5.2.8

The Break with Rome

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Pressure on Henry VIII

  • Henry VIII was influenced by Protestants like Anne Boleyn, Thomas 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
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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

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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