History notes

The Tudors

Henry VII and the causes of the Break from Rome:

  • To divorce his wife- Katherine Of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn

  • To grant this divorce he would have to ask the Pope but because he was rejected he made himself the ‘The Head of the Church Of England’

    -this guaranteed him to do whatever he wanted without Rome’s obligation interfering

  • Henry VIII broke from Rome in 1534. This was known as The Act of Supremacy

Although Henry remained a ‘devout’ Catholic- he made many changes to England and it was turned more Protestant

-He was called “Defender of the Faith," for his book against Martin Luther, a German monk

-Martin Luther was a Protestant criticising Catholic beliefs and this sparked the spread of Protestantism to Europe; a new branch of Christianity in 1517

Changes to the English Chruch under Henry VIII

  • The Break from Rome eventually triggered England’s transition into becoming a Protestant country

  • Repercussions including The Dissolution of the Monasteries and other rebellions

  • The English Reformation was more about politics, wealth and family dynamics rather than his personal faith

The Dissolution of the Monasteries

  • Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, having been charged with treason and other crimes

  • Thomas Cromwell, who has come in support of her beliefs, believed that the Church, particularly the monasteries needed to be reformed

  • Cromwell sent inspectors to visit and report the wealth of these monasteries

    -It was concluded some monks were living in wealth and luxury and not living in humble poverty like the poor

    -It was also said that monks and nuns were not following any of the rules, such as not living together (i.e. having sexual activity with each other) or that they had faked religious relics to bring money from tourists

  • Thomas Cromwell was Henry’s chief minister at the time and was also the one who conducted the Dissolution of the Monasteries

  • Together they established a new part of the government called the Court of Augmentations

  • Henry gained immense wealth; his nobles had bought the monasteries and had converted them into grand homes

  • earned him lots of money which was used to fund the wars he had lost

  • Gained £140,000 from the dissolution of the monasteries