Religion, Ideas and Reform 1509-47

Question 1

Why shouldn’t the importance of Erasmian humanism be exaggerated?

Answer 1

It’s scope was quite limited and much of the change that took place stemmed from the influence of new religious thinking rather than simply scholarly Renaissance humanism.

Question 2

How was renaissance increasingly influenced on visual culture?

Answer 2

Henry VIII commissioned the Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano to produce the tombs of his parents and of his grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Both tombs were produced in the Renaissance style and are situated in the Lady Chapel of Westminster which Henry VIII had commissioned.
The road screen erected in the 1530’s in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. It celebrated the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Question 3

What were the weaknesses in the Church?

Answer 3

1. Corruption: these included pluralism (receiving the profits of more than one clerical posts), simony (the purchase Church office) and non-residence (receiving the profits of more than one post but not being present to perform the duties associated with it).
2. Anticlericalism: some common lawyers objected to the influence of canon law and there were objections to the legal privileges of the clergy. There were some circumstances of clerical misconduct which could cause considerable criticism. For example Richard Hunne was murdered in 1514 - torturers tried to cover it up as suicide - which was disastrous in the short term for the reputation of the church.

Question 4

What is the evidence of early Protestantism?

Answer 4

1. Influence of German reformers in London and the east-coast ports in the 1520’s
2. There was a nucleus of future reformers based in Cambridge in the 1520’s who met for religious discussions at the White Horse. The leading figure of this was Robert Barnes, who had been converted to Protestantism by Thomas Bilney.

Question 5

What evidence is there that a humanistic approach to refor persisted during the final years of Henry VIII’s reign?

Answer 5

Cramner continued to enjoy the kings favour, even though he was subject to attack by enemies such as Duke of Norfolk. The king appointed the humanist John Cheke to be the tutor to his son Edward and Roger Ascham to be the tutor to Elizabeth.

Question 6

What were the changes to the Church structure?

Answer 6

1. King becomes supreme head of the Church. This was confirmed with the Act of Supremacy in 1534.
2. King appointed Cromwell Vicegerent in Spirituals in 1534. This meant Cromwell was second only to the king and gave him considerable power over the Church.
3. Six new dioceses were created, although one was soon abolished. This was an attempt to improve the Church’s administration.

Question 7

What were the steps of dissolution of the monasteries?

Answer 7

1. Cromwell set up a survey in 1535 to discover how wealthy the church was.
2. Four ‘visitors’ were sent around the country to inspect the monastic institutions. They found much to criticise, though they had been instructed to find evidence of weakness and corruption.
3. The visitors gave Cromwell evidence to justify bringing in an Act of Parliament in 1536 to dissolve monasteries with an income of under £200 per annum
4. Following the pilgrimage of grace, the scope of dissolution widened. This was because the heads of religious houses that had been implicated in it voluntarily surrendered to the crown. In 1539 an Act was passed to dissolve the remaining monasteries and they were all dissolved by March 1540.

Question 8

What did the attack on traditional religious practices involve?

Answer 8

In 1536 the issue of royal injunctions encouraged a more moral conduct and placed a restriction on the number of holy days to be observed and discouraged pilgrimages. In 1538 pilgrimages and veneration of relics and images were condemned as works devised by mens fantasies.

Question 9

What happened regarding the English Bible?

Answer 9

The injunctions of 1538 required each parish to acquire an English Bible. For the majority, religious messages still came primarily from visual images. Henry didn’t want this to loosen the bonds of social control on which good order depended. Therefore the Act for the Advancement of True Religion of 1543 limited the access of this Bible to upper-class males.

Question 10

What were the changes to the doctrine of the Church?

Answer 10

There was no consistent pattern of doctrinal change, which reflected the king’s inability to make up his mind.

1. 1536 Ten Articles: only three sacraments (baptism, penance and Eucharist) were seen as necessary to salvation, but the definition to salvation was ambiguous. Confession was praised but praying to saints for remission of sins was rejected.
2. 1537 Bishops’ Book: restored the four sacraments omitted from the Ten Articles but given a lower status.
3. 1539 Six Articles Act: this reasserted catholic doctrine. Denial of transubstantiation was deemed heretical.
4. 1543 King’s Book: this revised the Bishops’ Book.