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The Changing Ways of Henry VIII

Directions:ReadthetextanddocumentsrelatingtotheEnglishReformationandanswerthequestions.

TheProtestantReformationbeganwithcriticismoftheCatholicChurchbypriestsandotherreligiousthinkers.InEngland,theReformationbeganwiththeking.HenryVIIIbecamekingofEnglandin1509attheageof17.Asayoungking,hewasadevoutCatholicwhowroteangryprotestsagainstthe“venomous”ideasofLuther.Henry’sactionswonhimthetitle“DefenderoftheFaith.”Document#1-HenryVIII’sLettertoPopeLeoXonthesubjectofhisbook“AssertioSeptemSacramentorum”criticizingMartinLuther(1521)MostHolyFather:NodutyismoreimportantforaCatholicrulerthantopreserveandincreasetheChristianfaithandreligionbyhisexampleandbypreventingitfrombeingdestroyedbyanyassailantoftheFaithorinanywayimpaired....weshalleverdefendandupholdtheHolyRomanChurch,notonlybyforceofarmsbutbytheresourcesofourintelligenceandservicesasaChristian.YourHoliness'mostdevotedandhumbleson,Henry,bythegraceofGodKingofEnglandandFrance,andLordofIreland

1. Atthistime,whatwasKingHenry’sviewtowardtheCatholicChurch?

By1525,Henry’swife,CatherineofAragon,thedaughterofFerdinandandIsabellaofSpain,hadborneonlyonechild,agirlnamedMary.ThispresentedaproblemforHenry,whowantedamaleheirtosucceedhimonedayasking.ItwasthoughtthatafemalemonarchcouldweakenEnglandpolitically,andHenrybelievedCatherine,whohadreachedherforties,wouldneverproduceamaleheir.SincedivorcewastechnicallyforbiddenbytheCatholicChurch,Henrydecidedtohavethemarriageannulled,ordeclaredinvalidbasedonchurchlaws,sothathecouldmarryagain.Ofcourse,therewasnorealreasonwhythemarriageshouldbeconsideredinvalid,butsincehewasaking,heassumedthatPopeClementVIIwouldbewillingtobendtherulesabitforhim.

Document#2-LetterfromKingHenryVIIItoLordBenedetto,Henry’scontacttothePope.Henrywassendinghisambassadortoaskforadivorce(1529)Ourmostdearfriend,greetings.Inthepastwehavereceivedkindtreatmentfromyou.Wefeelweoweyousuchkindtreatmentinthefuture,andwillnotbehappyuntilweareabletodoso.Wenowsincerelybegthatyoucontinuetoshowusyourmostfairtreatment.WearesendinganotherambassadorofourstoHisMajestyforimportantbusinessofoursandweprayyoutreathimwiththesamekindtreatmentandlistentowhathehastosayasifitwereuswhowerespeakinginperson.Afortunatefarewell.FromOurcourtatLondon,18January1529

2. WhydoyouthinkHenryisbeingsopoliteinthisletter?Whatishisobjective?

However,Henry’swifeCatherineofAragonhappenedtoalsobetheauntofHolyRomanEmperorCharlesV.Theemperorwasopposedtotheannulment,andthepopeknewthat,ifheweretograntit,

theemperorwouldconsideritapersonaloffence.ConsideringHenrytobelessofathreatthantheHolyRomanEmperor,thepoperefusedtograntHenrytheannulment.WhileHenryarguedwiththepopeoverhisannulment,hefellinlovewithAnneBoleyn.HenrysoontookmattersintohisownhandsbysummoningParliament.KnownastheReformationParliament,thegatheringledtoadeclarationthatEnglandnolongerconsidereditselfundertheauthorityofthepope.Instead,HenryhimselfbecametheheadofthenewChurchofEngland,alsoknownastheAnglicanChurch.Since,unlikeLuther,Henry’sconflictwiththeCatholicChurchwasnotovermattersofbeliefandpractice,

hedidnotdomuchtochangetheritualsofthechurch.However,HenryclosedCatholicmonasteriesandconventsanddistributedmuchofthelandtonobles.ThishelpedbuildmorepublicsupportforthesplitfromtheChurch.

