S2.C12: Religion, Ideas, and Reform under Henry VIII

Question 1

Renaissance: What role did the King have in promoting renaissance ideas?

Answer 1

-He encouraged thinkers like More and Erasmus.
-His cultural patronage, particularly the commissioning of effigies on his parents’ tomb followed artistic trends from Italy.

Question 2

Renaissance: How did humanism appear in English education?

Answer 2

-John Colet refounded St Paul’s School in London, and appointed the school’s governors from a city guild, rather than the clergy. The school’s curriculum included works by Erasmus, and teaching methods inspired by humanism.
-Magdalen College School adopted Platonist educational principles, and influenced the foundation of Corpus Christi, and Cardinal College Oxford.
-Wolsey founded CC and a school in Ipswich also influenced by humanist principles.

Question 3

Renaissance: How did renaissance ideas influence English culture?

Answer 3

-Knowledge of classical learning increased amongst elite groups.
-Humanist educational influence.
-Henry VIII saw himself as a promoter of new ideas and humanism. The Crown needed well-educated diplomats.
-The tombs of Beaufort, Henry VII, and EoY were all done by Italian sculptor, Pietro Torrigiano. The Lady Chapel in Westminster was a prime example of late-fifteenth century perpendicular Gothic architecture.
-Painters in Henry’s court were from the ‘northern renaissance’, like Holbein and Lucas Horenbout.

Question 4

Church: What evidence is there that people were content with the Papacy, religious orders, secular clergy, and parish churches?

Answer 4

-Most accepted the Pope’s power, but there was some dissent in the SE. There was, however, no great loyalty to the Pope.
-There was a slight decline in respect for religious orders, with the number of new abbeys, priories, and friaries built.
-The clergy were generally respected, but there was some hostility in the SE.
-Large numbers of churches and chapels were built between 1490-1529, with donations from the public. Significant sums were left in parishoners’ wills for the purpose of furnishing parish churches.

Question 5

Church: What evidence is there that people were content with religious guilds, sacraments, intercession (prayers for the dead), and images?

Answer 5

-Many left money in their wills, with 57% in Devon and Cornwall between 1520-9.
-Sacraments remained largely popular, with high attendance at Mass, and the amount of expensive equipment required for its celebration implies support for ceremonies.
-Chantries continued to be founded to provide prayers for the dead.
-Images did continue to be used, but there was some criticism of pilgrimages and the readiness of communities to accept iconoclasm suggests a lack of enthusiasm.

Question 6

Church: In what ways was there corruption in the Church?

Answer 6

-Corruption manifested in different ways, like pluralism (recieving profits from more than one post), simony (purchase of a church title), and non-residence (recieving profits from a post but not performing its allies).
-Cardinal Wolsey was seen as corrupt, many used the crown and church offices as a way of warding those of its officials who were clergy.

Question 7

Church: In what ways was there anti-clericalism?

Answer 7

-Some common lawyers objected to the law of the church and there were objections to the legal privileges of the clergy.
-Death of Richard Hunne in 1514. He was a London Merchant who was found dead in his cell in the Bishop of London’s prison. The jury were unconvinced that it was a suicide, and it affected the reputation of the church for a short while.
-Simon Fish’s ‘Supplication of Beggars’ was a 1529 attack on the clergy.

Question 8

Church: In what ways was monasticism declining?

Answer 8

-Wolsey had secured the dissolution of 20 religious houses in the 1520s to fund Cardinal College, Oxford. Larger monasteries had essentially become big businesses.
-Some orders like the Franciscians and the Bridgettines were flourishing right up to the final days of dissolution.

Question 9

Church: In what ways was there Early English Protestantism.

Answer 9

-Some Lollard beliefs survived and there is evidence of the influence of German reformers in London & Eastern Ports.
-Group of reformers based in Cambridge met for religious discussion at the White Horse. It was led by Robert Barnes, who had been converted by Thomas Bliney, both were later burned as heretics. Cranmer (not then archbishop) was also a member of this group.
-On the whole, though, their influence was fairly insignificant.

