Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace Essay
When Martin Luther posted the 95 theses in 1517, he had changed the entire path of European politics and religion. He sparked a thought in the region that in many cases, converted people’s basic Christian beliefs. At the time, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful Institution. However, there were many corruptions and problematic doctrines, which Luther opposed. Though most commoners became followers because of faith, political leaders sometimes became protestant for other reasons. One important figure that was influenced by this protestant reformation was King Henry VIII of England. A monarch, he had a great desire to have a son that would be his heir, the next king. Unfortunately, his first wife was only able to birth one daughter. By then Henry VIII had formed a relationship with another woman. This one promised him a son. However, the Catholic Church forbade divorce and Henry VIII was Catholic at the time. To resolve this issue, England separated from the church and began the Anglican Church, a church headed by Henry VIII himself. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 officially began England’s Protestant Reformation. With this new power of the state over the church, the head of the King’s Council, Thomas Cromwell, carried out new government policies which included new taxes, increased power of the monarchy in Northern England, dissolution of Roman Catholic monasteries, and confiscation of the lands that belong to the Church. Enraged, commoners and nobles alike began marching and protesting in what was known collectively as the Pilgrimage of Grace. These individuals that numbered in the tens of thousands, marched for political and religious reasons, while the opposition also claimed political and religious reasons for the protests to stop.
The most influential march of the Pilgrimage was at York in 1536, led by Robert Aske, an intelligent gentleman. He was a man that preferred negotiations, so he implemented an oath for his
When Martin Luther posted the 95 theses in 1517, he had changed the entire path of European politics and religion. He sparked a thought in the region that in many cases, converted people’s basic Christian beliefs. At the time, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful Institution. However, there were many corruptions and problematic doctrines, which Luther opposed. Though most commoners became followers because of faith, political leaders sometimes became protestant for other reasons. One important figure that was influenced by this protestant reformation was King Henry VIII of England. A monarch, he had a great desire to have a son that would be his heir, the next king. Unfortunately, his first wife was only able to birth one daughter. By then Henry VIII had formed a relationship with another woman. This one promised him a son. However, the Catholic Church forbade divorce and Henry VIII was Catholic at the time. To resolve this issue, England separated from the church and began the Anglican Church, a church headed by Henry VIII himself. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 officially began England’s Protestant Reformation. With this new power of the state over the church, the head of the King’s Council, Thomas Cromwell, carried out new government policies which included new taxes, increased power of the monarchy in Northern England, dissolution of Roman Catholic monasteries, and confiscation of the lands that belong to the Church. Enraged, commoners and nobles alike began marching and protesting in what was known collectively as the Pilgrimage of Grace. These individuals that numbered in the tens of thousands, marched for political and religious reasons, while the opposition also claimed political and religious reasons for the protests to stop.
The most influential march of the Pilgrimage was at York in 1536, led by Robert Aske, an intelligent gentleman. He was a man that preferred negotiations, so he implemented an oath for his