Consequences of the Break with Rome

Question 1

Why did the break with Rome become partially reformist

Answer 1

• Inital break meant Henry replaced the Pope as head of the church, not that the church would automatically become reformist in its doctrine
• However, those close to the king, such as Cromwell as Vicegerent in Spirituals, and Cranmer as ArchB of C had refromer sympathies
• they were sometimes able to persuade the king to alter the religious beliefs to be more evangelical

Question 2

What were the main changes to religious practice between 1536-1539

Answer 2

• dissolution of monasteries
• attack on pilgrmages and other practices that reformers saw as sacreligious
• promotion of the Eng bible

Question 3

Dissolution of the monasteries

Answer 3

• mastermined by Cromwell
• for refromers, the monasteries represented the wealth and corruption of the church
• also felt they were promoting the idea of ‘supersitious’ belief in purgatory

Question 4

Valor Ecclesiasticus

Answer 4

• 1535
• valued all church property and revealed to Henry the wealth of the monasteries
• between 1536 and 1547 their dissolution raised £1.3 mil

Question 5

What was Valor followed by in the dissolution

Answer 5

• Visitations of the onasteries undetaken by commissioners appointed by Cromwell such as Thomas Legh and Richard Layton
• part of their job was to find evidence of corruption in the monasteires to use as evidence agianst them

Question 6

What did Cromwell use the ebvidence of the Valor and visitations for

Answer 6

• to justify the 1536 act of parliament

Question 7

Act of Parliament 1536

Answer 7

• authorised the dissolution of smaller monasteries, less that £200 per annum

Question 8

Process of the dissolution

Answer 8

• Destruction of biildings, lead was stripped from roofs and melted down, stained glass and images were smashed
• the abbots were either given pensions or threatened with execution for treason if they resisted I.e. abbots of Glastonbury and Reading

Question 9

Continuation of dissolution

Answer 9

• despite the POG, which was a reaction to the dissolution, Cromwell was able to go on and dissolve the larger monasteries
• this was done with a combination of persuasion, bribes and threats

Question 10

Final result of the dissolution

Answer 10

• irreversible, becasue 2/3 of monastic property was sold to the crown
• much land was bought by nobility and gentry such as Cecil and Sepncer fams
• this meant they had a vested interest in the refromation and dissolution

Question 11

How did Cromwell ensure a religious change that he wanted

Answer 11

• New bishops were appointed who shared his religious views

- I.e. Hugh Latimer made Bishop of Worcester

Question 12

Act of Ten Articles

Answer 12

• first attempt to define the doctrine of the new church
• mostly in line with Catholic belief, but the article on the Eucharist was delibarltey ambigious in its lang
• Number of neccessary sacraments was deccreased from 7 to 3, in line with reformer views

Question 13

Cromwells injunctions

Answer 13

• issued two sets in 1536 and 1538 to the english clergy
• discouraged pracrices that were seen as supersiitous like pilgramages, emphasis on relics and worship of saints
• also encoruaged the use of a protestant bible, which was fundamental to evangelical thought

Question 14

Move towards protestant church reaching its peak

Answer 14

• In 1538-39
• In 1538 the shrine to Thomas Becket at canterbury Cathedral was destroyed
• In 1539 Henru authorised the ‘Great Bible,’ a copy of which was to be placed in every parish church

Question 15

What happened with Religious changes after 1539

Answer 15

• Pace slowed and was even reversed
• Henry himself was not a reformer and was particularly suspcious of refromer views on the Eucharist
• Conservative influence had never gone away at court. The Bishops Book published in 1537 by clergy had restored the four sacraments left out in the 10 articles
• As cromwells influene began to waver, the conservative faction at court regained the upper hand

Question 16

Henrys excommunication

Answer 16

• 1538 excommunicated by the pope, who encuoraged the catholic countries of France and Spain to launch a crusade against England
• his response was to move away from evangelical reform
• In Nov, he presided in person over the trial of evangelical Lambert, who was sentanced to death for Heresy (probs influenced his veiws)

Question 17

Act of Six articles

Answer 17

• 1539

- Reinforced Catholic doctrines like transubstantiaion and celbiacy for preists

Question 18

Cromwells execution

Answer 18

• following this in 1540, Henry continued to move back towards a more catholic doctrine
• publication of the 1543 Kings Book, emphaises traditional beleifs in Masses for the dead and rejected reformer ideas that faith alone could lead to salvation

Question 19

HOwever - reform not toally disappeared

Answer 19

• Evangelical influences at court and in royal policy did not dissappear
• In 1543, Henry married Catherine Parr, who had prot symphaies
• Reformer faction still existed, Led by Ed Seymour