Henry VIII 5: The Dissolution Of The Monasteries

Question 0

In which year was the act for the dissolution of the greater monasteries passed?

Answer 0

1539

Question 1

What year was the act for the dissolution of the lesser monasteries passed?

Answer 1

1536

Question 2

What did Thomas Cromwell decide to do during Summer 1535?

Answer 2

During Summer 1535 Thomas Cromwell decided to investigate the matter of monasteries’ wealth.

Question 3

At the time, how many monks and nuns lived in how many establishments?

Answer 3

Around 10,500 monks and nuns lived in 850 religious institutions.

Question 4

Why did Cromwell hate the monasteries?

Answer 4

They were institutions which were loyal to the Pope and the old faith.
He also hated the fact that they prayed for the dead and refused to give money to local people.

Question 5

What did Henry like to do and what was the result of this?

Answer 5

Henry liked spending and spent most, if not all, of his money by building ornate palaces such as Hampton Court and on building a navy.
Sooooo he needed money!’

Question 6

What were monasteries the largest owners of?

Answer 6

Monasteries were among the largest landowners of the realm.

Question 7

How much of the land in England did the monasteries own?

Answer 7

The church owned up to 30% of land in England and the monasteries took most of this up.

Question 8

What was an obvious way to increase Crown Revenue?

Answer 8

Take over church lands, and having some of the most productive land in the country was bound to be great.

Question 9

What did Thomas Cromwell most likely do?

Answer 9

He most likely chose his spies/investigators carefully to inspect the monasteries.

Question 10

What did Thomas Cromwell order his spies/investigators to do?

Answer 10

Told them to reveal any signs of corruption or wrongdoing. But they were not only sent to find signs of corruption, but to also gauge the true extent of the church’s wealth.

Question 11

How did Cromwell want to make the monasteries appear?

Answer 11

Cromwell wanted to make them appear corrupt so HVIII could dissolve them.

Question 12

Where could the monasteries’ wealth be seen?

Answer 12

The monasteries’ wealth could be seen in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535.

Question 13

What did the inspectors who went to inspect the monasteries find?

Answer 13

They found that the financial resources of monasteries were huge.

Question 14

What did the monasteries have that increased their value?

Answer 14

Lead roofs and exquisite paintings and carvings.

Question 15

What would all this wealth let Henry do?

Answer 15

It would let Henry avoid having to impose taxes which would make people happy and more accepting of his actions.

Question 16

What was the main function of the monasteries?

Answer 16

The main function of the monasteries was as a place where monks said prayers and masses for the deceased souls in order to ease their path through purgatory.

Question 17

Why did Thomas Cromwell think the monasteries could oppose Henry’s religious revivals?

Answer 17

They were institutions which were loyal to the Catholic faith and so could oppose Henry’s religious revivals.

Question 18

What did Thomas Cromwell want?

Answer 18

A profoundly more Protestant country and so wanted the Papist Monasteries gone.

Question 19

What were monasteries centres of and what would their removal cause?

Answer 19

Monasteries were centres of Roman Catholic belief and so the removal of these institutions would have a damaging effect on the old faith.

Question 20

What did Cromwell order his inspectors to do?

Answer 20

To cast the monasteries in the worst possible light in order to persuade Parliament that they should be dissolved as quickly as quickly as possible.

Question 21

What would the corruption of monasteries confirm?

Answer 21

Would confirm the corruption of religious life in England and Wales, leading to a move towards Protestantism.

Question 22

How many monks and nuns were in England?

Answer 22

10,500 > INFLUENCE

Question 23

Who could monastic land be sold to?

Answer 23

Monastic land could be sold to laymen who gained an increasing appetite for land.

Question 24

What were monasteries central to?

Answer 24

Monasteries were central to the life of people both rich and poor and their libraries and great traditions of learning and scholarship would be terminated.

Question 25

What would the effect of termination of the monasteries’ libraries and great traditions of learning and scholarship be?

Answer 25

It would have a long-term effect on the lives of future generations.