Crown, church and parliament, 1485–1603:

Knowledge

This section can include parliament and its changing authority

This section could also focus on significant changes or turning points

Or how the crown steadily increased control over the Church

Or an assessment of relations between the Church and the Crown

Key Turning Points

  • The Reformation

  • Both Acts of Supremacy

  • Elizabethan religious changes

How accurate is it to say that that the status and authority of Parliament was transformed in the years 1485 - 1603?

  • Recognise this includes the WHOLE period so all monarchs must be mentioned

  • Following a series of changing religious doctrine - Parliaments use definitely increased

  • As well as this, their willingness to dispute the monarch increased by 1603 following Elizabeth’s reign - likely due to her gender - to an extent she had to compromise

  • Far more useful in Break from Rome than Henry VII who hardly ever used them unless for taxation

  • Essential in granting religious changes via Acts of Parliament

P - If Henry VII called parliament it was because he needed money to fund wars for the defence of the country against foreign invasion. Henry was a cautious monarch so he called parliament infrequently, giving them less chance to criticise him . 

E - He summoned parliament seven times in a reign lasting 24 years. Parliament sat for a total of 72 weeks during the period. This was not seen as suspicious because unlike his son, England was at peace.

E - Henry used his first Parliament after the Battle of Bosworth to secure his claim to the throne. Parliament passed a series of Acts of Attainder, convicting Henry’s enemies. However, Henry was always very careful not to give Parliament too much power and Parliament did not grant him the throne. 

L - Overall, despite the singular defeat over taxation in 1504, Henry ensured that his parliament never had too much control and he only utilised parliament to ensure that his claim was secure. Therefore, throughout his reign their role remained fairly unchanged and stable.

P - Initially, prior to 1529, relations between Henry VIII and parliament were fairly stable. Unlike his father he was trying to prove himself on an international scale, so needed parliament for taxation purposes. Despite slight opposition faced by Wolsey following defeats, Crown parliament relations remained fairly stable throughout the period until 1529 and Henry’s Break from Rome.

E - The role of the Church before 1529:

  • Before 1529 the role of the Roman Catholic Church in England was enormously powerful.

    The head of the Catholic Church was the Pope, who believed he had been granted his position by God. He had the power to appoint Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops.

E - 1527 - Henry wanted an annulment from Catherine of Aragon as she couldn’t provide him a son BUT The Pope, Clement VII, was under the control of Catherine’s nephew, Charles, the Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of Spain so he was unable to grant the annulment.

1529 - Henry was frustrated and was looking for another solution. Thomas Cromwell (who had replaced Wolsey) found the solution to Henry’s problem by using Parliament to break away from the Pope’s control and place Henry as the Head of the English Church. This allowed Henry to declare his marriage void. 

1532 - Hostility between the Church and Parliament was exploited by Cromwell. Here, they submitted to Henry and accepted his power over them and the Churches financial power was limited

1533 -  Cromwell persuades Parliament to pass the Act in Restraint of Appeals which stopped legal appeals in Church courts being sent to Rome. It was the first Act of Parliament to give Henry more power over the Church.

1534 - In 1534 the Act of Supremacy confirmed Henry as the head of the English Church under English law.

 1534 - The Act of Succession (1534) declared that his marriage to Catherine had never been valid and that the heirs to the throne were to be Henry and Anne’s children.

The Act of Supremacy was not a lasting change as Mary was able to repeal it due to it being an Act of Parliament

L - Therefore, the Act of Supremacy resulted in a change in Crown State relations in many ways. Firstly, Henry increased royal power by Henry and Cromwell emphasised Henry’s supremacy came from God, not parliament. However because they used an Act of Parliament to give the supremacy the authority of statute law, those who disobeyed it could be punished under that law. However, parliamentary power also increased as Any ruler who wished to alter or reverse the Acts passed in the 1530’s would need parliament to do this.

P - The role of parliament arguably increased during the reign of Edward IV and this was due to his age

E - This is because, Edward needed ‘Protectors’ which was a role taken on by the Duke of Somerset and Thomas Cramner

E - There was some religious change that Edward needed parliament for such as 1549 the Act of Uniformity introduced the Book of Common Prayer and made it compulsory in all church services. In 1552, Cranmer produced a more Protestant version of the Book of Common Prayer.

E - Furthermore, following Edward, Mary was unable to make much religious change due to the will of parliament - despite her Catholic beliefs she had to compromise. BUT Mary was able to repeal the Act of Supremacy with an Act of Parliament in 1554 however she was unable to make a lasting impression on church-state relations.

L - Therefore, parliamentary powers were required in both Edward and Mary’s reign to alter their religious doctrine and power arguable decreased from Edward to Mary due to his age. However, despite the need of parliament who initially denied her request of returning monestaries Mary was able to repeal to AoS. However, this was not a lasting change and simply repealed again under Elizabeth.

