How Did Thomas Cranmer Influence Society

Born the second son of a royal family, Henry Tudor lived a very interesting life. His future was intended to be the head of the Roman Catholic Church and that fate ended with the death of his brother, Prince Arthur. Henry’s majestic life was full of sports, women, and faith. The young King acceded his father to the throne, married six women, and began the English Reformation when he broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created his own religion.

The Protestant Reformation was a pivotal time of European history that occurred during the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was comprised of people called “reformers” that challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice (“The Reformation”). The Protestant Reformation was revolutionary due to the fact that the reformers preached against everything the Catholic Church had been teaching. Some famous reformers are John Calvin and Martin Luther. However, Martin Luther-- to some--- is named the most successful and influential reformer of the 16th century. Martin Luther was tremendously effective and influential due to how resourceful he was, and his teachings spread across Europe swiftly.

Martin Luther .  He declared that the Bible alone was the source of God's words.  He started the "Protestant Reformation."

17.Martin Luther- He began the Protestant Reformation in 16th century Europe after nailing his “95 Theses” against corrupt Catholic churches and the purchases of indulgences, to the door of a church

John Calvin, a Genevan, modified Martin Luther’s ideas of the Reformation to create the faith of Calvinism, and later wrote the Latin tome Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536.

The English Reformation was a detailed process, in 16th-century England, where the Church of England broke ties with the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. It all began with King Henry VIII marriage with Catherine of Aragon. After years of marriage Catherine had not produced a male heir who survived into adulthood angering the King. With this in mind King Henry will set his eyes own Anne Boleyn who was a maid of honor to Queen Catherine. By the late 1520s, Henry wanted his marriage to Catherine annulled, claiming it to be invalid due to the fact that Catherine was his late brothers wife making it wrong for Henry VIII to be allowed to marry her. In 1527 Henry asked the Pope, Pope Clement VII, to annul his marriage. The pope refused in fear of the Queen’s nephew, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. this

King Henry VIII was an important figure in helping to kick start the Reformation in England, even though it was not his intent. His break with the Papacy and his constantly changing ideas on how the new Church of England should be run gave the Protestants the foothold they needed to gain popularity in Europe. Although his intentions were purely politically motivated, he started a change in the way the layman viewed the church and how it should be run.

In the early 1500s, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, grew in the favor of Henry VIII. When Henry VIII was attempting to divorce Catherine of Aragon, Thomas Cranmer helped Henry VIII build his case for the annulment of the marriage. Thomas Cranmer also supported the law of Royal Supremacy, which made the king the head of the Church. These things led to Thomas Cranmer getting in Henry VIII “good books” which later helped him once Edward VI acceded the throne. Thomas Cranmer’s willingness to compromise helped him reach such a powerful position in the church so quickly. If Cranmer had gone about things the way Luther did, he would have easily been executed for heresy and defying the Law of Treason and Heresy by revolting against the king. By compromising some

The reformation housed many impressive inventions such as the creation of gunpowder and the printing press along with many divisions like wars and radical religious ideas. The reformation was a period in history that caused many changes to the way Christianity operated forcing many communities to re-divide themselves among different religious loyalties. People like Martin Luther and John Calvin questioned their religion and aspects of the way the greedy and corrupt religious leaders, such as Pope Leo X, operated instead of following blindly like most people at that time. Questions asked by these famous reformers led to many anxious and spiritual qualms towards Protestantism or Catholicism. With these

Saint Thomas More (1478-1535), the patron saint of statesmen, lawyers and politicians, acted as a beacon of pious courage during the Middle Ages. His courage stands out because he was willing to stand up to the government, at ultimately be beheaded in defense of his beliefs. Though only a layman in the Church, having only briefly considered priesthood, More was nonetheless adept at balancing a healthy prayer life with a career as a statesman and being a husband and father of four children. Even while he served as the Lord Chancellor of England and as a member of Parliament, he would often regularly fast. Thomas More fell out of grace with the English government following the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation in England.

Henry VIII, the king of England and founder of Anglicanism had changing views on government authority and religion alike. According to Henry, the government should run with no questioning of authorities or laws, which are already perfect, due to the following belief. Henry VIII was made king due to God’s will, and those who oppose him shall be opposing God himself. Therefore, any decision made by the government is never wrong because it was carried out by a man appointed by God. At first, Henry’s views heavily supported the Catholic and differed immensely from Luther’s, influencing him to write “Defense of the Seven Sacraments.” Henry’s motives for departing from the Catholic church are more personal rather than based

In the same year the bible was published, A John Wycliff died. Wycliffe was considered the “Morning Star of Reformation” because of his work to change the church. His course of action was to write books on his belief that Jesus, not the Pope, was the true head of the church, and other topics. When he died, his books were burned, his body exhumed and burned, and was declared a heretic by the church. Another reformer of the church was B. Jan Hus.

The time between 1450 to 1650 is commonly known to many as “The Early Modern Period” (True, “The Early Modern Period” slide 2). This point in history is filled with important people, movements, and advancements in many fields (True, “The Early Modern Period”). Some of the most prominent names from this time are Martin Luther and King Henry VIII (True, “The Protestant Reformation”). All of these people played a significant role in an event referred to as the “Protestant Reformation” (True, “The Protestant Reformation”). For instance, “Martin Luther formed his own church…” (True, “Martin Luther” Slide 9). All of these people left their mark on history in some way. Another important, but less talked about person, is Thomas Cromwell. Although, not as widely discussed Thomas Cromwell left his mark on the Protestant Reformation in many ways. For example, Thomas Cromwell was a major reason for a change in the regulations (“History of Parliament Online”). Thomas Cromwell was also a major reason that the “Bible” became widely available to people (Price & Ryrie, 73). Because of these actions, Thomas Cromwell was able to further the progress of the Protestant agenda and therefore is an important person in this time period.

“Unless I am convinced by proofs from scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract anything I have written, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” Martin Luther stated these words in 1521 when he was asked whether he still believed what his works taught. The Protestant Reformation was a movement during the 16th century, which aimed to reform some beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The reformation was led by a German monk named Martin Luther and was further modified by John Calvin, a French theologian and Henry VIII, the king of England. The ideas bought forward by these individuals started the Protestant Reformation, which triggered wars, prosecutions and the Counter-Reformation.

had such a big influence in the time which he lived from 1509 to 1564. John Calvin