3. WhydidthePoperefusetograntHenryanannulmentforhismarriagetoCatherine?

4. AnglicanismisverysimilartoCatholicisminmanyofitsbeliefsandpractices.Whyisthatthecase?

In1533,HenrysecretlymarriedAnneBoleyn,whowasinhertwenties.Shortlyafter,ParliamentlegalizedHenry’sdivorcefromCatherine.In1534,Henry’sbreakwiththepopewascompletedwhenParliamentvotedtoapprovetheActofSupremacy.ThiscalledonpeopletotakeanoathrecognizingthedivorceandacceptingHenry,notthepope,astheofficialheadofEngland’sChurch.Document#3-TheActinRestraintofAppealsMadebyEnglishParliament(1533)EnglandisanempiregovernedbyonesupremeKingwhohasthepowerofanimperialcrown.ThroughhisgovernmenttheKinghasthefollowingofpeoplewhoowehimhumbleobediencesecondonlytotheirobediencetoGod.Justasimportantly,theKingisgivenhispower,importance,authority,andtherighttorenderjusticewithinhisrealmbyAlmightyGodhimself.Fromnowonwhenanycauseofthedivinelawhappenstocomeinquestionorofspirituallearning,itwillbeinterpretedbytheEnglishChurch,withouttheintermeddlingofanyexteriorpersonorpersons,suchasthePope.TheKingofthisrealmmayalsomakelawsfortheconservationoftherightsandlibertiesoftheimperialcrownofthisrealm.ThiswillkeepussafefromtheannoyanceandattacksfromRomeandanyotherforeignrulerattemptingtoweakenordestroythisrealm.ThisincludeslawsthathavebeencreatedbecauseofdisagreementswithRomeaboutmatrimonyanddivorces,requiredpaymentsandgiftstotheChurch.ThesecausegreattroubleandcostsoftheKing’sHighnessandtheEnglishpeople.ThismustallhappenbecausethegreatdistanceanddifferencebetweenEnglandandRomemakesitimpossibleforRometoknowthetruecauseofanEnglishproblemandthereforecannothelpsolvetheproblem.

5. AccordingtothisactofParliament,whogivestheEnglishKingtherighttorule?

6. HowdidthisactchangetherelationshipbetweentheEnglishChurchandthePopeinRome?

Document#4-HenryVIII'sActofSupremacy(1534)TheKing'sMajestyjustlyandrightfullyisandoughttobethesupremeheadoftheChurchofEngland,andsoisrecognizedbytheclergyofthisrealm.BytheauthorityofthisParliament,theking,hisheirsandsuccessors,shallbetaken,accepted,andreputedtheonlysupremeheadinearthoftheChurchofEngland,calledAnglicansEcclesia.

7. Accordingtothisact,theheadoftheChurchofEnglandis________________________________.

TheActofSupremacymetsomeopposition.ThomasMore,eventhoughhehadstronglycriticizedtheChurch,remainedadevoutCatholic.Hisfaith,hesaid,wouldnotallowhimtoacceptthetermsoftheactandherefusedtotaketheoath.Inresponse,HenryhadhimarrestedandimprisonedintheTowerofLondon.In1535,Morewasfoundguiltyofhightreasonandexecuted.Document#5-AccountoftheexecutionsofJohnFisherandThomasMorewrittenbytheTudorchroniclerEdwardHall1535

Thisyearthreemonkswerecondemnedofhightreasonagainsttheking,andsentencedtobedrawn,hanged,disemboweled,beheadedandquartered.JohnFisher,bishopofRochester,wasalsocondemnedfortreasonagainsttheking.Thejuryruledheshouldbehanged,curdownalive,hisbowelstakenoutofhisbodyandburntbeforehim,hisheadcutoff,andhisbodybedividedintofourpartsandhisheadandbodybesetinsuchplacesasthekingshouldassign.TheeffectofthetreasonwasdenyingthekingtobeSupremeHeadoftheChurchofEngland,accordingtoastatute,TheActofSupremacy,madeinthelastsessionofParliament.Thisyearalso,SirThomasMore,sometimechancellorofEngland,wasarraignedforhightreasonandcondemned.HewasbeheadedandhisheadwassetonLondonBridge.TheeffectofhisdeathwasforthesamecausethatthebishopofRochesterdiedfor.

