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

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

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

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?

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 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

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

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

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.

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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