Religious Changes and Consequences During the Reign of Henry Viii

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a) Describe the most important religious changes that took place in the reign of Henry VIII. (20) b) How did the change affect the future of religion. (10) The reign of Henry VIII was a time of great religious upheaval and change. In England this was brought about through the break with Rome, the establishment of the Church of England and the destruction of the monasteries. Henry had been a loyal Catholic and an anti-protestant. So loyal that he was given the title 'Defender of the Faith' by the Pope - a title the Royal family still use today. He fell out with the Church over his desire for a divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon to marry Ann Boleyn. Cardinal Wolsey tried and failed to get the divorce. Catherine's nephew the Holy Roman Emperor had sacked Rome and the Pope was a virtual prisoner. Henry saw that if he made himself Head of the English Church he could grant himself a divorce, remove the power of Rome from his Kingdom and allow himself access to the great wealth of the Church. This is precisely what Henry did. He passed the ACT of SUPREMACY, which said that he was the Supreme Head of the Church of England. In 1533 he married Ann and divorced Catherine. Anyone who refused to recognise Henry as the Head of the Church was executed. After Henry had made himself Supreme Head of the Church he decided to close down the monasteries. The monks and priests had given their obedience to the Pope so Henry doubted their loyalty. Also the monasteries were incredibly wealthy. The Church owned over one quarter of all the land in England. Henry wanted and needed money for war and pomp. The monasteries had been centres of education, social services, hospitals, libraries and schools for centuries. Closing them would affect the entire population. Some it would benefit (Henry and his favourites), others it would not (dispossessed monks, people in poor
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