How Did Henry Viii Contribute To Religion
Henry VIII is often remembered as the English monarch who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. However, Henry was only attracted to Protestantism in a restricted way. Henry VIII loitered with Protestant ideas, but ultimately he proved to be conservative on matters of many religious beliefs altogether (Hobbs). This being said many people were often confused with certain newly found doctrines from different religions now being used in one church. Henry VIII came to the English throne in 1509 as a devout Catholic, having church services held in Latin and defending the Roman Catholic church against Protestants (Barrow). In 1521 Henry was, later to be found ironically, given the title “Defender of Faith” by Pope Leo X for his great support
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and defense of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the break with the Roman Church and the establishment of an independent Church of England also occurred with Henry VIII’s reign.
The Reformation in England began rather political, opposed to religiously later on, because of a dispute between the king and the pope (Nelson). The source of this dispute was that the king was expected to produce a male heir to the throne. England did not have the Salic law, which in France this law forbade female heirs to the throne, though England had just surfaced from a prolonged civil war, the Wars of the Roses, so a new male bloodline was needed to maintain the throne and prevent resumption of another civil war (Nelson). Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s then wife, had borne him many children, although only one remained living, Mary, and she was not expected to produce anymore (Nelson). Ordinarily the procedure in such a case was to find a fault in the marriage that would be enough for the pope to permit an annulment (Nelson). In Henry and Catherine’s instance, the fault was not difficult to discover; Catherine had been married to Arthur, Henry VIII’s brother, and canon law forbade the marriage of a man with his deceased brother’s widow. Although at the time, Pope Julius II granted their marriage on exception to cover this rule (Nelson).
In the years 1530 through 1534, Henry tried to secure the pope’s permission to annul his marriage with Catherine by first threatening the English clergy, then threatening the pope’s powers in England (Hobbs). However, Henry may have been permitted the divorce if Catherine had not been the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VII and not wanting to provoke Charles, Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry VII the annulment (Nelson). As a result Henry was able to get the English Parliament to pass a series of acts that separated the new English Church from the Roman Catholic Church. This act was called The Act of Royal Supremacy of 1534. This act stated that the Crown was reclaiming the powers that it had always possessed, therefore making the English monarchs head of the English Church (Hobbs). That being said, Henry VIII was now head of the Church of England and he made archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, the spiritual head. Henry was then able to grant himself the annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and hereafter Cranmer married Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, who had borne him another daughter, Elizabeth. Then later marrying again to Jane Seymour, who had produced a male heir, Edward VI (Nelson). Henry VIII claimed that the Church of England would remain Catholic, just separate from the Roman Catholic Church because it believed in marriage for life and did not support divorce. In addition, Henry retained some Catholic beliefs such as transubstantiation, “the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ at the consecration, only the appearances of bread and wine still remaining” (“Definition”), and ecclesiastical organization.
In 1536, the Ten Articles were produced as the specifications of the new faith. These articles referred to three sacraments; baptism, penance, and the Eucharist (Hobbs). There was a debate with the people over the four sacraments: confirmation, ordination, matrimony, and last rites, which were not in practice (Hobbs). Henry also introduced new changes as well, such as elimination of monasteries, the Bible being published in the vernacular language in churches of the Church of England, and permission for clergy members to marry (Nelson). In 1537, the ‘Institution of a Christian Man’ dealt with the questions of purgatory and the status of the four missing sacraments, that were found to be of lesser sacraments, in the Ten Articles as a further attempt at the specifications of faith (Hobbs). The King was an ambitious theologian, and in the years 1536 to 1538 he was prepared to incorporate evangelical ideas into his Church (Hobbs). But in 1539, Henry VIII was not comfortable with the evangelical alterations and went on to revise most of the previous policies (Hobbs). Also in 1539 the Act of Six Articles returned the Church of England back to Catholic orthodoxy, bringing new changes alongside it. Clerical marriage was condemned, vows of chastity were now unbreakable, and more significantly heresy became a felony (Hobbs). The Act of Six Articles remained the base for the Church of England’s faith until the death of Henry VIII in 1547.
