Part II: The English Reformation

A saga of loyalty, disloyalty, love and lust

If we remember, England had been through a long civil war

prior to Henry VII’s succession

The objectives for this slide show are:

• You will know why the War of the Roses influenced the actions of Henry VII and Henry VIII

• Identify the reasons for Henry VIII’s split from the Catholic Church

• What role did Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn play in precipitating this split?

• Judge for yourself: did Henry remain a Catholic or not in his beliefs?

Henry VII was not the only one who had a claim to the throne

Henry had married Elizabeth of York to solidify his claim

But the War of the Roses remained in living memory.

Henry VII would be called a usurper from time to time

Henry VII had two sons and two daughters who survived

infancy

• His eldest son, Arthur, married the daughter of Catherine of Aragon.

• Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella• Catherine was the sister of Juana de Loco—Crazy

Joanna who wouldn’t let her husband’s body be buried

Arthur died 6 months after he had married Catherine, in

1502

•Catherine had a rich dowry—England could not risk letting it go back to Spain

Later on, this would be a question of primary importance: Was the marriage of Catherine of Aragon

and Arthur consummated?• Catherine of

Aragon always insisted that they had lived together as brother and sister because of their young ages (15 and 16)

Catherine remained in England, in limbo, for seven years after Arthur

died.

• While living in England, she was impoverished and a pawn between England and Spain

• Henry VII initially tried to betroth her to his surviving son, Prince Henry.

• Henry VII dies in 1509, and his son accedes the throne as Henry VIII

• Her father, Ferdinand of Aragon, insists that she marry the younger brother of Arthur, Prince Henry

Henry VIII marries Catherine, despite the doubts of the

Pope, Julius II, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

They expressed concern that Catherine would now have been

married to both brothers.

Initially, Catherine and Henry had a happy marriage

• They were both religious• Henry VIII even wrote a book called “The

Defense of Seven Sacraments.”

The Defense of Seven Sacraments defended the many sacraments of the

Catholic church that were being attacked by the

reformers as needless and repetitive

This book earned Henry VIII the title of “Defender of the

Faith”

Catherine bore Henry many children. They were either

still born or lived a brief time.

Only a daughter, Mary, survived.

Henry began to feel that his marriage was cursed because of

the lack of heirs.

He sought an annulment from the Pope based on the fact that Catherine had been

married to his brother.

The Pope should have granted Henry VIII the

annulment because annulments for lesser reasons had occurred

amongst European Royalty

Can you guess why he did not grant the annulment to

Henry?

Catherine objected to the divorce—and it was her nephew Charles V who supported her objection

The Pope did not want to displease the Emperor

Henry took the bold move to separate from the Catholic

Church

• He appointed Cardinal Wolsey to help him

• He asked (or forced) his followers to take an oath of supremacy

• The Act of Supremacy made the English King head of the Church of England. It was signed in 1534.

Sir Thomas More, a friend of Erasmus, was executed for refusing to sign the oath

Henry’s attitude became more

extreme over time

• Originally, he did not intend to change the doctrines at all.

• He just wanted to be the head of the church and not subject to the Pope’s authority.

• Once the separation began, many reformers in England saw this as a welcome move

These reformers closely followed the development of Lutheranism

on mainland Europe

Henry VIII was in love with Anne Boleyn—this gave him another

excuse to pursue the separation from Rome

Anne would not become his mistress. She wanted to be

Queen or nothing else

Their courtship went on for almost seven years. Henry VIII risked all for his lust of

Anne Boleyn

Never lose your mind over a woman.

Or you will keep these people in business

Henry VIII confiscated monastic lands and church wealth as the

English Reformation ensued

The monasteries were dissolved.

The land and wealth was passed out to Henry’s loyal

followers

Many monasteries and abbeys fell into disrepair and ruin

Their ruins inspired the Romantic poets of the early 19th century

Other church buildings were saved when they became

Protestant Churches

Many churches suffer vandalism when their statues and windows are smashed in an anti-Catholic

reaction

The landed classes will continue to support the Kings and

Queens of England

Henry marries Anne Boleyn in 1532

They have a daughter, Elizabeth, in 1533

• Henry moves quickly to eliminate Anne when she gives birth to a still born son a year and a half later

Anne was put on trial, and the accusations against her were

solicited under torture.

Anne was executed by a French Swordsman at the Tower of

London in 1536

http://www.viperalley.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/14204

She left the baby Elizabeth who will eventually become

England’s greatest Queen

Henry goes on to have four more wives.

His third wife, Jane Seymour will finally give him son. She will die ten days later

Henry will not be attracted to fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

They have an amicable divorce

Fifth wife Catherine Howard will be found guilty of adultery/treason

She will be executed in 1542.

Six wife, Catherine Parr, survives Henry. She attempts to unite the

three half siblings, Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward

Henry VIII will not show visible regret over his bringing about the

English Reformation. His personal beliefs swayed between Catholicism and Protestantism.

He dies in 1547.

So much was at stake that he saw it

through, despite many private

disappointments

He was a complex man who became very difficult as his health

declined.

So, as we end this part of our story, we can recall the ditty:

Henry VIII had six wives—One divorcedOne beheaded

One diedOne divorcedOne beheadedOne survived

England is now Protestant. . .but stay tuned. .

The objectives for this slide show were:

• You will know why the War of the Roses influenced the actions of Henry VII and Henry VIII

• Identify the reasons for Henry VIII’s split from the Catholic Church

• What role did Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn play in precipitating this split?

• Judge for yourself: did Henry remain a Catholic or not in his beliefs?