Henry VIII

Henry VIII

Henry VIII• King from 1509 – 1547• Second monarch of the House of Tudor• Married six times (two of his wives beheaded)• Leading role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church• Attractive (in his youth), charismatic, educated and accomplished• Became morbidly obese as he grew older

Henry defends RC Church against Luther

Henry defends RC Church against Luther

• The seven sacraments: Baptism; Eucharist; Penance; Confirmation; Marriage; Holy Orders; Anointing of the Sick

• Henry VIII: ”We have in this little book, gentle reader, clearly demonstrated, I hope, how absurdly and impiously Luther has handled the holy sacraments. For though we have not touched all things contained in his book, yet so far as was necessary to defend the sacraments (which was our only design), I suppose I have treated, though not so sufficiently as might have been done, yet more than is even necessary.  .  .  . ”

Henry’s Marriage Troubles

Henry attempts to get a divorce

Henry attempts to get a divorce

• Anne Boleyn: "I beseech your highness most earnestly to desist, and to this my answer in good part. I would rather lose my life than my honesty.“• Pope Clement VII rejected Henry’s petition for annulment of his marriage to Catherine• 1531: Catherine banished from court, Anne moves in

The Act of Supremacy

The Act of Supremacy• Passed by Parliament in 1534• Made the King the supreme head of the Church of England• Act of Succession (1534) vested succession in the children of Henry and Anne (Elizabeth), disinheriting Mary (child of Catherine of Aragon). Also demanded oath recognising King’s supremacy over the Church.• Thomas More beheaded

The Act of Supremacy...• Also during the 1530s, laws were passed which:

- 1532: Put an end to the clergy paying taxes to Rome- 1533: Forbade bishops from appealing to the pope - 1534: Diverted Church taxes into Henry’s treasury- 1539: Defined the doctrine of the Church of England

Dissolution of the Monasteries

Dissolution of the Monasteries• Valor Ecclestiasticus (Ecclesiastical Valuation)• Monsteries had an annual income of 40 million pounds, in today’s money• Perception of corruption• Between 1536 and 1540 all the monasteries in England and Wales were closed. • Henry used this source of wealth to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund wars against France.

Edward VI (1547 – 53)

Edward VI (1547 – 53)

• Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour• Became king at age of 9• Henry’s Protectors were staunch Protestants who wanted the English Church to move further away from Rome.• 1549: The Book of Common Prayer in English• Dies of tuberculosis in 1553

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

• Mary Tudor, ruled from 1553 – 58• Devout Catholic, persecuted Protestants• Married Philip, the king of Catholic Spain• Mass held in Latin again, repealed Henry’s anti-Catholic laws, 300 Protestants who would not give up their faith were burnt at the stake.• Died of a mixture of grief (related to Philip and failed pregnancies) and illness at 42

The Elizabethan Settlement

The Elizabethan Settlement

• Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne, reigned for 45 years.• Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity (1559)• A compromise, eg. the new Book of Common Prayer removed material offensive to Catholics• The Papal bull Regnans in Excelsis, issued on 25 February 1570 declared Elizabeth a heretic