The English reformation 1520 - 1550 Flashcards
What 4 things made the Church so important during the sixteenth century ?
Powerful
Wealthy
People devoted to the church
People were superstitious
The church and its power ?
The church was very powerful and dominated life in England
Church was making £ 400,000 annually , compared to £40,oo a year being earned by the crown
45,000 clergy in England at the time
The king did not have direct control over the church
Many churchman were members of parliament eg all bishops and archbishops were members of the house of lords
Why was the church important for the King to maintain his power ?
The Church supported the idea of the Great chain of being - The idea that the King was placed on the thrown by God
The church and its wealth ?
Catholics wanted to ensure they went to Heaven not hell so they believed they must pay indulgences
They were paid either in your life or your will
Parishioners also had to pay a tax to the Church know as tithe
Extremely wealthy body , able to build massive monasteries made form stone
People were devoted to the Church
Most the population of Britain were peasants who would never leave their village
Their connection to the rest of the world was through their priests who was educated while being ordained
Priests in charge of leading prayers and teaching the bible ( Catholic church the bible was in Latin so the priest has to explain the text )
Religion made life for peasants more bearable - various holidays which gave the people to see loved ones again
People were superstitious , and had many rituals and beliefs
Catholic Religion split into Heaven , Hell and purgatory, many believed praying and a sinless life will result in a shorter life in purgatory
Many holy days and festivals which people enjoyed and found a great comfort,
many traditions ancient and really important to the people
Peasants understood that their world was revoled around God
Who were critics of the Church ?
Lollards , humanists , Luther and Zwinglis’s
Who were the Lollards ?
A group of fourteenth - century reformers believed that the Bible should be in English to allow the ordinary people to read it
What would happen to the people who were believed to be against the Church ?
They would be tried for Hersey
73 such people were executed under Henry VII between 1485 - 1509
What were the Humanist beliefs about the Church ?
The Bible should be in English to allow direct access to God , so people can study the word of God
Who were Luther and Zwingli ?
Reformers from Central Europe ( Protestants )
What did Luther and Zwingli want to happen ?
Wanted the Bible in the language of the people
Wanted people to pray only to God , not saints
Believed purgatory did not exist
What did Luther want to change in the Catholic church
He disagreed on the practices of selling indulgences and relics by priests and other churchman for personal wealth
Who were Laymen ?
People who were not churchmen who criticised the amount of land ,wealth and power the Church. Most famous Laymen was Simon Fisher
Who were Clerical ?
They were people within the clergy, they had problems with the spiritual side of Catholicism. They believed churchman should be trained and educated
What other problems were there with Church ?
Pluralism- The practice of having more than one title. This meant that more people can get more money
Also serious moral concerns - Priests were to remain celibate but it turns out that brothels were made outside churches for priests.
How did Wolsey try and protect the Church
Wolsey had theologians write books and speak out in defence of the church
Had Luther’s books burned in public
Who was Thomas Wolsey ?
Born in Ipswich and son of a Butcher
He ran the country for Henry VIII
What was “ The Kings Great problem “ 1529
Henry VIII had been married to Catherine of Aragon for twenty years and had not produced a son
What was Henrys solution to his succession crisis ?
Get a new wife and have a annulment ( Legally stating that a marriage is null and void )
Divorce not allowed in a Catholic church , Catherine devastated and tried to fight against it
Clement needed support of the Spanish king who was Catherine’s cousin so it was unlikely Henry would get annulment
Henry furious he locked up Wolsey and threw him in jail
Thomas Cromwell and Audley
Cromwell guided the king to accuse the clergy of praemunire , which made it treasonous to obey the pope over the king
Cromwell and Audley drafted laws which divorced Henry from Catherine , and made their recent secret marriage legal.
Henrys advisers pushed to sever the links with Rome just in case his son was declared illegitimate
Henry becoming supreme Head of the Church
1534 Henry becomes Head of the supreme Church. This allowed him to change the Church to reflect the anti - clerical and reformist views of Anne Bolyen and Cromwell.
