Protestant = The group of Christian churches that protested against the Pope.
Church of England = The Christian church set up by Henry VIII when he split away from Roman Catholicism
A number of things led to Henry VIII deciding to set up his own church.
Henry had married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the King of Spain (an important Roman Catholic ruler). However, Henry wanted a baby boy but Catherine only gave him a girl. What is more, Henry had fallen in love with the beautiful Ann Boleyn. Henry wanted a divorce but the Pope said that divorce was against God’s wishes.
In some parts of Europe a group of People called Protestants were setting up their own churches. They did not agree with the Roman Catholic Church. They thought it had become superstitious and that many of the Priests were cheating poor people out of money. Henry and his advisors agreed with some of what the Protestants said.
The Roman Catholic Church was very powerful in England. Henry started
Key Words: (Copy these into your book) to question why his country should allow someone else to have so much power. If he broke with the Roman Catholic Church he would win many Protestant friends and have more power in England.
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Henry also needed lots of money. He had sent English soldiers to war with the French and needed to pay them. Henry knew that the Roman Catholic monasteries were full of gold and that the land around them was very valuable. If he led the church, he could take this.
Task: From what you have read, copy and finish the table using 1 page in your book. Write a sentence to explain how each issue led to Henry’s decision to break with Rome.
Reason Why this led to Henry breaking with Rome. Symbol
Love
Money
Power
Faith