Religious Developments:

• Religion played a really key role in everyday society and the parish Church (the local church) was the focal point of societal life, highlighting the importance of religion.
• The Church was led by the Pope, but he had such a vast number of countries under his control, that his actual influence in England was very little. This meant that Henry, as king, had some power of the Church.
• Henry VII's influence over the English Church:

  • the right to appoint Bishops and other Clergy.
  • had the right to use the Church's wealth to reward political allies (like Thomas Morton). This was really important at the start of his reign (1485 - 1490) when he was unstable.