8. Whowerethesepeopleandwhyweretheypunishedinthisway?

Henrydidnotimmediatelygetthemaleheirhesought.AfterAnneBoleyngavebirthtoadaughter,Elizabeth,shefelloutofHenry’sfavor.Eventually,shewaschargedwithtreason.LikeThomasMore,shewasimprisonedintheTowerofLondon.Shewasfoundguiltyandbeheadedin1536.Almostatonce,Henrytookathirdwife,JaneSeymour.In1537,shegavehimasonnamedEdward.Henry’shappinesswastemperedbyhiswife’sdeathjusttwoweekslater.Henrymarriedthreemoretimes.Noneofthesemarriages,however,producedchildren.

AfterHenry’sdeathin1547,eachofhisthreechildrenruledEnglandinturn.Thiscreatedreligiousturmoil.Henry’sson,Edward,becamekingwhenhewasjustnineyearsold.Tooyoungtorulealone,EdwardVIwasguidedbyadultadvisers.ThesemenweredevoutProtestants,andtheyintroducedProtestantreformstotheEnglishChurch.Almostconstantlyinillhealth,Edwardreignedforjustsixyears.Mary,thedaughterofCatherineofAragon,tookthethronein1553.ShewasaCatholicwhoreturnedtheEnglishChurchtotheruleofthepope.Hereffortsmetwithconsiderableresistance,andshehadmanyProtestantsexecuted,earningherthenickname“BloodyMary.”WhenMarydiedin1558,Elizabeth,AnneBoleyn’sdaughter,inheritedthethrone.

9. WhydidtheChurchofEnglandbecomemoreProtestantduringthereignofKingEdward?

ElizabethIwasdeterminedtoreturnherkingdomtoProtestantism.In1559,ParliamentfollowedElizabeth’swishesandsetuptheChurchofEngland,orAnglicanChurch,withElizabethasitshead.ThiswastobetheonlylegalchurchinEngland.ElizabethdecidedtoestablishastatechurchthatmoderateCatholicsandmoderateProtestantsmightbothaccept.TopleaseProtestants,priestsintheChurchofEnglandwereallowedtomarry.TheycoulddeliversermonsinEnglish,notLatin.TopleaseCatholics,theChurchofEnglandkeptsomeofthetrappingsoftheCatholicservicesuchasrichrobes.Inaddition,churchserviceswererevisedtobesomewhatmoreacceptabletoCatholics.Bytakingthismoderateapproach,ElizabethbroughtalevelofreligiouspeacetoEngland.Religion,however,remainedaproblem.SomeProtestantspushedforElizabethtomakemorefar-reachingchurch

reforms.Atthesametime,someCatholicstriedtooverthrowElizabethandreplaceherwithhercousin,theCatholicMaryQueenofScots.Astrongqueen,Elizabethsurvivedthesestruggles,firmlyestablishingtheChurchofEnglandandherruleasQueen.Elizabeth'slongreignisknownastheElizabethanera.TheperiodisfamousfortheflourishingofEnglishdrama,ledbyplaywrightssuchasWilliamShakespeare.England'sdefeatoftheSpanishArmadain1588associatedElizabethwithoneofthegreatestmilitaryvictoriesinEnglishhistory.[MaintextadaptedfromWorldHistory:HumanLegacybySusanRamirez,etal.andfromWorldHistory:PatternsofInteractionbyRogerBeck,etal.]

10. HowdidQueenElizabethreachapeacefulsolutiontothereligiousconflictinEngland?

11. ConsideringtheaccomplishmentsofQueenElizabeth,doyouthinkHenry’sdeterminationtoproduceamaleheirwasworththetrouble?Werehisfearsaboutafemalerulerjustified?