Henry VIII 1529-47

Question 1

Why was the church in need of reform?

Answer 1

Pluralism

Absenteeism

Nepotism

Simony

Sexual misconduct

Poor education

Question 2

Evidence the church was still loved:

Answer 2

On Sunday’s experienced miracle in mass

Promised a better life in heaven

Common people showed devotion and loyalty to the church

Question 3

Assess the reasons for the break with Rome:

Henry’s biblical arguments

Answer 3

Henry claimed that his studies of Levictus convinced him that Catherine was not his wife

Levictus proclaimed that it was unlawful for a man to marry his brothers wife, and that the punishment was childlessness. This, Henry said, explained why all their sons died

Question 4

Assess the reasons for the break with Rome:

Significance of Anne Boleyn:

Answer 4

Ann was not a Lutheran but was definitely interested in reform

Shared her views and sources she read with Henry

Anne’s pregnancy in 1532 was arguably decisive in provoking the annulment and remarriage of Henry early in 1533 which in turn led to the Act of Supremacy in 1534

Question 5

Assess the reasons for the break with Rome:

Succession:

Answer 5

Recognised one of his main aim as King was to secure the succession by having a legitimate son; he would never have contemplated marrying Anne if Catherine had given him a son

Question 6

Assess the reasons for the break with Rome:

Henry ego:

Answer 6

Had a powerful ego and therefore break with Rome was caused by his desire for supremacy in all matters

Had a knack of convincing himself that whatever he wanted was also morally right and a matter of conscious - the refusal of Pope to grant Henry his annulment simply provided Henry with opportunity

Question 7

Assess the reasons for the break with Rome:

Money:

Answer 7

Could have been a motivation as Henry demanded that clearly pay a £118,000 fine in return for being pardoned for their praemunire in 1531

Act of First Fruits and Tenth hugely increased revenue Henry received from clerical taxes

Biggest financial windfall came from dissolution of monasteries in 1539

Question 8

Why couldn’t Wolsey get the annulment:

Answer 8

Catherine never deviated from her claim that she had been a virgin when she married Henry

Aunt of HRE who was not happy that his aunt should be humiliated and who controlled Rome

Foreign situation prevented Pope granting a divorce as Pope was under control of Charles V

Diplomatic revolution put England in the wrong camp

Henry’s biblical arguments were weak and opposed by Deuteronomy

Question 9

The years of “drift”:

Answer 9

Calling Parliament should have precipitated some action, but instead policy seemed frozen

Basically King had chosen his old friend Sir Thomas More to be Wolsey’s replacement and he was opposed to the annulment

Question 10

Cranmer’s contribution to the annulment:

Answer 10

Canvassed universities in Europe to get theologians to support Henry

Helped compile the collectanea satis copiosa which supported Henry’s ideas that the monarch should have supreme authority over the church

Question 11

Pressurised the church into annulment:

Answer 11

1531- church was fined for Praemunire and told could avoid charge is paid a fine of £100,000 and agreed that Henry was supreme head of the church

1532- House of Commons petitioned the King to take action against clerics who a bused their legal powers in the supplication against the ordinaries

Question 12

Act in restraint of appeals:

Answer 12

March 1533 act was passed setting out Henry’s legal positions as Head of the English church

All legal cases, even of a spiritual nature could be settled in England

No right of appeal to Rome

Catherine could therefore not appeal when Cranmer announced her marriage null and void

Question 13

Reasons for the lack of opposition to the religious changes:

Answer 13

Until 1536 there was not a lot of opposition because there had been little change

King replaced the Pope as head of the church, but there had been no change to the doctrine or ritual and mass continued as before

Question 14

How did Henry control people and opposition:

Religious oath

Answer 14

Made everyone important take a holy oath which meant that Henry had public affirmation and support

Any that could not bring themselves to take the oath were charged with Treason

Question 15

What contribution did Thomas Cromwell make in enabling the break with Rome?