P - Elizabeth faced a dilemma when entering the throne. This is because Mary had dismantled the original Act of Supremacy which had broken with Rome and many thought that as a woman, Elizabeth was unfit to be Supreme Head of the Church. So Elizabeth had to re-establish the royal supremacy and find a middle way to keep her subjects happy.

E - Elizabeth had to use Parliament to legalise her religious settlement. However, she faced some problems. The House of Lords was full of Catholic sympathisers and  Bishops who had been appointed by Mary. Elizabeth and her closest adviser William Cecil knew that if they were to get a more protestant religious settlement through they would need to find a way to convince the Lords. 

E - To introduce two bills, one for supremacy and one for uniformity. Elizabeth took the title ‘Supreme Governor’ rather than ‘Supreme Head’. This appealed to the Catholics who recognised the Pope as Supreme Head and Protestants who did not like a woman being the head of the Church.

However the bill of uniformity still faced problems in the Lords as it was more protestant than the Catholics were prepared to accept as It imposed a radical 1552 Prayer Book and a fine for non attendance at Church services but it also altered the wording of the Communion prayers.

The bill only narrowly passed the Lords vote 18 to 21. - NEEDED parliament for this.

However,  Elizabeth was able to enforce her settlement through the new Oath of Supremacy. All but one of Mary's bishops refused and were deprived of their posts, which allowed Elizabeth to appoint protestant sympathisers in their place. This included Matthew Parker as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

And the Puritans challenge -  Puritans were getting elected as MP’s and were using this privilege to introduce bills that would challenge the 1559 settlement. For example in 1571, Walter Strickland attempted to introduce a bill that would change the prayer book.

L - Therefore, during Elizabeth’s reign the role of parlaiment became far more assertive and they were far more willing to dissent to the monarch - may also have been influenced by the fact she was a woman

How far do you Agree that the Act of Supremacy 1534 was mainly responsible for the Change in State Church relations 1485 - 1603?

Key Turning Points:

  • Act of Supremacy

  • Act of Supremacy 1559

What did the Act do ? Replaced the Pope with Henry as Supreme Head of the Church - confirmed Henry's assumption of power over the English church under English law, and ensured first allegiance of clergy should be to Henry

P - It could be argued that the 1534 Act of Supremacy was the key turning point in Church State relations as it declared Henry was the Supreme Head of the Church under statue law , replacing the Pope.

E - This is significant as it effectively allowed Henry to undermine the powers of the Pope in England and he was able to exploit this power in order to benefit himself

E - This can be seen by the eventual dissolution of the monostaries, undertaken predominantly by Cromwell, which enhanced his position. This is because, by the time of his death, Henry had earned the Crown over £1 million through the dissolution of monastaries and apart from the financial gains, the dissolution’s also enhanced his original message from 1534,

L - Therefore, the 1534 break from Rome proves as the key turning point in Church State relations because it not only set the precedent that the monarch was Head of the Church, but that the power to enforce religious change now lay in the hands of parliament and the King.

P - Moreover, it could be argued that the AoS 1534 was not the most significant turning point as it was simply reversed by Mary

E - As a staunch Catholic, following her brother Edward VI’s death, she was determined to restore Catholicism in England and due to the nature of the AoS as a statue law - this was to be fairly easily over turned by any successor

E - So, in 1554 Mary repealed the AoS restoring the authority of the Pope in England and providing the argument that the AoS was not the most significant turning point as it was simply over turned.

L - However to declare the acts of Mary as significant would be naive as following her death, merely a year later, the repeal was overturned and restored by Elizabeth in 1559. Therefore, the fact that England broke from Rome once again following her death, building on the foundations of the original Henrician settlement emphasises the importance of the AoS 1534.

P - Furthermore, it would be far stronger to argue that the 1534 AoS is the most significant turning point as all Acts that followed were essentially built upon it.

E - This can be seen by Edward VI’s ability to make far more extreme doctrinal changes in the form of the Book of Common Prayer following the Act of Uniformity which he was only able to do as a result of increased monarchy power over religious enforcement/change following the AoS

E - Furthermore, the 1559 Elizabethan Act of Supremacy was simply built on the foundations of the AoS 1534 and the fact it was repealed by Mary 1554. This act allowed her to created a Middle Way encourporating a variety of beliefs which was vital due to the fact many believed her gender undermined her ability to rule whilst also enhancing the monarch’s power through documents such as the Thirty Nine Articles.

