Henry VIII - Religion

Question 1

Who were some prominent humanists?

Answer 1

Oxford reformers - Grocyn Linacre and Colet

Question 2

What were some weaknesses of the church?

Answer 2

Corruption - Pluralism, simony and non-residence
Anticlericalism - Some lawyers objected to canon law
Decline of monasticism

Question 3

Change to church’s structure - the king?

Answer 3

He became supreme head of the church under the act of supremacy

Question 4

Change to the church’s structure - Cromwell?

Answer 4

He was appointed Vicegerent in Spirituals, meaning he was second to the king and outranked the archbishops and bishops

Question 5

Change to the church’s structure - dioceses?

Answer 5

Six new dioceses were created to improve the church’s administration

Question 6

What was the survey set up by Cromwell?

Answer 6

The Valor Ecclesiasticus was set up in 1935 to see how wealthy the church was to see what resources were available to the crown

Question 7

Why did Cromwell start visitations to the monasteries?

Answer 7

1535 - four visitors sent around the country to inspect all monastic institutions. The had been instructed to find weaknesses and corruption

Question 8

What was the first act to dissolve monasteries?

Answer 8

1936 Act to dissolve the smaller monasteries with an income of £200,000 per annum or less

Question 9

When were the remaining monasteries dissolved?

Answer 9

1539 Act to dissolve the remaining monasteries

Question 10

When were all religious houses dissolved?

Answer 10

1540

Question 11

When was the first set of royal injunctions?

Answer 11

1536 - placed a restriction on the number of holy days to be observed and discouraged pilgrimages

Question 12

When was the second set of royal injunctions?

Answer 12

1538 - pilgrimages and veneration of relics and images were condemned as ‘works devised by men’s fantasies’. Clergy who upheld these virtues had to publicly recant.

Question 13

What was the Great Bible?

Answer 13

1539 - An English version of the Bible complete with Henry on the title page graciously offering the word of God.

Question 14

What limits were placed on the Great Bible?

Answer 14

1543 Act for the Advancement of True Religion restricted public reading of the Bible to upper-class males

Question 15

What was the ten articles?

Answer 15

1536 - only three sacraments, baptism, penance and Eucharist were seen as necessary for salvation

Question 16

What was the Bishop’s book?

Answer 16

1537 - restored the four sacraments omitted from the Ten Articles, but they were given a lower status.

Question 17

What was the Six Articles Act?

Answer 17

Reasserted the Catholic doctrine by deeming that the denial of transubstantiation was heretical

Question 18

What was the King’s book?

Answer 18

1543 - Revised the Bishop’s book, but was largely conservative

Question 19

Who were some people executed for religious reasons?

Answer 19

John Lambert in 1538 and Ann Askew in 1546 for denying transubstantiation

Question 20

What did Colet do?

Answer 20

Refounded St Paul’s school and drew governing members from the city guild rather than the clergy

Question 21

What universities implemented humanism?

Answer 21

St Paul’s and Magdalen college were at the forefront of educational reform and adopted Platonist educational principles.
Similar concepts influenced the foundation of Corpus Christi in Oxford and St John’s college in Cambridge

Question 22

When was Erasmus’ most important visit?

Answer 22

1509 - 1514 when he became a professor at Cambridge

Question 23

What happened to monks and friars after the dissolution of the monasteries?

Answer 23

6500 out of 8000 moved on as they were supplied with their pensions, or they found other paid employment within the church

Question 24

What happened to nuns after the dissolution of the monasteries?

Answer 24

The 2000 nuns were neither allowed to marry or become priests

Question 25

What cash was raised from the dissolution of the monasteries?

Answer 25

Over half of the monastic lands were still in his possession by 1547. The Crown made £800,000 from sales.