After the death of King Henry VIII each monarch made changes to the church based on their personal beliefs and views (Barrow). Two of the monarchs that succeeded the throne kept the Protestant faith with the Church of England, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. In between those two monarchs was an heir that converted the faith back to Catholicism, Mary I.
In 1547, after the death of his father, Edward VI came to the English throne. Edward was raised Protestant, therefore Protestantism advancements were quickly introduced (Nelson). During the king’s six year reign, many new Protestant reforms of belief, worship, and discipline were introduced, along with the adoptions of reformed confession of faith and prayer book (Nelson).
The death of King Edward VI leads the country of England back to Roman Catholicism (Nelson). In 1553 Edward VI’s half-sister Mary I, who was a part of the Roman Catholic Church, succeeded the throne (“Church”). The Protestants took Mary’s succession as God’s sign that country of England had not taken the Reformation very seriously (Nelson). During the last three years of Mary’s reign she had three hundred leading Protestants who would not accept Catholic beliefs burned to death at the stake (Barrow). This then earned her the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ (Barrow). Many people, including Thomas Cranmer died as martyrs to the Protestant cause, while others fled to the European continent to escape Mary’s reign (Nelson).
After Queen Mary I’s reign, in 1558 Elizabeth I became queen. Elizabeth was raised as a Protestant and with her at the throne the independent Church of England was reestablished (“Church”). Although Elizabeth was protestant, many of Catholicism’s doctrines and customs were allowed, such as bishops, ordained priests, and church decorations (Barrow).
In Elizabeth’s first year as successor of the throne, two acts became known (Nelson). The first being the Act of Supremacy, which stated that the queen was named “supreme governor” of the Church of England. The second act being the Act of Uniformity, which established that the English worship should follow The Book of Common Prayer (Nelson). “Elizabeth wanted England to have peace and not be divided over religion. She tried to find ways which both the Catholic and Protestant sides would accept and be happy. . .” (Barrow). Although in the eyes of some Protestants Elizabeth did not restore England back to Protestantism enough (Nelson): those who were not satisfied were the Puritans (Nelson). Nevertheless, Elizabeth truly tried her best in the attempt to keep the country of England content with their religious standards.
Throughout the reigns of these four monarchs, England saw many changes in their country’s religion. Therefore the people of the country were often confused on what beliefs to follow, and many died through the years because of these changes. In the end, Roman Catholicism seemed to always find its way into the doctrines of the Church of England, no matter which monarch was in reign.
and defense of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the break with the Roman Church and the establishment of an independent Church of England also occurred with Henry VIII’s reign.
The Reformation in England began rather political, opposed to religiously later on, because of a dispute between the king and the pope (Nelson). The source of this dispute was that the king was expected to produce a male heir to the throne. England did not have the Salic law, which in France this law forbade female heirs to the throne, though England had just surfaced from a prolonged civil war, the Wars of the Roses, so a new male bloodline was needed to maintain the throne and prevent resumption of another civil war (Nelson). Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s then wife, had borne him many children, although only one remained living, Mary, and she was not expected to produce anymore (Nelson). Ordinarily the procedure in such a case was to find a fault in the marriage that would be enough for the pope to permit an annulment (Nelson). In Henry and Catherine’s instance, the fault was not difficult to discover; Catherine had been married to Arthur, Henry VIII’s brother, and canon law forbade the marriage of a man with his deceased brother’s widow. Although at the time, Pope Julius II granted their marriage on exception to cover this rule (Nelson).
In the years 1530 through 1534, Henry tried to secure the pope’s permission to annul his marriage with Catherine by first threatening the English clergy, then threatening the pope’s powers in England (Hobbs). However, Henry may have been permitted the divorce if Catherine had not been the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VII and not wanting to provoke Charles, Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry VII the annulment (Nelson). As a result Henry was able to get the English Parliament to pass a series of acts that separated the new English Church from the Roman Catholic Church. This act was called The Act of Royal Supremacy of 1534. This act stated that the Crown was reclaiming the powers that it had always possessed, therefore making the English monarchs head of the English Church (Hobbs). That being said, Henry VIII was now head of the Church of England and he made archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, the spiritual head. Henry was then able to grant himself the annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and hereafter Cranmer married Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, who had borne him another daughter, Elizabeth. Then later marrying again to Jane Seymour, who had produced a male heir, Edward VI (Nelson). Henry VIII claimed that the Church of England would remain Catholic, just separate from the Roman Catholic Church because it believed in marriage for life and did not support divorce. In addition, Henry retained some Catholic beliefs such as transubstantiation, “the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ at the consecration, only the appearances of bread and wine still remaining” (“Definition”), and ecclesiastical organization.
