Church and State Flashcards
What was the role of the Church before 1529?
- The Roman Catholic Church was extremely influential in English affairs.
- Roman Catholic beliefs and practises permeated every aspect of peoples’ lives – performed marriages and funerals, key source of alms for the poor, Church festivals were key events in peoples’ lives.
- Church was a man source of education and learning – punishment of heretics who opposed Church teachings.
What was the role of the Church before 1529- positives and negatives.
Opportunity to rise through the Church to power, despite background e.g. Thomas Wolsey went from being a butcher to Henry VIII’s Chancellor and chief minister.
P- Church was in a stable position: The break with Rome was not an inevitable result of anti-clerical feeling. Biggest landowner in England; retained its prominent part in the everyday life of people – salvation through the seven sacraments. Almost 2/3s of English parish Churches were built or re-built in the 15th century.
N-Growing of rampant anti-clerical feeling: Humanist thinkers criticised the wealth of the Church and its clergy, criticised the sale of indulgences (Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five These 1517), out of touch as services held in Latin and worshipping saints was superstitious. Criticised absenteeism and pluralism.
How were the Church-state relations prior to 1529?
- The relationship between the monarch/ government and the Church was harmonious – flashpoints over disagreements about Church powers such as Benefit of the Clergy and Sanctuary.
- Also tensions about papal foreign intervention, which posed threat to the power of English kings.
- In 1512 there was an Act to limit benefit of the clergy.
- In parliament that met in 1515, anti-clerical feeling was exacerbated by the Hunne affair, focusing on the power and corruption of the Church after Richard Hunne was found dead (likely murdered by the Church) after failing to pay the mortuary fee for his infant son.
State some key facts about the background of the Acts of Supremacy (1934).
- Wolsey failed to present Henry VIII with an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, so was replaced by Cromwell who used parliament to break from papal control and place Henry as the Head of the Church of England.
1. Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates (1532) ECONOMIC – temporary stop to payments to Rome.
2. Submission of the Clergy (1532) POWER – unable to call convocation with Henry’s permission or pass canon laws, accept Henry’s power over them.
3. Act in the Restraint of Appeals (1533) LEGAL – stripped Church of legal power. Cromwell used ideas about Erastian Kingship and how the papacy had usurped the monarch’s divine sovereignty. Used the power of parliament to create statute law, parliament represented the realm of England thus justifying Henry and Cromwell’s actions.
Acts of Supremacy- Positives and Negatives
Power of monarchy and parliament
-Power of monarchy and parliament:
P- Yet by using an Act of Parliament to give the supremacy the authority of statute law, those who disobeyed it could be punished by law – if Henry issued a mere proclamation, it could be easily disobeyed - enhanced power of parliament, as future monarchs would have to call parliament to change Acts passed in 1530s; parliament’s confidence grew.
P- Paved the way for the Treason Act – going against the King or even speaking against the supremacy could be punished by law.
P- Henry and Cromwell reinforced royal sovereignty – English subjects adhered to the will of the monarch, over the Pope in Rome.
-Relationship between Church and State:
N- In some ways, the Act was no more than a law which accepted Henry’s assumption of the royal supremacy, a process which was well under way in 1532-33 with the Submission of the Clergy and Act in Restraint of Appeals – by the time the act was passed Henry had already been the Head of the English Church for more than a year, significance relatively limited.
Acts of Supremacy- Positives
Relationship between Church and State
-Relationship between Church and State:
P- Reinforced Royal Control over the English Church, and ensured first allegiance of the clergy to Henry VIII, not the papacy – had to swear an oath.
P- 1535 appointed Cromwell as Vicegerent in Spirituals – power to enforce Henry’s wishes despite not being part of the clergy.
P- Church privileges such as Benefit of the Clergy and Sanctuary were abolished – the finances, administration and legal powers were directly under the control of Henry VIII.
What happened during the Dissolution of the monasteries (starts 1535).
- The Valor Ecclesiasticus, a valuation of the church, was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and some parts of Ireland in 1535.
