility were losing their
After the death of Henry in 1547, a 10 year old Edward came to the throne. The English Church became increasingly Protestant in worship and doctrine under the Protestant Lord Somerset. Mary succeeded the throne after Edward’s death in 1553. Mary was a devout Catholic and saw it her mission to restore Catholicism back to England. She used mainly persecution to do this, by burning Protestants for not renouncing their beliefs, these actions turned many English people against Catholicism.
King Henry II said “Who shall rid me of this troublesome priest?” (1964 Becket). After four knights over herd King Henry II say this and went to the church to kill Becket because they thought he said to kill Becket . Then King Henry II would get the power of the church. Subsequently King Henry II would be able to do more things scene Becket is not have the power of the church.
In 1525, Henry VIII hoped to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon revoked. At the point when the pope declined to permit the dissolution, the ruler at that point looked to the philosophical colleges and Parliament trying to challenge ecclesiastical amazingness over religious issues. Parliament reacted by passing a progression of enactments, which little by little started to strip the Catholic church in England of its energy. At long last, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy in 1534, proclaiming Henry VIII the preeminent specialist over the congregation in England. The ruler in this way turned into the leader of the Church of England. Henry VIII was likewise given control of chapel accounts and arrangements. This new Anglican Church, headed by arrangements of Henry's picking invalidated his past marriage and after that moved with Parliament to approve Henry's marriage to his paramour Ann Boleyn. Pope Clement VII reacted by having Henry VIII banned. This was a demonstration sometime later, given that Henry had just been announced the leader of his own congregation, along these lines having officially expelled "himself" for the Roman Church. In 1533, Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen Consort as Henry VIII's second spouse. Henry separated his first spouse, the Spanish Catherine of Aragon, and made another state religion keeping in mind the end goal to make the separation legitimate. Amidst these turbulent circumstances and in spite of her Catholic
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
After waiting for the pope to resolve Henry’s issue, he decided that he should not have to answer to the pope. In 1531 Henry had an assembly of English clergy declare him “protector and only supreme head” of the Church of England. This action made Henry more powerful than the pope and started the loosening the ties with the Catholic
“Henry, king not by usurpation, but by the holy ordination of God, to Hildebrand, not pope, but false monk.” This quote from the Letter of Henry IV to Gregory VII portrays a hostile environment. It depicts two leaders, with one of the leaders refusing to acknowledge the other’s title. What was once an alliance turned into a bitter rivalry. The relationship between the popes and the rulers during the Middle Ages were at first, mutual, but as time progressed, these two sides clashed due to internal power struggles.
Growing up Henry gradually increased his status and by the age of ten he became heir apparent when his older brother Arthur died from “sweating sickness” in 1502. Just a few months before Arthur’s death, Henry played a major role in the joining of marriage of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon. After the death of Arthur, the first heir, King Henry VII wanted to keep a marital alliance between England and Spain, so by these terms a treaty was signed al...