The Henrician Reformation

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Reasons Behind the Break From Rome

The ‘Great Matter’ sparked Henry VIII’s desire to break from Rome.

Marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon, was the widow of Henry’s brother, Prince Arthur.
Henry VIII’s father had orchestrated the marriage to secure an alliance with Spain.

Lack of an heir

One of Henry VIII’s primary aims was to secure the Tudor dynasty.
Whilst Catherine of Aragon had produced a daughter, she had not produced a male heir.
Henry VIII wanted a divorce and to marry Anne Boleyn.

The Great Matter

The Great Matter refers to Henry VIII’s dilemma. The Pope refused to grant a divorce.
Henry VIII claimed that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon should never have been allowed because she had been married to her brother.
However, Catherine of Aragon insisted she had not consummated her relationship with Arthur, rendering Henry VIII’s argument null.
Henry VIII became increasingly frustrated with the Pope.

Henry VIII’s advisors

Henry VIII wanted Wolsey, as a Papal Legate, to help persuade the Pope.
Wolsey failed and he fell out of favour.
Cromwell provided legal grounds for Henry to annul his marriage.

The Break From Rome

As the Pope kept delaying his decision on the Great Matter, Henry VIII decided to break the Church of England away from Rome.

Anne Boleyn’s pregnancy

In 1532, Anne Boleyn fell pregnant.
Henry VIII needed to marry Anne Boleyn to legitimise the baby.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Cranmer, married Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in secret.

Gaining a divorce

The English Parliament, not the Pope, granted Henry VIII a divorce. This was through the Act of Succession in 1534.

Break from Rome

The Act of Supremacy, in 1534, made Henry VIII head of the Church of England.
This meant that the Church of England was not under the Pope’s jurisdiction.

Nature of the Henrician Reformation

Although Henry VIII was against the Pope, he didn’t agree much with Protestantism either. His ‘Reformation’ was not very Protestant and is often called the Henrician Reformation.

Theological to-ing and fro-ing

Key theological issues were unresolved in the 1530s.
In 1536, the Act of Ten Articles rejected four of the Catholics’ seven sacraments.
But in 1537, the Bishops' Book was published. It gave advice and attacked abuses and Catholic superstitions. But it also restored the missing four sacraments.
An English Bible was published. Its frontispiece showed God giving Henry VIII His word and Henry VIII handing it to the English people.

Theological resolution

In 1539, the Act of the Six Articles confirmed key Roman Catholic beliefs including confession to priests and, most importantly, transubstantiation (the substance of the wine and bread in communion becomes Christ's body and blood).
The Act banned Protestant beliefs like married clergy and giving the wine as well as bread at holy communion.
In 1539, the Act for Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries made sure of the continuation of a vital source of revenue as Henry was fortifying southern England.

Dissolution of the monasteries

Although there were political and economic reasons for the dissolution of the monasteries, there were religious ones too.
As Vicar-General, Cromwell was against ‘superstitious’ Catholic practices, such as praying for souls of dead in Purgatory, saints’ relics and pilgrimages.
In 1535, Cromwell sent out Visitations telling them to find evidence that monks and nuns were not living up to their vows.