In 1536, the Ten Articles were produced as the specifications of the new faith. These articles referred to three sacraments; baptism, penance, and the Eucharist (Hobbs). There was a debate with the people over the four sacraments: confirmation, ordination, matrimony, and last rites, which were not in practice (Hobbs). Henry also introduced new changes as well, such as elimination of monasteries, the Bible being published in the vernacular language in churches of the Church of England, and permission for clergy members to marry (Nelson). In 1537, the ‘Institution of a Christian Man’ dealt with the questions of purgatory and the status of the four missing sacraments, that were found to be of lesser sacraments, in the Ten Articles as a further attempt at the specifications of faith (Hobbs). The King was an ambitious theologian, and in the years 1536 to 1538 he was prepared to incorporate evangelical ideas into his Church (Hobbs). But in 1539, Henry VIII was not comfortable with the evangelical alterations and went on to revise most of the previous policies (Hobbs). Also in 1539 the Act of Six Articles returned the Church of England back to Catholic orthodoxy, bringing new changes alongside it. Clerical marriage was condemned, vows of chastity were now unbreakable, and more significantly heresy became a felony (Hobbs). The Act of Six Articles remained the base for the Church of England’s faith until the death of Henry VIII in 1547.
After the death of King Henry VIII each monarch made changes to the church based on their personal beliefs and views (Barrow). Two of the monarchs that succeeded the throne kept the Protestant faith with the Church of England, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. In between those two monarchs was an heir that converted the faith back to Catholicism, Mary I.
In 1547, after the death of his father, Edward VI came to the English throne. Edward was raised Protestant, therefore Protestantism advancements were quickly introduced (Nelson). During the king’s six year reign, many new Protestant reforms of belief, worship, and discipline were introduced, along with the adoptions of reformed confession of faith and prayer book (Nelson).
The death of King Edward VI leads the country of England back to Roman Catholicism (Nelson). In 1553 Edward VI’s half-sister Mary I, who was a part of the Roman Catholic Church, succeeded the throne (“Church”). The Protestants took Mary’s succession as God’s sign that country of England had not taken the Reformation very seriously (Nelson). During the last three years of Mary’s reign she had three hundred leading Protestants who would not accept Catholic beliefs burned to death at the stake (Barrow). This then earned her the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ (Barrow). Many people, including Thomas Cranmer died as martyrs to the Protestant cause, while others fled to the European continent to escape Mary’s reign (Nelson).
After Queen Mary I’s reign, in 1558 Elizabeth I became queen. Elizabeth was raised as a Protestant and with her at the throne the independent Church of England was reestablished (“Church”). Although Elizabeth was protestant, many of Catholicism’s doctrines and customs were allowed, such as bishops, ordained priests, and church decorations (Barrow).
In Elizabeth’s first year as successor of the throne, two acts became known (Nelson). The first being the Act of Supremacy, which stated that the queen was named “supreme governor” of the Church of England. The second act being the Act of Uniformity, which established that the English worship should follow The Book of Common Prayer (Nelson). “Elizabeth wanted England to have peace and not be divided over religion. She tried to find ways which both the Catholic and Protestant sides would accept and be happy. . .” (Barrow). Although in the eyes of some Protestants Elizabeth did not restore England back to Protestantism enough (Nelson): those who were not satisfied were the Puritans (Nelson). Nevertheless, Elizabeth truly tried her best in the attempt to keep the country of England content with their religious standards.
Throughout the reigns of these four monarchs, England saw many changes in their country’s religion. Therefore the people of the country were often confused on what beliefs to follow, and many died through the years because of these changes. In the end, Roman Catholicism seemed to always find its way into the doctrines of the Church of England, no matter which monarch was in reign.