Henry VIII Religious policies before 1529

Question 1

What is the reformation from above?

Answer 1

The belief that the reformation occured due to the fact that Henry wanted a divorce

Question 2

What was the reformation from below?

Answer 2

The belief that it was ordinary Christians who were disatisfied with the church and believed it was rotten

Question 3

What do revisionists believe in?

Answer 3

The reformation from above

Question 4

what do traditionalists believe in?

Answer 4

reformation from below

Question 5

What was anticlericalism?

Answer 5

Criticism of the personnel of the Church both high and low, from village priests to Roman cardinals; criticism of lifestyles; and criticism of clergy as not seen fully committed to or measuring up to Christian ideals. (opposed to religious authority)

Question 6

What things point toward support of anticlericalism?

Answer 6

• John Colet, a humanist Dean, and scholar of St Paul’s preached a sermon before the assembled clergy in Convocation, where he attacked the major issues within the church. He believed that too many clergy who served the church were unduly ambitious, they strove to move up the ecclesiastical hierarchy, often guilty of moral laxity.
• Pluralism: Thomas Magnus was Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire and had canonries at Lincoln and Windsor simultaneously. He was also master of St Leonard’s Hospital in York, master of the college St Sepulchre and of Sibthorpe College, vicar of Kendal and rector of Kirby, Bedale and Sessay
• Absenteeism: Wolsey did not visit York Minster until his fall from power, 14 years after his appointment as Archbishop. Richard Fox, bishop of Exeter, then Winchester under Henry VII and Henry VIII, was often absent on state business in the King’s council
• Simony: buying and selling of office in the gov by clergy

Question 7

What was pluralism?

Answer 7

Holding religious office in many different places at once

Question 8

What was absenteeism?

Answer 8

the clergy being absent from their religious posts

Question 9

What things pointed against anticlericalism in the church?

Answer 9

• Colet’s criticism was generalised and exaggerated- one churchman preaching to other churchmen. No serious reform of the clergy was attempted. It was not the Church’s fault if the king appointed men who were educated and able ministers rather than spiritually driven ministers
• Absenteeism: did not mean that the followers of that religious house went unattended. There was often an army of Church officials and clergy who got on with the daily business of ministering the believers. Absent bishops would appoint suffragan bishops as deputies to carry out their work. Bishop Fox and Archbishop Warham decided to retire from court to concentrate on episcopal (to do with bishops) matters. Absenteeism was a common feature of church life
• Pluralism: The work in each case was fairly nominal, Magnus was a devoted servant to Henry VII and Henry VIII and worked in the King’s privy council and the Council of the North. There was no shortage of church staff.
• Simony: Most were good administrators and there were no notable scandals associated with Bishops apart from Wolsey’s illegitimate children.

Question 10

what was antipapalism?

Answer 10

Where you are against the Pope

Question 11

What things supported the idea of antipapalism

Answer 11

• Disputes between the King and Pope were over in England, and the King was victorious. The Duke of Suffolk (Henry’s brother-in-law) claimed “it was never merry in England while we had cardinals amongst us”
• Wolsey as papal legate: He was more superior than Archbishop Warham, argued that opposition to Wolsey was opposition to the Pope and therefore Antipapalism was more pronounced in the 1520s
• Erastianism

Question 12

What was Erastianism?

Answer 12

The belief that the state is superiour to the church