4.2.8

The Break with Rome

Test yourself

Reasons for the Break With Rome

Henry VIII's break with Rome was mainly caused by the "Great Matter" and his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Illustrative background for The "Defender of the Faith"Illustrative background for The "Defender of the Faith" ?? "content

The "Defender of the Faith"

  • Henry started his reign as a good Catholic, even defending the Catholic Church from Protestant criticism and gaining the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ from the Pope in 1521.
Illustrative background for ProtestantismIllustrative background for Protestantism ?? "content

Protestantism

  • Protestantism came from Germany, where a priest called Martin Luther protested against the corruption of the Catholic Church.
  • He wanted to reform the church.
    • This became the Reformation.
Illustrative background for Protestant beliefsIllustrative background for Protestant beliefs ?? "content

Protestant beliefs

  • The head of the Church should be individual rulers, not the Pope.
  • Churches were there to teach people the ‘word of God’ rather than focus on administering the sacraments.
  • The bible should be translated out of Latin so ordinary people could read it.
  • Superstition and corruption e.g. pilgrimages, images and paying for indulgences should be removed.
  • The bread and wine given out during mass was symbolic and didn’t really turn into the body and blood of Jesus.
  • The Catholic belief that it did was called transubstantiation.
Illustrative background for Reasons for Henry VIII supporting the Break from RomeIllustrative background for Reasons for Henry VIII supporting the Break from Rome ?? "content

Reasons for Henry VIII supporting the Break from Rome

  • Henry began to support Protestant ideas to pressure the Pope for his annulment to Catherine of Aragon.
  • He was also concerned about the state of the Church.
  • In one case, a man who refused to pay high funeral costs to the Church was arrested and possibly murdered by the clergy.
Illustrative background for Pressure on Henry VIIIIllustrative background for Pressure on Henry VIII ?? "content

Pressure on Henry VIII

  • Henry VIII was influenced by Protestants like Anne Boleyn, Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer (the Archbishop of Canterbury). Anne had given him a banned Protestant book that suggested that God wanted the Church to be ruled by Kings, who had control over everything in their kingdom.
  • Henry liked this idea!
  • However, Henry was never really a Protestant. He only believed in the bits of Protestantism that worked for him
Illustrative background for Financial incentivesIllustrative background for Financial incentives ?? "content

Financial incentives

  • Henry also knew he could gain a lot of money from the Break with Rome.
    • E.g. banning the payment of Annates to the Pope meant that this payment now came to Henry and could be used to pay for his expensive foreign wars.
  • However, it only raised a small amount, so was probably not Henry’s main reason.

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

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson