Reformation of the church - The consequences of the dissolution

Monastic buildings

What type of vandalism was Henry VIII accused of and why?

• Henry has been accused of cultural vandalism due to the widespread destruction of Gothic churches, illuminated manuscripts, images, and reliquaries

• This destruction is undeniably true

How was Henry using a portion of these procedes form the “vandalism”?

In his defence, Henry invested some of his wealth into education:

• Of his contributions include establishing new cathedral grammar schools at Canterbury, Carlisle, Ely, Bristol, and Chester

• He also founded Christ Church, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge

Monks and friars

How did Mons and frairs deal with the dissolution?

• The majority of monks and friars found alternative paid employment within the Church

• This said, a significant minority were left in hardship

How many monks and frairs moved on?

About 6,500 out of 8,000 moved on, having been supplied with their pensions

Nuns

How were nuns affected by the dissolution?

Nuns were less well off with 2,000 nuns were allowed neither to marry nor to become priests

The poor

What were monasteries traditionaly used for?

Monasteries had been a traditional source of help for the poor

How did the dissolutions affect the poor?

• The dissolution undoubtedly had a detrimental effect on the poor

• However, it is likely that this only aggravated an already worsening problem

Profit

What was Henry VIII accused of surrounding money?

Henry VIII was accused of wasting wealth from selling monastic lands

What caused a rush in the need to sell land?

• Starting in May 1543, there was a rush to sell land, mainly to fund wars with Scotland and France (1542-46)

• The total expenditure was around £2 million, but few long-term gains were achieved

How much monastic land was with the crown by 1547?

By 1547, about half of the monastic lands remained with the Crown, indicating some restraint

How much was earned from the monastic lands by 1547 and what did the revenue help prevent?

• The Crown earned approximately £800,000 from land sales by 1547, mostly in cash

• This revenue helped to prevent more severe taxation on Henry’s subjects

Social change

How did power dynamics shift/

The dissolution of monasteries led to the transfer of land from the Church to laypeople, shifting local power from ecclesiastical authorities to secular landowners such as squires, JPs, and chief landowners

How was land ownership effected?

There is limited evidence that land ownership extended to lawyers and younger sons of landowning families who previously lacked land inheritance.

How were thinks still relatively the same in terms of land ownershio?

Despite these changes, it was not a social revolution or the rise of the gentry; land remained primarily in the hands of already established landowners

What was the main social change brought on by the dissolution?

• The main change was that more men gained influence in local politics through land purchases

• G. R. Elton argues that this period saw a move away from the dominance of a few aristocrats toward broader power held by larger groups, rather than a decline of the aristocracy or a rise in the gentry.