Religious Change for Henry after 1536-47 Flashcards
What was the Act of Ten Articles (1536)?
Designed to define the doctrine of the new English Church.
Strongest changes other than the dissolution of the monasteries.
Sacrament reduced to 3 from 7.
Cromwell instructed English Clergy to stop Catholic ‘superstitious’ practices (not based on Bible) like Pilgrimages, homage to practice relics and worship of saints.
Key Catholic practices were directly attacked. (Crom and P Reformers- pressure to reverse C ideas).
Who led the religious doctrine changes?
Cromwell, pushing the P reformist agenda. Seymour’s (leading aristocrats) behind him as Boleyn’s gone.
What happened in 1538?
Highly symbolic attack on the CC- Thomas Backet’s shrine in Canterbury Cathedral was destroyed by radical P reformists, it was an important pilgrimage site.
Henry and Henry 7 used to go to pray forgiveness for the attack on him.
What happened in 1539?
Publication of the King’s ‘Great Bible’ enforced this change, the fact reformers encouraged the use of Bible in English.
A copy was to be placed in every parish church- clergy had to pay for the copy.
Was there opposition in 1539?
Yes, lots, took 5 years (1539-44) to pressure them to do this and own and buy a copy in each parish.
Did religious change slow between 1539-47? What was he like?
Yes. Nervous making changes.
What religious motive slowed change?
Henry was at heart a Catholic and feared God for the P changes he made as he personally didn’t believe fully in them.
What did Henry not support and who did he support?
The more radical P reformers views like Luther, he did listen to the watered down ideas by Seymour and Boleyn.
The Pamphlet- Henry VIII Defender of the Faith “The Defender of the Faith” is a title of which has been bestowed upon all English Monarch since the reign of Henry VIII. Decreed by Pope Leo X on the 17th of October 1 521 the title represented Henry Vic’s piety and loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church.
What event could have been the thing that made him exceptionally nervous? What event do historians emphasize the impact on Henry?
The Pope excommunicating Henry from the Catholic Church in 1538. This declared him an outlaw to secretly his own church and damned his soul for Hell with no salvation, he was truly a Catholic and religious and so this would have made him terrified.
What could the English subjects do after the excommunication?
17th December 1538
No longer had to obey him in the Pope’s eyes and so the link between him and his subjects weakened as majority were actually Catholics. It allowed him to be assassinated and the Pope would not openly say that but it would have been allowed and insinuated, treason due to highly religious society.
What was Cromwell’s role in the decline?
His power and influence was declining and by 1540 he had been executed for treason (fabricated evidence) against the king by Norfolk in the aftermath of Anne of Cleves marriage. He was no longer there to push Henry out of his comfort zone and blind him with influence and power.
What was the King’s book 1543? After Cromwell’s death.
Henry stepped up his desire to return to C doctrine and this restored the importance of the mass to pray for the souls of the dead. A teaching book not Bible.
What happened due to his reversals?
He was very conflicted and so was England as a result due to the last few years of backtracking which caused the Tudor Dynasty real problems as there was bits of P and C which conflicted each other. It caused an issue of where would his heir(s) go and this created dynastic issues and religious. ALL DRIVEN BY HIS PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS AND ISSUES.
Religious wise he didn’t really achieve anything by e.g. Act of Six Articles 1539- maybe his own personal sanity and good conscience.
What was the Act of Six Articles 1539?
Henry pressured his PC and P to pass this act. This was to reinforce C doctrines such as transubstantiation and celibacy for priests (no links to ordinary life) for priests. The key and core practices of C.