Answer 15

Cromwell was a lawyer and an evangelical reformer who helped draft the legislation and drive bills through parliament to become statute law

Question 16

Impact of Cromwell:

Answer 16

In seven sessions of the Reformation Parliament Cromwell steered through a mass of legislation that broke the English ties to Rome

Established the Roman supremacy and moved England on the path to Protestant reform

Question 17

How many monasteries were there in 1536 and what was there purpose:

Answer 17

In 1536 there were 800 monasteries that prayed for the souls of the dead, helped heal the sick, provided charity for the poor, educated the young, employed labourers on the land and prayed

Question 18

Dissolution of the monasteries:

Valor Ecclesiasticus

Answer 18

1535 Cromwell sent out group of men to investigate wealth of the church

Report revealed fantastic wealth held by the monastic houses - monastic income was three times greater than the revenues generated by Crown lands

Question 19

Dissolution of the monasteries:

Visitations 1535

Answer 19

Cromwell sent out men to investigate standards in monasteries

Report, the comperta would justify intervention from the King because they found so much corruption, but tales of immortality were exaggerated

Question 20

What was the effect of the closure of the monasteries:

Answer 20

Abbeys were plundered and great medical artwork was destroyed

Buildings were wreaked

Monks and nuns were turned out

Land that belonged to religious houses was sold cheaply to the gentry and nobility

Poor and sick now had nowhere to go

King made so much money the court of augmentations had to be set up

Question 21

Act of Ten Articles:

Answer 21

1536 - probably complied by Cranmer

Said images were useful for reminders not objects of worship

Only included 3 sacrament - baptism, Eucharist, penance

Luthers principle of salvation by Faith was outlined in moderate conservative way

England’s religion was not definitely Protestant

Question 22

Act of six articles:

Answer 22

1539

Said priests ought not to marry

Ordinary lay people shall not take wine

Confirmed transubstantiation - very Catholic

Act reaffirmed Catholic ideas and ensured heretics would be severely punished

Henry demonstrating he was still a true Catholic

Question 23

Serious opposition:

Lincolnshire rebellion

Answer 23

Rumour began to circulate that in addition to dissolving smaller monasteries, the commissioners were intending to strip churches of gold

On 1 October local men at Louth arrived to guard church

On 4 October Bishop of Lincoln’s chancellor was killed in frenzy of violence

Gentry joined revolt and drew up list of grievances known as Lincoln articles

Question 24

Opposition to religious changes: Pilgrimage of Grace

Answer 24

10 October Robert Aske became leader of rebels on Yorkshire who called themselves pilgrims

Numbers swelled to 30,000

All men took an oath to defend the church and be loyal to the King

Marched under the banner of the 5 wounds of Christ to Pontefract Castle which was handed over to them by Lord Darcy

Question 25

Dangers of the pilgrimage of Grace:

Answer 25

Between 30 and 40,000 men joined the rebellion 3x larger than the Kings army

Joined y the Percy family of Northumberland and some gentry

Henry was afraid might get help from Catholic powers abroad

Was sympathy in the South

Question 26

Kings response to the pilgrimage of Grace:

Answer 26

Wanted to fight them and would not compromise, but Duke of Norfolk persuaded him to negotiate

Norfolk met with Aske and said rebels would be pardoned

Parliament would be held to discuss their grievances

No more monasteries would be suppressed till parliament met

Aske invited to court for Christmas

Question 27

Failure of the pilgrimage of Grace:

Answer 27

Easily put down because rebels trusted in Henry’s promises

Henry used it as an excuse to turn on the larger monasteries

Question 28

Second dissolution act:

Answer 28

By 1540 none of 800 abbeys were left

Henry benefitted because wealth of the monasteries had been enormous

Possessed most of the churches riches

Question 29

Pontefract articles:

Answer 29

Religion not only cause. Factors such as

Enclosure

Taxes

Low born advisers

Inflation caused by poor harvests

Question 30

How Protestant did England become by Henry’s death?

Answer 30

Typical Catholic Church remained largely the same

In fact in 1547 when Henry died churched still looked as they originally had