.
Before King Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon became annulled, there were rumors of a Protestant Reformation in Europe. During 1517, a German professor named Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses against the doors of the Castle Church of Wittenberg about how he didn’t agree with Catholic beliefs and starting a Protestant Reformation. With Henry VIII being a strong Catholic believer, he was outraged. Later that year, Henry started writing a book attacking Luther’s ideas, “Henry was indignant at Luther’s arguments, but sensed, also, his own chance to assert that loyalty to the Pope...” (Bowle 88). It was paramount that King Henry VIII looked like a strong, faithful Catholic leader in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church that
…show more content…
The book was called The Defence of the Seven Sacraments and became published throughout Europe in 1522. The book became one of the most influential pieces of Catholic writing throughout the Renaissance which was important to Henry and England because the book made them look like strong and powerful Catholics. Although Henry was a devout Catholic ruler, when on the verge of being bankrupt due to his personal extravagance as well as his numerous costly continental wars, he came up with a plan. “He would close England’s Catholic monasteries and seize their wealth. It was the perfect plan. Henry would solve his financial problems and attack the Catholic Church all in one blow” (Stewart 92). This plan both helped and hindered all of England because England’s Catholic monasteries were taken away, but at the same time a new Church of England was created, where the Catholic religion was still practiced. Although Henry VIII was still Catholic, he had closed the Catholic monasteries to make the Pope upset. Many Catholics became angry however, Henry was not trying to take away Catholicism, but rather than adjust it to the Church of England rather than the Roman Catholic …show more content…
There had always been tension between the two religions, but after rumors of a Protestant Reformation, uncertainty was among all English citizens. Anne Boleyn became the new English Queen, but still could not produce any male heirs. Although Anne was Catholic, “Religious reformers and protestants sensed that Anne was on their side” (Stewart 70). This did not help Anne or Henry’s case, because rumors of a Protestant Queen on a Catholic throne of England could have ruined Henry VIII’s ties with other Catholic countries. Anne did not do much as queen besides giving birth to Elizabeth I, who later on in history would become very important for England’s history. However, she would always want to try and include herself in things she did not belong (Weir 145). Henry was always very controlling and never let his wives partake in business because Kings were considered superior to Queens. Henry VIII’s job was to maintain peace and rule throughout England, and Anne’s job was to give birth to male heirs to succeed Henry. Again habits continued, and Henry grew tired of Anne, and even finding her annoying. With no healthy male heirs, she became useless, and after three years of marriage, Henry executed her for treason and adultery. “In many ways, Anne was her own worst enemy: she
Though she only lived to some 35 years and her reign as Queen Consort of England lasted a mere three years, Anne Boleyn, loved by many among the royal court and referred to as the “great whore” by her many enemies, left a legacy that will last through the ages as one of the most famous and influential royals of all time. Ultimately, it was King Henry VIII’s romantic interest in the young Anne, and his desire to produce a legitimate male heir, that led him to disavow his relationship with Pope Clement VII and the Catholic Church, to found the Church of England and begin a period of religious and political change known as the English Reformation.
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.
We can see that Henry also went with protestant beliefs, which shows that maybe he wasn’t just making a new church to get what he wanted. However one peculiar thing is that the Church of England still had transubstantiation, a major Catholic belief and one that Protestants disagreed with. This gives us the impression that Henry was torn between the two faiths. Henry’s actions show him up as a definite protestant, yet the hints that he was once Catholic definitely show. Some people may see Henry calling the act of supremacy as a bit power crazed and greedy. The Act of Supremacy was an act of parliament which allowed king Henry to declare that he was 'the only supreme head on earth of the Church in England' and that the English crown shall enjoy "all honours, dignities, preeminence’s, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, profits, and commodities." This shows that there was always the threat of even Henry’s new church under the threat of corruption from himself. Henry would constantly be tempted with, money and power being the head of his church.