Question 10

Changes: What changes took place between 1530-32? Were they Protestant or Catholic?

Answer 10

-May ‘30, William Tyndale’s vernacular Bible was burnt (C).
-Dec ‘30, the clergy were accused of praemunire, attacking the power of the Catholic Church to exercise power through ecclesiastical courts in England. (C)
-Feb ‘31, the clergy were pardoned, and Henry was paid a fine of £119,000 in return for his pardon. (C)
-Feb ‘31, Convocation of Canterbury recognised Henry as Head of Church. (P)
-‘32, First Act of Annates, banned the payment of annates to Rome. It also threatened that bishops could be consecrated by English authorities. (P)
-Mar ‘32, Supplication of the Ordinaries, clergy couldn’t enact Church law w/o royal permission. Existing Church law was to be examined by a royal commission. (P)
-May ‘32, Submission of the Clergy, making them accept the King, and not the Pope as their lawmaker. Thomas More resigned the next day. (P)

Question 11

Changes: What changes took place between 1533-34? Were they Protestant or Catholic?

Answer 11

-Feb ‘33, Act in Restraint of Appeals, began the work of transferring papal power to the King, making Henry supreme head of CofE, and giving him power of matrimonial cases. (P)
-Jan ‘34, Second Act of Annates, Abbots and Bishops were to be appointed by the King. (P)
-Jan ‘34, Act to Stop Peter’s Pence, stopped the payment of tax to Rome. (P)
-Mar ‘34, Act for the Submission of the Clergy, Appeals in ecclesiastical matters were now to be handled by King’s Court of Chancery. (P)
-Mar ‘34, First Act of Succession. (P)
-Nov ‘34, Act of Supremacy. (P)
-Dec ‘34, Treason Act. (P)
-Dec ‘34, Act for First Fruits and Tenths. (P)

Question 12

Changes: What changes took place between 1535-37? Were they Protestant or Catholic?

Answer 12

-Jan ‘35, Cromwell made Vicegerent in Spirituals. (P)
-Jul ‘35, Execution of Sir Thomas More. (P)
-Feb ‘36, Act for Dissolution of Lesser Monasteries, monasteries worth under £200 shut down. (P)
-May ‘36, Anne Boleyn executed, Henry married Seymour the next day.
-Jul ‘36, Act of Ten Articles, reduced the 7 sacraments to 3. (P)
-Aug ‘36, Royal injunctions issued by Cromwell, ordering the clergy to defend Royal Supremacy, and abandon pilgrimage. (P)
-Jul ‘37, ‘Bishop’s Book’ rediscovered the 4 lost sacraments, though of a lesser importance. (C)
-Aug ‘37, Thomas Matthew published the ‘Matthew Bible’, which was a protestant version that had the King’s permission. (P)

Question 13

Changes: What changes took place between 1538-39? Were they Protestant or Catholic?

Answer 13

-Jul ‘38, HRE-France sign Truce of Nice, haulting the Habsburg-Valois War, and threatening a joint invasion. (C)
-Sep ‘38, Royal Injunctions issued by Cromwell, stating that an English Bible must be placed in all parishes within 2 years, pilgrimages discouraged (Thomas Becket’s shrine was destroyed), ‘abused’ images were to be removed, and relics destroyed. (P)
-Nov ‘38, John Lambert was tried & executed for his rejection of transubstantiation. (P)
-Dec ‘38, Henry was excommunicated by Paul III.
-Apr ‘39, ‘Great Bible’ was published.
-Jun ‘39, Act of Six Articles, confirmed transubstantiation, banned the marriage of priests etc. (C)
-Jun ‘39, Act for the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries. All monasteries closed, and the land passed to the Crown. (P)

Question 14

Changes: What changes took place between 1540-46? Were they Protestant or Catholic?

