Section A

• Henry as Defender of the Faith:

  -started his reign as a committed Roman Catholic

  -Protestantism led by german priest Martin Luther was spreading across Europe

  -this movement wanted to reform the church

  -Henry was opposed to it

  -in 1521 Henry wrote 'In defence of the seven sacraments' and this earned him the title 'defender of the faith' from the pope
• the break from rome:

  -Henry needed to divorce Catherine of Aragon in 1529 and he used the threat of the break from Rome as a way of pressuring the pope

  -Henry was a committed Catholic and didn't plan on actually doing this

  -as the pop wouldn't grant the annulment, breaking from Rome seemed increasingly likely

  -some of the most important people on Henry's life supported protestant ideas like Anne Boleyn, thomas Cromwell, and thomas cramner Archbishop of Canterbury in 1532

  -Anne Boleyn gave Henry a copy of 'obedience of the Christian man', which argued that God intended churches to be ruled by kings and Henry liked that

  -however Henry didn't like a lot of protestant ideas

  -Henry's wars had left him short of money and breaking from Rome would mean he could get more money
• the act of succession 1534:


  -Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon was declared invalid and Henry married Anne Boleyn

  -princess Mary declared illegitimate

  -henry had completely rejected the authority of Rome to decide whether he could remarry

  -pope stated Henry was still married to Catherine

  -Henry ordered popes name to be struck out of all prayer books in England
• act of supremacy 1534: 


  -formal acknowledgement of Henry as head of the English church

  -he had the powers previously held by the pope

  -Cromwell appointed as kings vicegerent (his deputy)

  -this was a significant symbolic decision
• the use of oaths:

  -a clause in the act of succession required people to take an oath supporting Anne as Henry's queen, called the oath of succession

  -refusal to take it if asked lead to punishment as a traitor

  -all of England political and religious leaders were asked to take this oath
• the 1534 treason act:


  -existing treason act from 1532 defined it as plotting the kings death

  -Cromwell introduced 1534 treason act which made denying the royal supremacy punishable by death

  -this was a dramatic increase in the power of the state