The impact of the Henrician religious changes, 1533-37

The King’s Great Matter

The religious changes initiated by Henry VIII and his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, stemmed from the King’s desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Having failed to provide a son and heir, Henry looked to replace Catherin with his new love interest, Anne Boleyn. Henry hoped that Anne would succeed where Catherine had failed. The process of securing the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage is known as the King’s Great Matter because it occupied royal and government business for over seven years between 1527 and 1534.

The break with Rome

To secure the annulment of his marriage, Henry needed the Pope’s approval - but this was not forthcoming. In an effort to force the Pope into granting the annulment, the King was persuaded by Cromwell to put pressure on the Church. This action set in motion a chain of events that culminated in the unintended break with Rome in 1534. By forcing the Catholic Church in England to support the King’s annulment, Cromwell hoped that the Pope would be forced to follow suit. However, this did not happen and as each year passed the pressure exerted by Henry and Cromwell on the Church in England increased. This Reformation in religion was accomplished with the active support of parliament, which was managed with great skill by Cromwell.

The Act of Supremacy, 1534

A combination of political and legal pressure exerted through the so-called Reformation Parliament (1529-36) resulted in the submission of the English clergy and the gradual cutting of the Church’s ties with Rome. As the King’s power over the Church in England increased, the Pope’s authority diminished. By 1534 Henry was in a position to assume full control over the Church, which resulted in the passing of the Act of Supremacy. Thus Henry VIII became supreme head of the Church in England, which gave him the legal authority to make any changed he wished. With the assistance of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, Henry set about initiating doctrinal reform.

The King’s religious changes

The break with Rome, allied to the proposed reforms of Church doctrine, proved too much for some of Henry’s subjects. It led to conflict between Conservatives and Reformers at Court.

  • The Conservatives, led by Bishop Stephen Gardiner and Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, resisted religious change, wishing to keep the Church Catholic.

  • The Reformers, led by Cranmer and Cromwell, were keen to move the Church in a more Protestant direction.

The conflict at Court mirrored the rising discontent in the country. There were some notable casualties of the King’s royal supremacy:

  • The executions of Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher (1535).

  • The persecution of the Franciscans and Carthusians. There were two monastic religious order and members of the regular clergy who remained loyal to the Pope.

In 1535 Cromwell initiated a survey to determine the state of the monasteries. The results of the survey were contained in the Valor Ecclesiasticus and led to the passing of the Act for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. The Act of Ten Articles (1536) and the publication of the Bishops’ Book in 1537 moved the Church in a distinctly reformist direction.