Henry VIII: Religion - Reform of the Church - Causes of the Dissolution of the Monasteries Flashcards
How many religious houses were there in the early 16th century?
- At least 825 religious houses in England and Wales
- Over 500 were monasteries, others being nunneries and friaries
What were the monasteries’ reputation like in the Middle Ages?
- Established as places where people could devote their lives to saying prayers on behalf of souls of the living and dead
- Held powerful reputation within Church
- Lived apart from communities
- Owned much land and hired many labourers
How did monasteries help the community?
- Places of shelter for travellers
- Sources of medicine and food for needy
- Centres of education for wealthy
How did the reputation of monasteries change by the 16th century?
- Some monasteries became wealthy and acquired servants and luxuries
- Used money they received from renting
Why did Henry focus on monasteries?
- Henry became Supreme Head of Church
- Questions regarding reform of Church institutions had to be addressed
What was the Valor Ecclesiasticus?
- In 1535, Valor Ecclesiasticus was created
- Survey set up by Cromwell to inspect the wealth and abuses of the monasteries
- Four visitors inspected all monastic institutions around country, but had been instructed to find evidence of weakness and corruption
What was the impact of the Valor Ecclesiasticus?
- Discovered that corruption was common in smaller monasteries, probably exaggerated
- Justified the introduction of an Act of Parliament in 1536 to dissolve smaller monasteries
What was the Act of Parliament in 1536?
- Dissolved smaller monasteries, those with income of under £200 per annum or less
- Claimed to preserve and improve quality of monasticism, arguing smaller religious houses let standards slip
What did the Valor Ecclesiasticus reveal about the wealth of the Church?
- Monasteries were wealthy institutions
- Survey revealed monasteries could double the Crown’s annual income
- Henry had expensive foreign policies (funding wars), so this was a major factor for dissolution
What benefits did seizing monastic lands have?
- Gave Crown additional property to distribute to gain support from nobility and gentry at times of instability
What power-related issues did monasteries hold?
- Acted as permanent reminders of Catholic Church
- Monks and nuns acted as potential centres of resistance to royal supremacy
What issues did monasteries pose to new Protestant ideas?
- Primary role of monasteries was to pray for salvation of souls, this did not align with new Protestant theology of individual faith in God
- Monasteries were outdated and irrelevant institutions to reformers