Henry VIII - Religion flashcards

Flashcards for the religious changes under Henry VIII because they are confusing and specific

What were Henry’s personal views about religion?

He was a Catholic and especially passionate about transubstantiation however he rejected purgatory as the certificates to decrease this time for money the Pope gave made Henry angry as it gave the Pope more power, and he also randomly rejected iconography and pilgrimage.

When and why were the English clergy accused of praemunire (recognising a higher authority outside England)?

December 1530, for money and to decrease the power of the Catholic church by showing that the King had the ultimate power as he could execute all the clergy.

When were the clergy pardoned for praemunire?

February 1531 after paying Henry a fine of £119,000 (a year’s crown income).

When was Henry recognised as ‘Head of the Church so far as law of Christ allows’?

Also February 1531, the attempt to name Henry ‘the only supreme head’ was blocked by the church.

When was the Supplication of the Ordinaries petition from Parliament?

March 1532, it banned the clergy from making new laws without royal approval and existing religious laws were to be reviewed by a royal commission of 16, 8 clergy and 8 laymen.

When did the clergy submit to Henry as their lawmaker rather than the pope?

May 1532.

When was the first Act of Annates and what was in it?

In 1532 the act banned the payment of annates (bishop fees) to Rome, also suggesting bishops could be consecrated without the Pope. This meant the Pope lost most of the papal revenue from England and removed the Pope’s main function.

What was the catch with the first Act of Annates?

It would only be enacted if Henry issued letters patent for it to be enacted, showing that he remained hopeful of reconciliation with the Pope and the law was just to threaten him.

When was the Act in Restraint of Appeals to Rome and what did it contain?

February 1533, making Henry the supreme head of the church in England and stopping Rome having the power to rule over matrimonial cases, allowing Cranmer to declare Henry and Catherine’s marriage null and void.

What happened in 1534?

The Pope confirmed that Catherine was still legally married to Henry, causing Henry to give up on the Pope granting his divorce and therefore letting Cromwell completely remove the Pope.

When was the second Act of Annates and what did it contain?

January 1534, confirming the first act, making it permanent and allowing abbots and bishops in future to be appointed completely by the King rather than the Pope.

When was the Act to stop Peter’s Pence and what did it contain?

Also in January 1534, the act abolished the payment of church taxation to Rome.

When was the Act for the Submission of the Clergy and what did it contain?

March 1534, it meant ecclesiastical appeals were now to be heard in the Royal court of Chancery and not the Church courts, giving Henry control over religious judgements.

When was the first Act of Succession and what did it contain?

In March 1534 it officially replaced Henry’s marriage with Catherine to his with Anne, allowing the royal line to follow Anne and Henry’s line. It also made it treason to deny the Boleyn marriage.

When was the first act of supremacy and what did it contain?

November 1534, it forced every abbot to state that ‘Henry justly and rightfully is Supreme Head of the Church of England’ and Henry was given the right to ‘visit’ monastries.

When was the Treason Act?

December 1534, it made it treason just to call the King or Queen a heretic.

When was the Act concerning First Fruits and Tenths and what did it contain?

December 1534, it meant clerical taxes would go to the King and not the Pope. They were also increased from little to a year’s income on appointment and 10% every subsequent year, increasing the royal revenue by 40%.

When was Cromwell made Vice-gerent (deputy to Henry0 in Spirituals and what did this show?

January 1535, showing reformists influence over Henry.

When was the Valor Ecclesiasticus and what was it?

January 1535, a survey commisioned by Cromwell into the state of the Church.

When were the Carthusian monks executed?

Sumemr 1535, Bishop Fisher and Thomas More due to their refusal to submit to Henry as the supreme head of the church, ending all opposition to the break with Rome.

When was the Act for the Dissolution of Lesser Monasteries?

February 1536, monasteries worth less than £200 were shut down.

When was the Act of Ten Articles and what did it contain?

July 1536, it was very protestant as only the 3 protestant sacraments were accepted, and transubstantiation was not mentioned.

When were the first Royal Injunctions by Cromwell and what did they contain?

August 1536, ordering the clergy to defend the royal supremacy in sermons, abandon pilgrimages and give money for teaching children the Lord’s Prayer; protestant.

When was the Bishop’s book and what did it contain?

July 1537, it was both Catholic and Protestant as the ‘lost’ Catholic sacraments were rediscovered but stated to be of lesser value, but transubstantiation was still not mentioned, mass was glossed over, the special status of priests was understated and purgatory only present via implication.

When was the Matthew Bible published and why was it significant?

August 1537, it shows the huge amount of protestant influence on the King as the bible was published with the permission of the King despite being distinctly Protestant.

When did Cromwell issue the second Royal Injunctions and what did they say?

September 1538, it was a protestant injunction as the English bible had to be placed in all parishes within two years and pilgrimages were discouraged (Thomas Becket’s shrine at Canterbury was removed), relics were removed and purgatory was rejected.

When was John Lambert executed and why?

November 1538 due to his rejection of transubstantiation, Henry was involved which shows his commitment to this Catholic belief.

When was Henry excommunicated and by whom?

December 1538 by Paul III, lateness shows the Pope hoped Henry would return to Catholicism.

When was the ‘Great Bible’ published and which wing of Christianity did it take?

April 1539, it was ordered by Cromwell and extremely protestant as it was based on William Tyndale’s 1525 English bible, which emphasised the word of God and criticised the institution of the church.

When was the Act of the Six Articles and why was it so significant?

June 1539, extremely Catholic. It was a radical shift in doctrine, confirming the Catholic practices of transubstantiation, private masses, priests hearing concession, banned the marriage of priests. However it meant ordinary people would take wine as well as bread with communion (previously only the priest) which is Protestant as it meant the laity were = to the priest.

Why was the Act of the Six Articles made law?

Partially because of Henry being a Catholic and finally realising that England had gone very Protestant due to Protestant Cromwell, and partially because there was a huge threat of England being invaded by the Catholic powers of Francis I and Charles V due to the Truce of Nice so Henry wanted to placate them.

When was the Act for the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries and why was it done?

June 1539, partially because Monks are no longer needed to pray for people’s souls to go through purgatory faster as Henry did not believe in purgatory, and partially because Henry got lots of land and therefore money from it.

When was Cromwell executed and why was this significant?

July 1540, resulting in more Catholic policy as he was a protestant and also leading to an even less coherent policy.

When was Cranmer protected and why was this significant?

In April 1543 Cranmer was protected by Henry against Catholics, which is obviously Protestant.

When was the Act for the Advancement of True Religion and what did it say?

May 1543, it restricted access to the English bible to only upper-class men and noblewomen in private to prevent an uprising by ordinary people stimulated by the stories of disobedient Kings being punished by God.