Henry VIII & the Reformation (AQA GCSE History)

 Summary

Henry VIII is probably England’s most famous king. Much of the interest around him centres on his personal life, his six wives and his divorces. Although these are interesting, it is crucial to understand how these personal matters caused a dispute with the church that changed both the religion and nature of power in England forever. These changes are known as the Reformation and this seemed to permanently settle the power struggle between the church and crown that had existed for centuries.

What was the Reformation?

• The Reformation was a movement that started in the early 1500s and attempted to reform or change Christianity in Europe

• Inspired by a German monk named Martin Luther, many people began to question the teachings and huge wealth of the Catholic Church

• People protested against the authority of the pope in Rome and, as a result, became known as protestants

  • Among other things, protestants wanted the bible translated into languages they could understand

    • According to Catholic teachings, the bible had to be written in Latin

  • Protestants were also angry about the Catholic church selling indulgences which, for a fee, meant people were forgiven for any sins they had committed

    • At a time when many people struggled in great poverty, the church was extremely wealthy

  • The church was also very powerful and influential. It had either a monastery, nunnery or church in almost every village in England

  •  In many peoples’ view, the Catholic Church had grown too rich, too powerful, too corrupt and had strayed too far from the teachings of Jesus

  • They began to demand that Christianity in England changed

  • They demanded a Reformation

Reasons for the English Reformation

• For much of his life, Henry VIII was a devout Catholic and loyal supporter of the pope

  • He punished protestants and was even declared Defender of the Faith (Fidei Defensor) by Pope Leo X in 1521

• In 1534, Henry passed the Act of Supremacy through Parliament.

  • This made him the Head of the Church of England and meant the Catholic Church in Rome no longer had any authority in England

  • Henry made England a Protestant country, introduced many religious changes and ended the pope’s influence over the English people

Why Did Henry Change His Mind?

• The reasons that Henry changed his mind and broke with the Catholic Church included:

  • Wealth

  • His wish to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn

  • The power and influence of the Catholic Church

The Dissolution of the Monasteries

• Henry’s decision to split with Rome caused deep divisions in English society and great anger abroad

• Some people, like Henry’s Lord Chancellor Thomas More, refused to recognise the King as the head of the church and were executed

• The pope and the leaders of other European countries were greatly angered by:

  • The split from the Catholic Church

  • Henry’s punishment of loyal Catholics

• As a result, there was a real threat that a foreign Catholic country would invade England

• Henry was in desperate need of money to help improve England’s defensive fortifications

  • Henry’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, helped convince him that closing the monasteries and seizing all of their land and property would pay for the new defences and much more

  • The monasteries owned a quarter of the land in England and had an annual income that was almost double that of the King’s

• Starting in 1536, Henry and Cromwell targeted the small monasteries and closed all that had an income of less than £200 a year

• Cromwell then established an inspection regime called Valor Ecclesiasticus that evaluated how monasteries were run

  • If Cromwell’s inspectors decided there was a problem with the finances or with the way they were run, they were closed down

• When a monastery was closed, the monks and nuns were evicted and the king would seize all of their land, property and wealth

• This became known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries

  • This caused enormous changes to both English society and ways of worship

  • Many people were deeply unhappy about the changes which led to a rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace