Tudor Church

Question 0

How did Henry VIII involve intellectuals in his marriage annulment?

Answer 0

• In 1530, Henry collected the views of Europe’s leading universities on the Great Matter and 7 of them returned favourable judgements on the annulment (most of them were bribed)
• This put pressure on Rome as leading academics supported Henry’s case

Question 1

What were the main strategies used by Henry and those around him to solve the Great Matter? (4)

Answer 1

• In 1530, Henry collected the views of Europe’s leading universities on the Great Matter and 7 of them returned favourable judgements on the annulment (most of them were bribed)
• 1530, the country’s leading clerical figures, Edward Foxe and Thomas Cranmer wrote the ‘collectarea satis copiosa’ which was a book on how- according to Anglo Saxon chronicles- the king was the head of the church in his country
• In 1531, the English Church was made to pay a subsidy of £118,000 for supporting Wolsey’s papal post and charged the entire clergy of praemunire- thus putting pressure on Rome
• 1531 Pardon of the Clergy in which Henry insisted on being called the ‘sole protector and supreme head of the English church and clergy’

Question 2

How did Edward Foxe and Thomas Cranmer convince the king that he could have power over the church?

Answer 2

In 1530, Edward Foxe and Thomas Cranmer wrote the ‘collectarea satis copiosa’ which was a book on how- according to Anglo Saxon chronicles- the king was the head of the church in his country

Question 3

How did Henry put pressure on Rome through his treatment of the English church?

Answer 3

• 1531 Church of England was forced to pay for a subsidy of £118,000 for supporting Wolsey’s papal post and charged them all with praemunire
• Later in 1531, Pardon of the Clergy (in which Henry forgives the clergy for praemunire) and requests that they refer to him as the ‘sole protector and supreme head of the English church and clergy’

Question 4

What and when was the supplication of the ordinaries?

Answer 4

1532

• Thomas Cromwell introduced a petition against church courts and clerical jurisdictions
• Legislative independence was surrendered to the crown

Question 5

How did Thomas Cromwell convince parliament to accept the ‘supplication against the ordinaries’?

Answer 5

He convinced them that the bill helped them to gain power and influence when in fact it was to help the king have more power and be granted an annulment

Question 6

Why was the church unpopular amongst MP’s and the nobility in the 1530’s?

Answer 6

• Wolsey’s clerical role angered the nobility due to his unpopularity amongst the nobles and MP’s
• Many religious people such as priests were uneducated or under-educated (eg. Couldn’t understand Latin)
• clerical standards and values had dropped (eg. More promiscuity, such as Wolsey having mistresses)

Question 7

Why was the year 1532 a turning point in royal policy? (4)

Answer 7

• Thomas More resigned the chancellorship as a consequence of the submission of the clergy
• The Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates in 1532 severed links with Rome so that Catharine of Aragon’s appeal over the annulment could be nullified
• Death of Archbishop Warham in 1532 and Thomas Cranmer became the new archbishop
• Anne Boleyn became pregnant so Henry had to force through a divorce with Catharine and marry Anne to legitimise the child quickly

Question 8

Why was Thomas Cranmer appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1532 when he had no claim to it, and had not even been a bishop?

Answer 8

Henry knew that he supported his reformist ideas and would do what the King told him with no fuss

Question 9

What were annates and what was the consequence of The Act in Conditional Restraints of Annates (1532)?

Answer 9

• Annates were payments made by bishops to Rome and now Cromwell made these payments go to the crown rather than to Rome (significant payment of First fruit and tenths was transferred from Rome to the King)
• This aided Henry’s financial position, showed Henry’s power and put pressure on the pope

Question 10

What Acts did Henry pass in the legalisation of his marriage to Anne Boleyn?

Answer 10

1533 Act of Restraints of Appeal- all appeals to Rome would instead be diverted to the English Church

1534 Act of Succession- Legitimised Henry’s marriage to Anne and any of their children
-Bastardised Mary

Question 11

What Acts did Henry pass to further sever ties with Rome from 1532-1534?

Answer 11

1532 Submission of the Clergy:

• £181,000 fine
• Act in Conditional Restraints of Annates was made permanent

1534 Act of Dispensation:

• Stopped all payments to Rome
• Registered invalidity of marriage to Catharine (and Mary was bastardised)

1534 Treason Act:
-Made illegal to slander against royal supremacy

Question 12

How did the Pope respond to the 1534 Act of Dispensation?

Answer 12

-By reaffirming the validity of Henry’s marriage to Catharine

–> Henry responded to this by removing the popes name from all prayer books

Question 13

Who was the Holy maid of Kent and how did she oppose the reformation of the church?

Answer 13

-She had visions of the Virgin Mary (during mental illness) and had prophecies against the king, and against the marriage of Henry and Anne Boleyn

Question 14

What was the ‘Assertion of the Seven Sacraments’ and when was it written?

Answer 14

• It was an intellectual thesis written by Henry VIII in defence of papal supremacy and written in response to a book written by Luther on how the pope should not be the supreme head of the church
• was written in 1521

Question 15

What was the governmental response to the Holy maid of Kent

Answer 15

• She was seen as a religious being and was gaining influence and popularity, and causing increasing problems for the king
• Executed in 1534 along with 5 of her followers

Question 16

How did Carthusian monks oppose the reformation of the Church

Answer 16

• Stood against Henry’s break with Rome

- A strict religious order that held influence over many people

Question 17

What was the governmental response to the opposition of reformation by Carthusian monks?

Answer 17

• Many monks imprisoned and died either by execution or from appalling conditions
• Their speech and belief was suppressed by the government

Question 18

How did Bishop Fisher oppose the reformation of the church?

Answer 18

• Supporter of Catharine of Aragon and believed that the power of the pope was god-given
• Encouraged Charles V to use armed intervention against Henry’s reign
• Argued that the denial of papal supremacy was sinful

Question 19

What was the governmental response to the opposition of reformation by Bishop John Fisher?

Answer 19

• Imprisoned in 1534 for refusing to swear to the oath of succession (as is contained royal supremacy)
• Executed in 1535 after being made a cardinal by the pope

Question 20

How did Thomas More oppose the reformation of the church?

Answer 20

-Was a supporter of Catherine of Aragon and disagreed with royal supremacy

• Leaked government information to the aragonese party
• Resigned from a position as chancellor following the 1532 submission of the clergy
• Refused to speak when asked to swear the act of succession or his opinion on royal supremacy–> never broke any laws and was careful not to incriminate himself

Question 21

What was the governmental response to Thomas More’s opposition to the church

Answer 21

• He was imprisoned in 1534 for refusing to swear to the Act of Succession
• Executed in 1535 on uncertain legal grounds (he never broke any laws)

Question 22

Who was Martin Luther, and what was his opinion on the church?

Answer 22

• A German monk who questioned indulgences, the role of priests and the papacy
• He began the protestant reformation of the church

Question 23

How did Luther challenge the Catholic church?

Answer 23

• Luther targeted what he believed were fraudulent religious documents called ‘indulgences’
• Wrote the ‘95 Theses’ in 1517 which was essentially disputation protests against clerical abuses, especially the sale of indulgences
• He claimed that the path to heaven would be made by “faith in God alone” (“sola fide”)
• Claimed that the bible is the only source of divinely received knowledge of God and thus that the papacy was fraudulent: Luther believed in ‘The Priesthood of all Believers’ and that all christians shared a common priesthood and thus that official priests had no power over others, but that there job was to spread and teach the word of God
• In 1525, Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German: a copy he called the ‘sola scriptua’

Question 24

When were the 95 Theses written?

Answer 24

1517

Question 25

How did the Catholic church respond to Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, and what was the outcome of these charges?

Answer 25

• Martin Luther was charged with heresy in 1520

- Luther however was not charged as a prince sympathised with him and gave him refuge in his castle

Question 26

What was Martin Luther’s opinion on the Papacy?

Answer 26

• He believed it was fraudulent and not a true representation of God as there was no mention of the pope or priests in the Bible
• He saw the Pope as the anti-christ
• In his 1518 ‘Explanation of the 95 Theses’ he claimed that their should be no restriction of Turks invading the papacy, as it was predicted that in the apocolypse the anti-christ would be killed

Question 27

When did Luther write the Sola Scriptua?

Answer 27

1525

Question 28

What was the impact of the Sola Scriptua?

Answer 28

• It allowed many groups to gather their own interpretations of the Bible and created many break-off protestant groups of christianity
• Now that so many more people could access and gain their own opinion on the bible, it allowed the reformation to explode as people had their own individual ideas of christianity

Question 29

What was Henry VIII’s opinion on Lutheranism?

Answer 29

• Originally he disliked it, and wrote the ‘Assertion of the Seven Sacrements’ against Luther in 1521
• However, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer and Anne Boleyn were all supporters of Luther- whilst Henry sought a split with Rome to solve the ‘Great Matter’- which caused him to accept Lutheranism and preach royal, rather than papal, supremacy
• Henry was always a catholic, even after the split with Rome

Question 30

What were the key catholic beliefs in the late medieval period?

Answer 30

-The Seven Sacrements which each provided the user with ‘Grace’ that would cleanse their sins and lessen their time in purgatory

• Baptism
• The Eucharist: A reanaction of the last supper during Mass in which transubstantiation takes place
• Penance: getting forgiveness for your sins
• Confirmation: A celebration at adolesensce
• Marriage
• Ordination: bringing the message of God and the sacrements to others
• Last rites: a ritual of healing at the end of life

Question 31

Why was their cynicism against Catholic beliefs in the late medieval church?

Answer 31

• Faith was very reliant on money –> easier to go to heaven if you were richer as many forms of grace, such as pencance and indulgences, had to be paid for
• People had to rely on the church to receive grace and go to heaven (only the priest could provide grace, and people could not give it to themselves)
• People were pushed to christianity often with fear of hell rather than preaching the good things of the church

Question 32

How did the Pope oppose protestants and reformation in the 1510s?

Answer 32

In 1514, issued a decree declaring that no layman (non-ordained member of a church) had authoirty over a churchman

-This decree was largely ignored in England

Question 33

When and what was the Standish case?

Answer 33

-1515, Friar Standish, supported by parliament, attacked ‘Benefit of the Clergy’ and was consequently attacked by bishops

The King was eventually called to give his verdict and he ordered a compromise but reminded his audience that English Kings were subject to no worldly superior and that the King was in charge of the English Church.

Question 34

What was the significance of the Sack of Rome for Henry’s annulment

Answer 34

-The pope was imprisoned by Charles V- who was extremely anti-protestant and the nephew of Cahterine of Aragon- was influenced by the emperor

Question 35

What and when was the Sack of Rome?

Answer 35

1527

Charles V’s forces invaded and sacked the papal states and Rome

Question 36

How did Wolsey plan to make the most of the Pope’s imprisonment following the Sack of Rome in 1527?

Answer 36

-Wolsey wanted to annul the marriage of Henry & Catherine as quickly as possible by calling a council of archbishops to settle the matter in England whilst the Pope was unable to intervene

Question 37

Why was Wolsey unable to make progress with the annulment in 1527 despite the Pope being imprisoned?

Answer 37

-French Cardinals were reluctant to support Wolsey

Question 38

How did Wolsey try to secure an annulment following the Pope’s release in December 1527?

Answer 38

-Wolsey planned to hear the marriage in England with papal permission, so it could be resolved without too much inteference from Rome

Question 39

What did Pope Clement VII suggest for Henry to do in order to acheive his annulment?

Answer 39

• He suggested that Henry should just marry Anne and seek an annulment later
• He also suggested that Catherine withdraw to a nunnery to class the marriage as void

Question 40

Why did Henry not go along with Pope Clement VII’s suggestion?

Answer 40

• Felt by marrying Anne before an annulment, it could damage the legitimacy of any future child
• Created bigamy (two wives) and Henry disagreed with it on religious basis

Question 41

How was the annulment further delayed in 1528?

Answer 41

-Permission for a legatine court (court presided over by a church legate) was granted in April 1528 after procrastination from Rome and the discovery of the ‘Spanish Brief’

Question 42

What was the ‘Spanish Brief’

Answer 42

A letter found by the Spanish in 1528 confirming and clearing up any issues with Henry’s marriage to Catherine following the death of Arthur

• -> Supposedly written before their marriage but only discovered in 1528
• ->Considered a fake by the English but they were never granted permission by the Spanish to examine it

Question 43

Why did the Legatine court produce no solution to the Great Matter even into Summer 1529?

Answer 43

• Cardinal Campeggio had been given orders from Rome to procrastinate and delay the annulment so it would be revoked to Rome
• Despite the legatine court being agreed in April 1528, Cardinal Campeggio did not arrive in England until March 1529
• When Charles V became the king of Italy, he had the case brought back to Rome

Question 44

What and when was the Act for First Fruit and Tenths?

Answer 44

1534

-Clerical Taxes were ordered to the king rather than to Rome

Question 45

When was Cromwell made Vice-Gerent and what was the significance of this?

Answer 45

• In January 1535, Cromwell was made ‘Vice Gerent in Spirituals’
• This was the only time this title was ever used and was created to provide more power to the reformist influence over the church

Question 46

When and what was the ‘Valor Ecclesiasticus’?

Answer 46

-The ‘Valor Ecclesiasticus’ was a survey commissioned by Cromwell into the wealth and conditions of the Church, as he sought to expose it’s failure and seek reform

Question 47

When was the execution of the Carthudsian monks- and who were the most high-profile ones to be executed?

Answer 47

1535
Bishop John Fisher and and Sir Thomas More
-This helped to quash serious opposition to the break with Rome

Question 48

What was Henry’s action towards Monasteries?

Answer 48

-1536 Act of Dissolution of Lesser Monasteries in which smaller monasteries were closed down

• 1539 Act of Dissolution of Greater Monasteries- All monasteries were closed down and their land was passed onto the crown
• ->This was the largest land gain for the English crown since the Norman Conquest, and aided the crown greatly

Question 49

What was the purpose of the Acts of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 and 1539?

Answer 49

• Reduced the power from the Catholic Church and gave it to the crown
• Allowed the Crown to make large land gains

Question 50

What was the ‘Act of Ten Articles’ and when was it?

Answer 50

1536

• The Seven Sacraments of Catholic Doctrine were rejected, leaving only three (Baptism, Eucharist and Penance): this was a clear move towards protestantism
• It was the first clear and fundamental shift towards Lutheran beliefs
• However, the 1537 Bishop’s Book rediscovered the four ‘lost’ sacraments and just said they were of lesser importance
• the 1539 ‘Act of Six Articles’ completely shifted the doctrine and confirmed catholic beliefs such as transubstantiation and private Masses

Question 51

What were the ‘Royal injunctions to the Clergy’? and when were they?

Answer 51

1536 & 1538

• Ordered the Clergy to defend Royal Supremacy, have copies of the English translated bible abandon pilgrimages for example
• The injunction was issued by Cromwell and displayed the influence he had over Church policy

Question 52

How was the Bible changed in England as part of the reformation?

Answer 52

• The ‘Matthew Bible’ was published in 1537 that contained partial English translation and was distinctly protestant
• Publication of the ‘Great Bible’ in 1539as the first authorised English translation of the bible: permitted by Henry VIII and commissioned by Thomas Cromwell

Question 53

What and when was the ‘Truce of Nice’ and what was it’s significance on Church Policy

Answer 53

1538

• A temporary halt to the Habsburg-Valois war and created a real possibility of a joint invasion of England by a group of catholic countries
• Prompted Henry to prove that he was in fact Catholic, and policy shifted back towards catholicism until the threat ended in 1540

Question 54

When was Cromwell arrested and executed?

Answer 54

1540

Question 55

Why was Cromwell executed?

Answer 55

• Henry saw him as a threat to his kingship and overarching power as Cromwell had become very powerful and implemented his own injunctions and policies
• He failed in his arrangement of Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves and failed in the annulment of the marriage

Question 56

What actions did Henry take in response to the Truce of Nice and the threat of an invasion from catholics?

Answer 56

-1538 Trial and execution of John Lambert for his rejection of transubstantiation

• 1539 Act of ‘Six Articles’- Confirmed Transubstantiation, private masses and priesthood
• -> contradicted the 1536 Acts of Ten Articles

Question 57

Why were there fluctuations in Henry’s policy between protestant and Catholic? (4)

Answer 57

• Changed depending on the circumstances and what suited him at the time (the same as his foreign policy)
• To gain him money & power, and displaying his ego
• The influence of those around him (eg. Cromwell, Anne Boleyn)
• Henry himself was unsure about the reforms as he was brought up catholic- he continued to shift policy as he remained unconvinced over the reform

Question 58

Why did Cromwell dissolve the monasteries? (5)

Answer 58

• To claim power and land: The church owned 1/3 of English land
• To claim economic benefit from the land eg. leasing the land, or agricultural product
• Anti-Clericalism: The slipping standards of the clergy in terms of vows and education & the resentment of Wolsey
• Monasteries could have acted as centres of opposition: Carthusian monks had already refused to swear the oath of succession, and monasteries had strong ties to European monasteries and Rome
• Theological differences: reformists disagreed with the idea of purgatory so communal prayer was redundant

Question 59

How did Cromwell and Henry convince parliament in the 1536 Dissolution of the monasteries?

Answer 59

• It was presented as positive reform as it said that smaller monasteries were not economic or religious (based on findings from the Valor Ecclasiasticus)
• They said they would simply move monks and nuns from smaller monasteries to larger ones
• Wolsey had also dissolved 29 monasteries and used the money to build schools and colleges: the dissolution was perceived in a similar way

Question 60

Given the apparently low scale 1536 Dissolution of lesser monasteries, how did Cromwell get parliament to accept the 1539 Dissolution of Greater monasteries?

Answer 60

-Most of the religious houses had already been surrendered and dissolved so parliament had little choice in stopping it

Question 61

How did Cromwell get larger monasteries to surrender to the crown before the act of The Dissolution of Greater Monasteries in 1539? (5)

Answer 61

• Cromwell sent round many Royal commissioners to request for monasteries to surrender freely to the crown
• There was the threat of force and fear in order to get abbots to surrender
• Abbots & monks were offered generous pensions to surrender the land
• Henry & Cromwell lied in saying that the monasteries would be converted into colleges, hospitals and schools
• The crown replaced previous abbots with ones they knew would be more passive to surrender

Question 62

Why was there such a short time period between the dissolution of greater and lesser monasteries?

Answer 62

Cromwell rushed through the dissolution as he saw that Henry’s policy was shifting back towards catholicism following the treaty of nice

Question 63

What was the differing economic view on the use of the monasteries between Cromwell and Henry?

Answer 63

• Cromwell saw the long term economic stability for the crown in leasing out the land
• Following Cromwell’s death, Henry sold off most of the land to fund unsuccessful wars with France and Scotland
• ->Displays the level of Cromwell’s influence over Henry

Question 64

What was the role of Catherine of Aragon in the fall and execution of Anne Boleyn?

Answer 64

• The consequences of Catherine of Aragon’s death: Henry could not remove Anne whilst Catherine was alive as that would make Catherine the legitimate queen again
• Since Catherine’s split from Henry, she remained in England and was a focus for all the people that disagreed with the reformation: when she died, all the people turned on Anne Boleyn

Question 65

What caused Henry to doubt the validity of his marriage to Anne?

Answer 65

• Anne was tried for treason, adultery and incest

- ->This caused him to doubt his marriage to Anne and execute her

Question 66

How did Anne’s temperament lead to her fall and execution?

Answer 66

• Anne remained feisty and enthusiastic even after the marriage, when she was assumed to become more passive
• Anne was highly intellectual and a skilled musician which often challenged the King’s ego
• ->Although Henry liked it when he was chasing her, he found it intolerable when they were married

Question 67

How did Anne’s failure to produce a male heir lead to her fall and execution?

Answer 67

• She produced a female: Elizabeth
• Anne’s third failed pregnancy in 1536 was identified as a male
• -> Henry believed the curse that was present with Catherine continued to Anne

Question 68

How did the Anti-Boleyn faction lead to the fall and execution of Anne?

Answer 68

• People believed that Anne’s influence was responsible for the execution of More and Fisher in 1535
• Anne’s reformist views alienated Cromwell and Norfolk

Question 69

What was the role of Cromwell in Anne Boleyn’s fall and execution?

Answer 69

-Anne held a religious sermon with a preacher, John Ship that quoted the Book of Hamman and attacked Cromwell

• Cromwell was dressed down by Henry and Chapuys for supposedly issuing his own foreign policy
• -> From their on, Cromwell feared Anne was conspiring against him and rumours of adultery began to mysteriously appear
• Anne disliked Cromwell as she hoped to be the Kings chief political advisor but Cromwell was
• ->Anne disagreed with some of Cromwell’s views, such as the dissolution of monasteries

-Cromwell knew that he could not issue another divorce, and thus that Anne had to be executed

Question 70

What was the significance of Ambassador Chapuys in the fall and execution of Anne Boleyn?

Answer 70

• Henry arranged for Ambassador Chapuys of Charles V’s HRE to meet Anne Boleyn at a chapel, which meant that he would have to bow to her (etiquette)
• Prior to this, the HRE had not recognised Anne as Queen but this bow displayed their acceptance
• This was a clever move by Henry in emphasising the power of his queen
• ->Merely 2 weeks later, Anne was arrested: Displays the role of Cromwell in Anne’s fall
• ->The king was originally shocked and distraught at the rumours of Anne’s adultery yet allowed an inquest

Question 71

What was the significance of the ‘six articles’ in Cromwell’s fall from power?

Answer 71

• Showed that Henry was conservative, rather than radical in religion
• Encourages conservative faction to increase their attacks on Cromwell as they had found a weak spot in the King’s policy

Question 72

What was the significance of the trial of John Lambert, and his execution in 1538, to the fall of Cromwell?

Answer 72

-Sign that Henry was concerned that Cromwell’s reforms were causing a spread of heresy

• Cromwell appeared to show him mercy for his protestant views but Henry pronounced him guilty
• ->Cromwell’s impartiality over the execution raised questions over his beliefs that his enemies would later use against him

Question 73

What was the significance of Catherine Howard in the fall of Cromwell?

Answer 73

• The Duke of Norfolk introduced Catherine Howard to the king, who became infatuated with her
• Cromwell was forced into a situation where he had to annul the Cleves marriage to keep the King happy but if he did, it would’ve given the Duke of Norfolk more influence through Catherine

Question 74

What was the role of Anne of Cleves in the fall of Cromwell?

Answer 74

• Proposed by Cromwell to create an alliance with the protestant Germany to create an alliance with England and end their European isolation
• However, the alliance of catholic nations fell apart in 1540 leaving no reason for the marriage and Henry also thought that Anne was ugly

Question 75

What was the significance of faction and Cromwell’s enemies at court in his downfall?

Answer 75

-The catholic faction and supporters of Catherine Howard disliked Cromwell for his protestant views, his influence over the King and his lowly background

• They convinced the King that Cromwell was full of misdeeds such as:
• Cromwell’s protection of protestants in Calais
• His unwillingness to accept the act of six articles

-Cromwell’s annulment of the Cleves marriage and the King’s infatuation with Catherine Howard increased the influence of the Duke of Norfolk