Answer 14

-Jan ‘40, Henry married Anne of Cleeves. (P)
-Jun ‘40, Crowell was arrested, executed in Jul. (C)
-Jul ‘40, Henry annulled Anne, and married Catherine. (C)
-Feb ‘42, Howard executed. (P)
-May ‘43, Act for the Advancement of True Religion, restricted access to the English Bible to upper-class and nobles, in private. (C)
-May ‘43, ‘King’s Book’ defended transubstantiation and attacked the use of images. (P/C)
-May ‘44, English Litany introduced into churches, but not compulsory. (P)
-Jul ‘44, John Cheke appointed as Edward’s tutor. (P)
-Dec ‘45, Chantries Act passed, but not enforced. (P)
-Jul ‘46, Anne Askew burned for denying transub, and Henry named a protestant regency council for Edward.

Question 15

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of change in the Church’s organisation/structure?

Answer 15

-Replacement of Pope, and appointment of Cromwell as Vicegerent of Spirituals were severe, now meant that they occupied two of the most senior posts in England.
-Henry ordered priests to physically remove the Pope’s name from service books.
-All people in England had to swear an oath that they accepted Henry’s marriage to Anne (accepting Royal Supremacy).
-Clergy were required tovswear an oath repudiatinf the Pope & swearing supremacy to Henry.
-Clergy were ordered to give regular sermons on Royal Supremacy.

Question 16

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of continuity in the Church’s organisation/structure?

Answer 16

-Henry didn’t change the mass, only altering it very slightly.
-While some stratched out the Pope’s name, many only drew a faint line, suggesting they either didn’t respect the change, or thought it wasn’t long term.
-They likely only forced men to swear the oath, and there was even some resistance to this. 16-year-old Elizabeth Barton, Holy Maid of Kent was a well-known from 1525, for her vision of the Virgin Mary. She was executed in 1534.
-Archbishop William Warham had been against the King’s action, having prepared a speech to advise against him. He died before he was able to speak in Parliament, though.
-50 people were killed for their refusal to accept the oath.
-Many would’ve remain Catholic in their beliefs, a Priest in London in 1536 privately prayed, “I will pray [for the Pope] as the chief head of Christ’s Church and so will advise all men to do secretly.”

Question 17

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of change in the physical aspects of the Church?

Answer 17

-Dissolution of the monasteries meant an aesthetic change - these 800 religious houses had been prominent aspects of the English countryside.
-Many of the religious houses had sites of pilgrimage, but were now gone.
-‘Abused images were ordered to be removed, and the shrines, like Thomas Becket’s, were removed.

Question 18

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of continuity in the physical aspects of the Church?

Answer 18

-The structure of parish churches would’ve remained the same, and ordinary people would’ve gone to the same parish church as they always had.

Question 19

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of change in the religious beliefs and experiences?

Answer 19

-Church warden’s account suggest injunctions had some impact.
-Less was spent on images, and in 1538, all ‘abused’ images were ordered to be removed.
-In Nicholas Shaxton’s injunctions injunctions, aspects of traditional religion, like images, were attacked.
-Edward Lee, Archbishop of York, encouraged Bible reading.

Question 20

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of continuity in the religious beliefs and experiences?

Answer 20

-In comparison to Edward’s reign, there was little collapse in the parochial religion, as key aspects were still in place.
-Parishes were reluctant to introduce religious reform. After the 1538 injunction, 80% of church in Lincoln deaneries had not yet purchased English Bibles, and parishoners petitioned the pulling down of images in Canterbury.
-The King’s book undid much of Cromwell’s work with the English Bible. It excluded around 90% of people from reading it, rejected justification by faith alone, and defended sacraments.
-Sir Thomas Tyrell celebrated the feast of Thomas Beckett & encouraged pilgrimage.
-Bishop Longland of Lincoln continued preaching Catholic beliefs.
-Removal of ‘abused’ images was very unclear.

Question 21

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of change in the parish community?