- As Vicegerent in Spirituals, Cromwell masterminded the dissolution of the monasteries.
- MONEY: Last monasteries dissolved in 1540 – former monastic lands and property returned to the Crown.
- Henry VIII acquired 1.3 million from former monastic estates.
- ALLEGIANCE OF NOBILITY: Land sold to members of the nobility such as the Cecil’s and Spencer’s – increased monarch’s control and gentry and nobility had vested interest in maintaining the break with Rome.
- PATRONAGE TAKEN FROM CHURCH: Equally, the powers of patronage were transferred from the hands of the clergy to the squires and gentry, as they now owned lands which they could sell or work people on.
- INFLUENCE OF ROME: Monasteries, with their allegiance to the papacy disappeared from England, thus increasing the control of the monarchy and the Pope’s influence was diminished.
What were the key changes made to the Church under Henry VIII?
- Cromwell key to promote doctrinal change:
- The Act of Ten Articles (1536) – mostly Catholic, changes sacraments from seven to three. Injunctions to the clergy in 1536/38 – discouraged superstitious practises such as pilgrimages. Ambiguous on transubstantiation so as not to upset the Catholics. - After 1539 the pace of religious changed decreased as Henry was not a reformer:
- 1539 Act of Six Articles, which reinforced Catholic doctrines on transubstantiation and celibacy. - Despite the return to more traditional Catholic beliefs, there was never any suggestion that England should return to Rome, and Henry indeed retained his supremacy over the English Church.
What were the Key changes made to the Church under Edward VI?
- 1549 Act of Uniformity introduced Thomas Cranmer’s new English Book of Common Prayer – compulsory to attend church service, appearance of the English parish church very different.
- 1552 more Protestant version of the Common Book of Prayer – moved away from transubstantiation, denied the real presence.
- Also introduced the 42 Articles in 1552 – Cranmer’s changes altered the nature of the English Church in a more fundamental way.
What were the key changes made to the Church under Mary I?
- 1549 Act of Uniformity introduced Thomas Cranmer’s new English Book of Common Prayer – compulsory to attend church service, appearance of the English parish church very different.
- 1552 more Protestant version of the Common Book of Prayer – moved away from transubstantiation, denied the real presence.
- Also introduced the 42 Articles in 1552 – Cranmer’s changes altered the nature of the English Church in a more fundamental way.
What were the changes made to the Act of Supremacy in 1559 by Elizabeth?
- Elizabeth had to re-establish the royal supremacy and find a via media (middle way) which could satisfy both the Catholics and the Protestants, and retain her position as Supreme Head of the Church of England, as a woman.
- Half of the House of Lords were Catholic (bishops appointed by Mary) – Cecil and Elizabeth needed to convince the HOL to pass the necessary legislation for the new supremacy.
- Bill for supremacy and the bill for uniformity – if the more radical uniformity bill was opposed it would not affect the supremacy.
- Elizabeth’s governship of the Church of England remained in place throughout her reign and proved to be a much more durable development than the original supremacy established by Henry VIII, despite the only threat in the form of the Revolt of the Northern Earls in 1569.
Injunctions of The Act of Supremacy 1559.
> Recusants reported to Privy Council or JPs.
> Unlicensed preaching banned. This attacked radical Puritanism which may cause unrest and undermining of the Queen’s and bishop’s authority.
> Each parish to have an English Bible.
> Congregation had to bow at name of Jesus and knee to pray, Clergy to wear distinctive dress including surplice (long white gown worn since the time of Edward VI).
> Elizabeth made ‘Supreme Governor’ instead of ‘Supreme Head’ of the Church, in order to appeal to the Catholics.
> All Officials had to swear an oath accepting the title.
> Re-imposed a more radical 1552 Prayer Book to the
moderate 1549 Prayer Book.
> Fines for those who refused to attend weekly Church services.
> All but one of Mary’s bishops refused to accept the new Oath of Supremacy – allowed Elizabeth to replace them with Protestant sympathisers.
