Dissolution of the monasteries

Introduction

• 1529

• 800 monasteries

• huge land owners

main reasons for the dissolution

• moral and religious reasons

• political and religious reasons

• pre existing policy

• economic reasons

• Cromwell’s influence

Moral and religious reasons

• Erasmus and More

• Comperta monastica - cromwell

• moral corruption

• superstition

political and religious reasons

• standing army of rome

• dissolution as punishment

Pre exisiting policy

• 29 monasteries in 1520’s - wolsey

• schools, colleges

• helped normalise idea

economic reasons

• 1/3 of england’s land and wealth

  • valor ecclesiasticus (1535)

• fund wars

• stop reliance on taxes

• financially stable crown

cromwell’s influence

• valor ecclesiasticus - 1535

• visitations

• self sufficient - taxes

1536 - first act off dissolution

• smaller houses closed

1539 - second act of dissolution

• legalises all closures and transfers land to crown

what were the main impacts of the DoM

• social impacts

• economic impacts

• political impacts

• religious impacts

social impacts

• monks and nuns

• poor

• gentry landownership

economic impact

• income doubled

• fund defences, castle, navy

• monastic land

political impact

• royal supremacy

• removed ops - clergy

• new class of landowners

religious impact

• monastic life

• catholic presence