Henry VIII - Religion

• Define Reformation

  A movement in Europe at the start of the 16th century that reformed that changed the Catholic church and its problems to establish a newly reformed Protestant Church
• Define 'The Break With Rome'

  - removed the power of the Pope in England

  - the technical and legal change in the status of the English Church
• Define 'Divorce'

  - A statement used to describe the end of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon

  - Divorce is not allowed, even today, in the Catholic Church
• Define 'Annulment'

  - the term used to describe the divorce

  - an annulment states that the marriage was not legal in the first place - only the Pope has the power to grant this
• What are 4 criticism of the Catholic Church before the Reformation?

  1 - Support fell for the Papacy

  2 - Decline in respect for religious orders

  3 - Criticism of images and pilgrimages

  4 - Early problems of the Church (Pluralism, Absenteeism, Anti-clericalism and Lollards)
• What are 4 pieces of evidence that the Church was healthy before the reformation?

  1 - There was significant support for Parish Churches, shown in the donations from wills

  2 - Sacraments were still largely popular and supported

  3 - Religious Guilds were still strongly supported

  4 - Intercession still gained mass support and there were continued foundation of Chantry in England
• How did Henry use the Bible to support his annulment?

  - He used the Old Testament, Leviticus Chapter 20 Verse 16

  - Here it stated, "If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an impurity; he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless (sonless)."
• How did Catherine of Aragon's supporters use the Bible to challenge the Annulment?

  - Catherine used the book ofDeuteronomy,which stated it was a man'sdutyto marry his brother's wife after his death and have children on his brother's behalf- Catherine's followers also argued that the Leviticus argument that Henry used was only applicable when a Brother was still alive
• What was William Tyndale's book?

  'Obedience of a Christian Man
• What was Simon Fish's book?

  'Supplication of the Beggars
• What was Christopher St Germaine's book?

  'Doctor and Student
• What did William Tydale argue?

  He used evidence form the Old Testament to defend the power and authority of Kings in their own country; excluding 'foreign' powers such as the Pope
• What did Simon Fish argue?

  He argued against the 'greedy and over-fed clerics
• What did Chrisopher St Germain Argue?

  He emphasised the role of the State in controlling the Church, thus acknowledging Henry VIII's right to govern the Church in England
• What was the Charge of Preamunire and what year did this happen?

  - 1530

  - This was a law banning the support of the Pope in England

  - Henry charged 15 of the upper clergy with supporting Wolsey's abuse of power against the King
• What was the Supplication of the Ordinaries and what year did this happen?

  - 1532

  - It was a petition calling the King to deal with the abuses and corruption of the clergy

  - This led Cromwell to be invited to join Henry's inner circle
• What was the Act for Submission of the Clergy and what year did this happen?

  - 1532

  - This was a document giving him power to veto Church laws and to choose bishops (even if not approved by Rome)
• What was the Act of Annates and what year did this happen?

  - 1532

  - Despite opposition, parliament passed and act preventing the payment of Annates to Rome, suspended for 1 year.
• What was the Act of Restraint of Appeals and what year did this happen?

  - 1533

  - This was passed by parliament denying Henry's subject's the right to appeal to the Pope against the decision in English Church Courts

  - This effectively prevented Catherine of Aragon from seeking Pope arbitration when the divorce case came before the courts
• What was the Act of Supremacy and when did this happen?

  - 1534

  - This acknowledged the King as the head of the Church and any denial of royal supremacy was counted as treason punishable by death

  - This was the final removal of Papal power in England
• What was the Treason Act and when did this happen?

  - 1534

  - This was used to enforce the Act of Supremacy - denial of royal supremacy was punishable by death

  - Denial could be through deed, act or spoken word
• What was the First Act of Succession and what year did this happen?

  - 1534

  - Declared the marriage to Catherine invalid and therefore made Mary illegitimate

  - Succession to the throne was now going to be the children of Henry VII and Anne Boleyn

  - The whole nation was to swear an oath to observe the Act of Succession, to deny succession was treasonable

  - This act led to the downfall of Thomas More
• What was the Act for First Fruits and Tenths and when did this happen?

  - 1534

  - Clerical taxes were to go to the King and not the Pope
• What were 5 reasons that Henry decided upon the dissolution of the monasteries?

  1 - It reduced the opponents to the break from Rome(especially Franciscans and Carthusians)

  2 - Henry didn't like monasteries being dedicated to outside of England (the 'imperial idea')

  3 - Financial motives - the church had huge financial resources and there was a concern for a Catholic crusade

  4 -Patronage and greed- the dissolution brought great wealth to Henry

  5 - Continental influence - the same was being done in Germany
• How did the Act of First Fruits and Tenths help dissolve the monasteries?

  - Allowed Henry to tax the Church

  - These taxes were previously paid to the Church and Pope when someone was appointed (first fruit) and then a tenth of their income after that yearly
• How did the Act of Supremacy help Henry get rid of the monasteries?

  It gave Henry the power to supervise and reform all religious establishments in England
• What did Cromwell do in 1535 to close monasteries?

  - Sent out commissioners to survey the value of monastic lands and properties to produce a report, the 'Valour Eccesiaticus' (value of the church)

  - He also sent out a second set of commissioners to investigate the moral and spiritual standards in monasteries
• What was the Act for the Dissolution of Smaller Monasteries and when did this happen?

  - 1536

  - It was based on Cromwell's findings and closed all religious houses with lands valued under £200 a year

  - New commissioners were sent out to supervise this, but this triggered the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire rebellion
• What happened in 1536-37 to aid the closure of the monasteries?

  The opposition of the Carthusian Monks to the dissolution of their establishments led to their execution by Henry
• What was the Act of Dissolution of Larger Monasteries and what year did this happen?

  - 1539

  - This act extended the closure to all religious houses except chantries (which were small private chapels in which prayers were said for the souls of dead)
• What was established in 1540 and what did this aim to do?

  - the Court of Augmentations

  - Richard Rich was the Chancellor

  - aimed to handle the property and income from the dissolved monasteries
• What was the impact of closing monasteries on Monastic buildings

  - Henry was charged with cultural vandalism for destroying Gothic buildings and books

  - Henry invested some of the money into education, creating new cathedral schools in Canterbury, Carlisle, Bristol and Chester

  - Christ Church Oxford and Trinity College Cambridge were established
• What was the impact of closing monasteries on Monks and Friars?

  - The majority found alternative jobs in the church

  - 6500/8000 moved on with their pension
• What was the impact of closing monasteries on Nuns?

  2000 nuns were not allowed to marry or become priests
• What was the impact of closing monasteries on the poor?

  - There was a detrimental effect upon an already worsening problem

  - however Dickens argues in 'The English Reformation','the theory that the suppression of the monasteries had a major cause of urban decay has nothing to commend it
• What was the impact of closing monasteries on Henry's profit?

  - Henry was charged with squandering wealth- May 1543, there was a rush to sell land with all the profit going on wars with Scotland and France- Just over 1/2 of monastic lands remained in his possession until 1547, showing he wasn't completely reckless-1547-the Crown made £800,000 from salesand saved harsh taxation
• How much had Crown income grown by by 1540?

  By 1540, Crown income had doubled from 120,000 to £250,000 Per Annum
• What did the reselling of Monastic land value at?

  £1.3 million
• What position was Thomas Cromwell given in 1531?

  1531 - a place King's Royal Council
• What position was Thomas Cromwell given in 1532?

  1532 - Master of the King's Jewels, giving him access to the King's private rooms in the palace