4.2.4

The Reformation in England

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Henry VIII and the Reformation

Whilst Luther’s ideas were spreading across Europe, King Henry VIII was having troubles with the Catholic Church. Henry VIII ended up breaking away from Rome (the heart of the Catholic Church) and made himself head of the Church of England.

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Henry VIII’s marriage

  • Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon.
  • Catherine of Aragon was the widow of Henry VIII’s brother, Arthur.
  • Henry VIII and his wife had a daughter, called Mary, but no son.
  • Henry VIII wanted to produce a male heir to continue the Tudor dynasty.
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Henry VIII wanting a divorce

  • Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.
  • However, the Pope refused to grant Henry VIII’s divorce.
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Breaking from Rome

  • Henry VIII decided to marry Anne Boleyn in secret.
  • Henry VIII and his advisor, Thomas Cromwell, decided that the Church of England should break away from Rome.
  • Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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