2.1.2

Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

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Change in 1547 During Henry VIII's Reign

Between 1536 and 1547, England's religious landscape changed dramatically. But the Reformation was not irreversible.

Protestant reformers

Protestant reformers

  • Hardline Protestants such as Hugh Latimer and Thomas Cranmer were spreading Protestant beliefs through their preaching and prominence in government.
  • Cromwell was pushing for doctrinal reform, as demonstrated in the Ten Articles of Faith. This was a compromise between Lutheran and traditional Catholic ideas.
Internal divisions

Internal divisions

  • Historian Peter Marshall describes the 'kaleidoscopic diversity' of Protestants in Tudor England.
  • This reminds us that there were considerable divisions amongst Protestant reformers. They couldn't agree at all about what the future of the Church looked like.
Impact of the vernacular scripture

Impact of the vernacular scripture

  • Perhaps the most noticeable changes in the Church, to an ordinary layman, was the use of vernacular scripture (an English Bible).
  • A contemporary, called Becon, describes the impact of this change: 'the restoration of Scripture was the foremost reason to praise God and the king'.
The future of the Church of England?

The future of the Church of England?

  • Following Henry VIII's death in 1547, Edward VI came to the throne.
  • But Edward VI was only nine years old and dependent on a regency government. Edward VI's advisors and ministers would become very influential in shaping the Church of England.
  • The future of the English nation and the religious settlement was very uncertain.

Continuity of Religion in 1547

During the 1540s, many Catholic beliefs were reinforced by the government. Evidence from parish records shows that the majority of English people did not like radical religious change.

Henry's conservatism

Henry's conservatism

  • Henry VIII was undoubtedly conservative in his religious views.
  • In reaction to the changes between 1535 and 1538, he had a conservative backlash. This is seen in the tone of the Six Articles of 1539.
Opposition to change

Opposition to change

  • There was still resistance to religious change at Court.
  • Key figures refused to take the oath accepting Henry's divorce. Examples included the Chancellor, Thomas More and the Bishop of Rochester, John Fisher. Both were executed.
The experience of the laity

The experience of the laity

  • Although reformers were obsessed with the theological details, most of the laity were not concerned with this.
  • By and large, the experience of the laity did not change hugely during the Henrician Reformation.
Historical debate on the Catholic Church

Historical debate on the Catholic Church

  • It is too simplistic to say that the Catholic Church was doomed after Henry VIII's break from Rome.
  • In the 16th century and thereafter, Protestants created the myth that the transition from Catholicism to Protestantism was easy.
  • Historians, such as Duffy, have argued that the Catholic Church still had a rich religious culture and was popular in the mid-1500s.
Jump to other topics
1

Monarch & Government

1.1

Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII1.1.2Henry VIII1.1.3Edward VI1.1.4Mary I1.1.5Elizabeth I1.1.6Succession Disputes
1.2

Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation
1.3

Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown
2

Religious Changes

2.1

Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement
2.2

Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I2.2.4Catholic Nobility
2.3

Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I
3

State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1

Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils3.1.2Role of Nobility3.1.3Justices of the Peace3.1.4Lord Lieutenant
3.2

The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty3.2.2Punishments for Paupers3.2.3Role of Charities
3.3

Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance
4

Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1

Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth4.1.2Exploration & Trade
4.2

Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries4.2.3Enclosure
4.3

Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature4.3.2Impact of Religious Change4.3.3Patronage4.3.4The Arts4.3.5Cult of Gloriana
5

Historical Interpretations

5.1

Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain5.1.2The Spanish Armada5.1.3Ireland
5.2

Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions5.2.2Essex's Rebellion
5.3

Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament
5.4

Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

Practice questions on Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What was, arguably, the most noticeable change in the Church to an ordinary layman?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Which of these are true of Edward VI?True / false
  3. 3
    What were Henry VIII's religious views?Multiple choice
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The Henrician Reformation

Religious Change Under Edward VI