Religion

• Support for power & authority of the Church and Pope (pre-ref)

  • Most accepted the Pope's power
  • Henry's own relationship with Pope had been positive
• Opposition & criticism for power & authority of the Church & Pope (pre-ref)

  • William Tyndale's English Bible 1525 meant some people were able to read bible themselves
  • Writer Christopher St Germain attacked Catholic Church for its abuses - produced pamphlets sharing examples of corruption
  • 1514 Richard Hunne, London merchant imprisoned by Bishop of London - tortured to death & attempt made to cover up as suicide - scandal
  • church owned 1/2 all land in Eng - wealth envied by many
  • church taxes: tithes, mortuary, probate made church unpopular
• Support for clergy (pre-ref)

  • clergy generally respected across country
  • (although were individual examples of corruption)
• Opposition to clergy (pre-ref)

  • pluralism - e.g. Wolsey had 7 priests - meant parishes were without priest
  • benefit of clergy - protected any clergyman against punishment for committing a crime
  • Simon Fish's 'Supplication of the Beggars' 1529 - fiercely criticised greedy & 'overfed' clerics
  • non-residence - 1/4 of clergymen not living/working where their church as but still received the money
• Support for Catholic beliefs

  • 1/2 of all books published were aids to Catholic worship
  • ordinary people still believed in purgatory - prayers for dead continued to attract high levels of support
• Opposition & criticism for catholic beliefs (pre-ref) 


  • Writer Christopher St Germain attacked Catholic Church for its abuses - produced pamphlets sharing examples of corruption
  • Lollardy - form of protestantism that revived in 16th century - used bible as its main source of belief
• State of church overall pre-formation

  No one questioning core beliefs. Pretty well respected & regarded, in spite of abuses
• What years did the Break with Rome cover?

  1530-34
• Religious changes 1530-34 used to gain money (& power)

  • 1530 Statute of Praemunire - church fined £119,000 in return for pardon and clergy forced to accept Henry as protector & only supreme head of the English Church 'so far as the law of Christ allows'
  • 1532 First Act of Annates - banned payment of annates to Rome - key challenge to papacy as annates been chief source of papal revenue in Eng & one of Pope's main functions as leader of church challenged
  • 1534 Second Act of Annates - confirmed first act, abbots & bishops were in future to be appointed by King not Pope
• Religious changes 1530-34 used to gain power

  1. 1532 Supplication of the ordinaries

  2. 1532 Submission of the clergy

  3. 1533 Act of Appeals

  4. 1534 Act of Supremacy

  5. 1534 First Act of Succession

  6. 1534 Treason Act
• Supplication of the ordinaries

  Clergy were to enact no Church law w/out royal permission & existing Church law was to be examined
• Submission of the clergy

  Clergy accepted King & not Pope as their lawmaker. Thomas More resigned following day - shows it was a turning point in religious changes
• Act of Appeals

  No legal cases, inc marriage annulments, could be appealed to Pope. Cramner declared Henry & Catherine's marriage void and Boleyn marriage was declared valid
• Act of Supremacy

  Recognised Henry's right to be Supreme Head of Church of England & gave him right to 'visit monasteries'
• First Act of Succession

  Anne & Henry's children declared rightful heirs to throne. Nation was to take an oath upholding Anne & H's marriage - treason to deny validity of Boleyn marriage
• Treason Act

  Treason could be defined by expressed words - what you said could land u in as much trouble as what u did
• Were there any doctrinal changes in 1530-34?

  No
• Religious changes 1530-47 motivated by money


  • 1536 Act for dissolution of lesser monasteries - smaller monasteries (worth under £200) closed down
  • 1539 Act for the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries - all monasteries closed & their land passed to Crown
• Religious changes 1530-47 motivated by power

  • 1536 Royal Injuctions to the clergy - included ordering clergy to defend Royal Supremacy in sermonds
  • 1539 Act for the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries
• Religious changed motivated by protestant doctrine

  
  

  • 1536 Act of Ten articles - 'seven sacraments' of Catholic doctrine rejected
  • 1538 Cromwell issues Royal injunctions - pilgrimages discouraged, English bible to be placed in all parishes within 2 ears, relics to be removed from churches (confirming rejection of purgatory)
  • 1539 Publication of 'Great Bible' - based on Tyndale's 1525 bibe, emphasised 'word of God' which could be learnt by all via individual & group bible study
  • 1544 English introduced as the language of litany - replaced Catholic use of a latin litany
• Religious changes motivated by Catholic doctrine 


  • 1538 execution of John Lambert for his rejection of transubstantiation - symbol of Henry's commitment to Catholic belief in Christ's real presence in the Eucharist
  • 1539 Act of the Six Articles - confirmed transubstantiation, private masses, hearing of confession by priests - severe penalties for those who went against act
  • 1540 Cromwell executed - death of leading protestant person
  • 1543 Act for the Advancement of True Religion - restricted access to English Bible to upper-class
  • 1546 Anne Askew burned for denying transubstantiation
• Causes of dissolution of monasteries

  • deal with religious orders such as Franciscans & Carthusians who were strong opponents of reformation legislation
  • xenophia - idea monasteries owed allegiance to parent institutions outside England became increasingly unpleasant
  • appetite for land - henry could use it to pacify critics of the break with Rome & even Catholics such as Norfolk benefited from sale of monastic land
  • financial benefits - massive building programme of fortifications could be undertaken and also henry would not need to impose tax again
• Key figures that opposed the reformation

  • Sir Thomas More
  • John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester
  • Carthusian and observant Franciscan Monks
  • Elizabeth Barton, holy maid of Kent
• How did More oppose the reformation?

  • resigned as Lord Chancellor 1532 following the Submission of the Clergy
  • refused to swear Oath of Succession (which also required rejection of any papal authority)
  • Opposition to Act of Supremacy used as evidence of treason and led to execution in 1535
  • 3/5 threat
• How did Bishop Fisher oppose the reformation? 


  • imprisoned and threatened by government when he refused to swear Oath of Succession in 1534
  • executed in 1535 for refusing to recognize Henry as Supreme Head of Church of England as well as speaking out in favour of Catherine
• How did Carthusian and Franciscan Monks oppose the reformation?

  • refused to accept divorce 1532-3 & resisted gov pressure to declare against authority of the Pope
  • arrested under Treason Act - 18 Carthusians executed
• How did Elizabeth Barton oppose the reformation?

  • believed her visions sent her instructions opposing divorce & Anne Boleyn
  • executed in April 1534
  • 2/5 threat - spoke against King but didn't have much social pull
• Reasons for opposition


  • fundamental religious opposition & anti-Protestantism
  • opposition to Royal Supremacy
  • opposition to dissolution of monasteries
  • defence of traditional rituals & practices e.g. Saints Day
  • fear of the 'loss' of purgatory
  • fear of new taxes on ceremonies, & through new parish records which could make tax collection more efficient
• To what extent did opposition to reformation threaten the government?

  • huge range of people opposed - from martyrs, monks, rebels & refugees
  • but 'headline figures' of More, Barton etc were too few to cause much of a problem to the government
  • bigger opposition came from no. of people who openly accepted changes on surface but remained committed 'old ways' inside - at least 80% catholic until 1560s
• Why did people not oppose the Reformation?

  • many anticipated the changes would not last
  • many expected Henry to remain Catholic
  • some people welcomed protestantism
  • they didn't notice changes - ordinary people's religious lives remained unchanged