Church-state relations Flashcards
1
Q
before 1529
A
- Roman catholic church extremely influential in English affairs
- beliefs permeated every aspect of people’s lives
- growing anti-clerical feeling - the wealth of the church was criticised for the sale of indulgences (Martin Luther 1517- 95 theses)
- Overall Church was in a stable position - criticism did not inevitably lead to the break from as it was the biggest landowner in England and retained its prominent part in everyday life
2
Q
Church state relations prior to 1529
A
- despites minor disagreements over Church powers such as Benefit of the Clergy and Sanctuary, tensions about papal foreign intervention posed a threat to the power of English Kings
3
Q
The Hunne Affair
A
- 1515
- exacerbated the anti-clerical feeling - people more closely focused on the power and corruption of the Church
- Richard Hunne was found dead after failing to pay the mortuary fee for his infant son - speculated he was most likely murdered by the Church
4
Q
The Benefit of the Clergy
A
- 1512
- was a law by which clergymen could claim they were out of the jurisdiction of secular courts and be tried under ecclesiastical courts for certain crimes
- was much more lenient and meant more people were getting lesser sentences - led to abuse of the system and undermined the royal authority
- this act limited the number of offences that could be tried in an ecclesiastical courts and the number of times it could be claimed
5
Q
Role of the Church before 1529
A
- a source for alms for the poor
- provided an opportunity to rise through the Church to power e.g Wolsey
- source of education and learning
- performed marriages and funerals
- Church festivals were a key aspect of people’s lives
6
Q
Act of Supremacy 1534 background
A
- Wolsey failed in his assignment to annull Henry’s marriage from Catherine of Aragon
- replaced by Cromwell who used parliament to limit papal control within England, making Henry the supreme head
7
Q
Act in conditional restraint of annates
A
1532
- payments to Rome were suspended
- economic reforms
8
Q
Submission of the clergy
A
1532
- reforms about power
- could no longer call convocation without Henry’s permission or pass canon laws,
- had to accept Henry’s power over them
- First public step to accepting the King over the Pope
9
Q
Act in the Restraint of Appeals
A
1533
- Legal reforms
- Church had no more legal powers
- people could not turn to the church to overturn the King’s rulings on the church
- Cromwell promoted Erastian Kingship (the doctrine that state is superior to the Church in ecclesiastical matters)
- used parliaments powers to create statute law - parliament represented the realm of england so justified Henry and Cromwell’s actions
10
Q
Act of Supremacy
A
1534
- defined rights of Henry to be the Supreme Head of the Church of England
- Heads of religious orders had to take an oath recognising the King as the Supreme Head - those who did were labelled traitors - made it clear who was against Henry - Thomas More (Lord High chancellor)
was executed after standing trial for treason because he denied the royal supremacy
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11
Q
consequences of the act of supremacy on the power of the monarchy and parliament
A
- using parliament to give the supremacy the authority of statue law meant those who disobeyed were punishable by law - if it was only a proclamation, it was easier to be disobeyed
- enhanced parliament’s power, set a precedent for future monarchs who had to call upon parliament to change Acts passed in the 1530s - parliament confidence grew as its role expanded
- paved the way for the Treason Act
- reinforced royal sovereignty and subjects had to adhere to the will of the monarch over the pope in Rome
12
Q
consequences of the act of supremacy on Church-State relations
A
- reinforced royal control over the English church - ensured first allegiance of the clergy to Henry VIII not the papacy - had to swear an oath
- 1535 - Cromwell appointed as Vicegerent in Spirituals - gave him the power to enforce Henry’s wishes despite not being part of the clergy
- Church privileges abolished - finances, administration and legal powers were directly under the control of Henry VIII
13
Q
Dissolution of the monasteries
A
- valor ecclesiasticus - valuation of the church - survey of the finances of the church in england, wales and some parts of Ireland - 1535
- lesser monasteries - 1536 - tested people’s reacions to closing monasteries as the smaller ones (annual income of less than 200) werent likely to gather much support
- greater monasteries - 1539 - remaining lands seized and sold whilst monasteries were destroyed
14
Q
consequences of the dissolution of the monasteries
A
- money - monastic lands and property returned to the crown - £1.3 milion was aquired from former monastic estates
- patronage from the church - powers of patronage transferredfrom the clergy to sqeuires and gentry who owned lands which they coulld sell or find people to work on
- Allegiance of nobility - land was sold to nobility e.g Cecil and Spencer - increased monarchs control and incentivised nobility to maintain the break with Rome
- Influence of Rome - monasteries and their allegiance to the Pope dissappeared - increased the control of the monarchy - reinforced the act of supremacy and the pope’s influence was diminished
15
Q
the act of ten articles
A
1536
- catholic sacraments changed from 7 to three
- major move away from catholic beliefs