During the 1500s, the citizens of England were overcome with multiple transitions of religion due to their monarch. The first notable instance of religious alteration was when Henry the VIII took the throne. During his reign, he ruled the Act of Supremacy, which separated England from the Catholic Church, and so Henry VIII established the Church of England, of which he was the leader of. This individual action indirectly prompted many other spiritual changes that would take place in England during the years to come, led by his successors. Even if his ruling may have ultimately been positive, it is utterly clear that at the time, Henry VIII's reformation was motivated purely by his selfish desires for a male heir. This was very dissimilar to Martin Luther's reformation, which was led by Luther's faith and loyalty to god. Though the two men both transformed the perception of religion in Europe drastically, the advancements were made for vastly different reasons. (#8)
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
Furthermore, in England, King Henry VIII considered himself a worthy Catholic king. He had “enthusiastically attacked the outbreak of Protestant heresy when it began, and the papacy gave him the title Defender of the Faith as a result”. This did not matter when Henry wanted to divorce from Catherine of Aragon. When the church would not grant the divorce he wanted, Henry’s resulting decision to create the Church of England set the standards for more than a century of religious conflict/isues in England. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 essentially “took power away from the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.” Henry VIII made an entirely new church which he made himself head of, because he was the king. This demonstrates the actions that politics affected Europe and that they were not always necessarily for religious purposes but for power and personal
In the 1300s a time period known as the Renaissance emerged.The renaissance became a time of rebirth for the people that were once restricted by the church’s strict rules. This break away from the church began with an event called the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation started with a German monk named Martin Luther. Martin Luther nailed 95 theses onto a catholic church door complaining about the church’s corrupt practices of selling indulgences. Martin Luther’s complaints inspired many other people to protest, thus creating the Protestant religion. Even though people were more inclined to leave the church, society was still governed by religion. King Henry the 8th was apart of the Protestants religion, and was the head of the
The Pope is outraged by Henry’s move to break with the Catholic church and he is excommunicated for breaking with Papal authority. King Henry and Queen Anne produce a daughter shortly after their secret marriage. Their daughter Elizabeth would be their only surviving child. Once again, there was an issue with the failure to produce a male heir. He soon grew tired of Anne. In 1536, she was accused of adultery and executed. In 1537, Henry took a third wife, Jane Seymour. With Jane, Henry finally produces a male heir, Arthur. Unfortunately, Jane dies shortly after the baby’s birth due to complications with the birth.
Henry VIII was the second child of his family. Arthur, his older brother, died in April the year
King Henry VIII was one of the most powerful rulers in the fifteenth century, who had a very captivating life many people are not aware of. Most people know Henry VIII as a berserk king with too many wives, but there is more to Henry VIII than that. Many few people know about his life and what he truly contributed to our world. Henry VIII was an almighty leader in England who won’t soon be forgotten.
The events had a great effect on the future. When the Yorkists were defeated at the battle of Bosworth Field, Henry VII became king. It had been hard for Henry to win the throne. He had been in exile, and had had to do constant campaigning to get as far as he did. However, there were still threats to his title. There were various pretenders, as well as Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be Edward V's younger brother, Richard Duke of York. After several attacks, to try win back the throne, Henry VII finally had him imprisoned and executed. Though problems left over from the Wars of the Roses were not over yet. Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, the oldest daughter of the Yorkist King Edward IV, in 1486 ( Six Wives). This was convenient, since,
King Henry VIII was one of the most infamous monarchs in English History. King Henry VIII gained legitimacy through the Elitist Theory and the power from his father, he gained power the Coercion Theory and the killing of his wives, and he retained authority through the Machiavellian Theory and becoming Protestant. King Henry VIII used the power from his father successfully which led him to gaining legitimacy. Henry also took advantage of the killing of his wives in order to show power. Finally, King Henry VIII became Protestant in order to retain authority. The first step in his journey to retain authority was to gain legitimacy.
King Henry VIII is famous for his many wives and his behaviour towards them. Catherine of Aragon was divorced and he agreed to the execution of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard by beheading. But the accomplishments of King Henry VIII went much further and covered military, religious and political accomplishments (Alchin).
Henry VIII was the King that would change England’s religious system and make it his legacy. The religious system would carry on after his reign and become the predominant religion of England. The question is: How did events connected to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign cause for a permanent shift in the religious system of England? This question will be answered by analyzing events related to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign. These events will not be a biographical representation of any one historical figure, but relayed in connection to the topic of this paper in order to provide an answer for the essay question. This method is being utilized because it provides an analytical perspective, while also providing a personal appeal by tying the facts in with historical figures. History is not just facts, it is a story, and like any good story it should pull a reader in and make them interested. The historical figures utilized will be Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer due to their direct correlation to the change in the religious system of England. The sources utilized were chosen and implemented in relation to how they encompassed concepts related to historical
A successful king is one who is intelligent, determined, and curious. King Henry VIII possessed these traits, and also accomplished many great things for his country, leaving it in a better and stronger state than before. Born in June 1491, in Greenwich, Henry was the second son of his parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. As he grew up, Henry was trained by his father to be a churchman, while Arthur, his older brother, prepared to become king. However, when Arthur suddenly died before becoming king, the role was passed to Henry in 1509. Although he wasn’t fully trained, Henry ruled successfully, and had many achievements during his rule, including leaving England with suitable leaders after his death, disestablishing the Catholic church and creating the Church of England, and by fathering the English Navy.