How Did The Reformation Change England

The Reformation changed England in many ways. To understand the Reformation fully, we must look at how it began. The English Reformation started in the 16th century with the reign of Henry VIII. Henry’s wife, Catherine of Aragon, was unable to produce a son, who would become the next heir to the the throne. Henry decided that he needed to move on to another wife who might provide him with a male heir, since Catherine of Aragon was unable to produce a male heir. Henry already had another woman in mind who he wanted to marry, Anne Boleyn. However, in order to get rid of Catherine of Aragon, Henry would need to divorce her. The Roman Catholic Church believed that marriage should be for life, and you could not simply remarry someone else. Pope Clement VII refused to allow Henry to divorce his wife.

In 1534, Henry decided to break away from the Roman Catholic Church and divorce his wife.

This meant that England was no longer under the control of the Roman Catholic Church, and Henry decided that he should be in charge of making all decisions for the English church. The Pope was no longer in charge. At the same time, other reformers helped move along the Reformation. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others helped to spark the Reformation across Europe.

The Reformation had a huge impact on religion. When Henry became head of the Church, he made several changes. First, he dissolved, or shut down some of the monasteries. This was called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1536, Henry had Parliament pass an act that shut down monasteries with an income of less than £200 a year. Once the monastery was shut down, Henry would collect the wealth and property of the monastery. Many people were happy that the

monasteries were closing, because they had benefits. While the valuable possessions of the monastery belonged to Henry, the local population could come and take anything else that was left behind. Many monks had grown lazy and fat and were unhelpful towards the community, so a lot of people were not unhappy to see the monks and monasteries go. Henry also worked to distribute the Bible to the people. These changes and others Henry made caused the Reformation to be liked by many people. At the same time, Protestantism was on the rise. In 1521, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The Catholic Church told people that in order to get rid of their sins, they had to pay for an indulgence that would release them from their sins. The Catholic Church also taught that salvation was only possible through good works that pleased God. Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses protesting the Catholic Church’s teachings. Luther believed that the selling of indulgences was wrong and salvation was attainable through faith alone. With the help of the printing press, the 95 Theses spread quickly throughout Germany and all of Europe. The 95 Theses helped to spread the ideas of Protestantism throughout the world.

The Reformation had a large impact on England as a whole. There were some benefits