Answer 21

-Parishes were now religiously divided.
-Some religious communities were completely torn apart.
-Dissolution of religious guilds in urban parishes, average number fell from 5 to 3, and in rural from 6 to 5.
-Bequests to religious guilds also fell 24% of people in 1520s to 13% in the last years.

Question 22

Changes: To what extent was there evidence of continuity in the parish community?

Answer 22

-Large attendance at sermons preached by Catholics and evangelicals in Kent.
-In 1538, in Barking, preachers in the church had not declared supremacy, or attacked the Pope.

Question 23

Changes: How did life change for monks?

Answer 23

-Around 1% of adult males in England were monks in religious houses, of which there were about 900.
-After the dissolution, of the 8000 monks, around 6000 recieved pensions for their losses.
-However, over 2000 didn’t. The pensions were also very small, particularly in less wealthy monasteries. The avergae was £5 10s for men, and £3 for women.

Question 24

C w/o P: What evidence is there to support C w/o P?

Answer 24

-Many traditional elements of Catholicism remained unchanged: liturgy was still in Latin, priests were celibate, and mass was celebrated in its usual way.
-Henry made provisions in his will for masses to be said for his soul, in traditional manner.
-Stephen Gardiner argued believed that change was so insignificant that reconcilliation with the papacy was entirely possible.
-Henry was not fond of protestantism. John Lambert’s execution, Robert Barnes codemnation for preaching justification by faith alone, and the exile of many to Switzerland demonstrated this.

Question 25

C w/o P: What evidence is there to challenge C w/o P?

Answer 25

-Henry had asserted his authority over the church prior to the break, he was certain on Royal Supremacy.
-Things like the 10 articles prevented it from being distinctly protestant.
-Dissolution of the monasteries, and subsequent ending of pilgrimages was too severe for it to be simply C w/o P.
-In 1541, Henry demanded shrine of St William of York be destroyed. He was by no means Catholic!

Question 26

C w/o P: What evidence is there that Henry’s religious views were complex?

Answer 26

-Purgatory remained a contested point for Henry: he had made provisions for two priests to say daily masses where his body was to be buried, and had attempted to revive Edward III’s almshouses for poor knights.
-However, he made no requests to individual saints, asking, instead, for the ‘whole company of heaven’ to pray for him. Also, the 10 Articles critiqued traditional views of purgatory.
-Henry was critical of religious images & ceremonies, but didn’t comply with Lutheran’s idea that they should be removed completely. The 10 Articles argued that they can be valuable when not used for superstition and idolatry.
-Henry’s attitude to the Bible was also complex. He authorised a translated version, but was anxious of the ‘evil’ that could come from reading a translated Bible, and banned Tyndale’s & Joye’s more Luthern versions. He gave his own bishops portions to translate. His attitude to this was more Erasmian than Lutheran.

Question 27

Opposition: In what ways was Sir Thomas More threatening/not?

Answer 27

-Opposed the divorce, but was not pro-Pope. He had previously written a treatise against him.
-He published a disagreement with the King.
-In 1532, he resigned as Lord Chancellor & refused to swear an oath.
-He was interrogated 3 times as he refused to speech.
-Was eventually executed in 1535.
-Was very significant as More had been Lord Chancellor!

Question 28

Opposition: In what ways was John Fisher threatening/not?

Answer 28

-He had stood Catherine’s side and argued that Papal supremacy was correct.
-Attempted to use intervention with Charles, being in contact with his ambassador, Chapuys. He even had some correspondence with the Emperor.
-Refused to swear Oath of Succession in 1534, was dead by 1535.
-He had been Bishop of Rochester.

Question 29

Opposition: In what ways was Elizabeth Barton threatening/not?

Answer 29

-Known as the Holy Maid of Kent.
-She was concerned with the marriage, having prophecies against the marriage to Anne Boleyn.
-She rallied against the King during his in-person visit to Canterbury.
-She had support across Kent.
-Lasted a long time, emerging in 1525 (when she had a vision of the Virgin Mary) and was executed in 1534.