L - However, these religious changes would not have been possible without the foundations of the 1534 AoS which enhanced the power of the monrach, allowing Edwardian radical doctrinal change. As well as this, without the repeal from Mary, the 1559 Settlement which aided the consolidation of Elizabeth’s rule wouldn’t have been necessary.

P - It could be argued that the 1534 AoS was not the most significant turning point due to the actual change that was made within the act.

E - It could be argued that despite the Break from Rome, Henry actually managed to encorporate many Catholic ideas within his doctrinal changes.

E - This is evident by the 1538 royal injunction which put an English translation of the Bible in every chruch which was a Protestant idea - followed by the 1543 ‘King’s Book’ which upheld the 7 sacraments which was a Catholic idea. Therefore, it could be argued that the actual doctrinal changes were not overly significant as they weren’t too radically different

L - However, undoubtedly the AoS 1534 changes Church State relations due to the precdent it set of monarch power over religion rather than the Pope - this did not need to be done by radical doctrinal changes. The impact alone makes it evident enough that it was the most significant turning point in Church state relations.

P - However, it could well be argued that the 1559 Act of Supremacy was the most significant turning point due to its longevity and this is due to its fairly moderate nature which reduced opposition

E - The Act allowed Elizabeth to declare herself as Supreme Govenor over the Church rather than Supreme Head like Henry and this appeal to Catholics who still idolised the Pope and Protestants who couldn’t accept a human, never mind a female, had the abilities to rule as Head of God’s Chruch.

Furthermore, Elizabeth repealed Mary’s heresy laws and guaranteeing Protestant freedom - ‘Middle Way’.

Therefore, due to the fact that this act was never overturned and Elizabeth faced no opposition as a result provides its upmost significance as a turning point

E - Elizabeth lived for 44 years after the Act was passed whereas Henry only lived 13 years after his - therefore she was able to ensure proper assimilation into British law whereas he couldn’t - MUST be recognised

L - However, the very fact that this act was less radical was because the foundations were already lay by Henry’s original act i.e. declaring himself as Head of Church. No doctrinal changes was made within this Act for Elizabeth - this was done in the Act of Uniformity, Therefore, although the 1559 Act asserted authority over the Church by the monarch and it lasted - it was no more radical nor went further in changing Church State relations than Henry.

How far do you agree that relations between the church and the crown remained mostly harmonious throughout the years 1485 - 1603?

P - It could be argued that until 1529 Church state relations was fairly harmoneous as initially Henry VII had a good relationship with the Pope

E - As a usurper, Henry VII needed the support of the church as it would mean that God supported his victory at Bosworth and the death of Richard III. Henry was very careful to respect the traditional privileges of the church, except when it threatened his power.  Henry had a good relationship with the Pope. The Pope appointed Henry’s candidate John Morton to be Archbishop of Canterbury

E - Similarly, in his first 20 years of ruling Henry VIII relationship with the Church was fairly harmoneous as evidenced by his leading role in papal activities such as the Treaty of London 1518 and his initial condemnation of Lutherism.

As well as this, Henry’s chief minister from 1511 to 1529, Thomas Wolsey was a Cardinal. As Cardinal, Wolsey was more powerful than the Archbishop of Canterbury. He would not have achieved this if he had not been trusted by both Henry and the Pope. Wolsey was now in an all powerful position having control of the English Church and the government, meaning the church lost some of its independance - Wolsey made reforms to the Church; between 1524 and 1529 he closed 30 corrupt monasteries

L - Therefore, up until 1529 with the occasional dispute regarding power struggled the Church state relations remained fairly harmoneous - however, it must be recognised that there were still existing tensions with Henry VII - rooted in the fact he was a usurper and after 1529 relations were not harmoneous at all and this faced a break with rome.

P - A more convincing argument is that even up until 1529 Church state relations were not entirely harmoneous and post this they definitely weren’t following the Break with Rome

E - There was marginal disputes regarding The Church's rights over Sanctuary and Benefit of the Clergy

  • Sanctury = anyone who was arrested could seek sanctuary which meant they were protected by the Church for 40 days

  • Benefit of the Clergy = Churchmen were tried in a church court rather than the king’s court. Punishments were not as harsh

Henry VII did question this power i.e. For example Henry was prepared to override the sanctuary law so he could arrest Humphry Stafford who had plotted to rebel against him

E - After 1529 Church state relations changed drastically following Henry’s break with Rome. This followed the Popes refusal to provide an unnulment of Henry VII marriage to Catherine of Aragon

In 1532 Cromwell used hostility to the Church in Parliament to force the clergy in the English Church to submit to Henry. In this submission they agreed to accept Henry’s power over them; they were not allowed to call Convocation (the Church’s version of Parliament) without his permission or pass Church laws.

In 1534 the Act of Supremacy confirmed Henry as the head of the English Church under English law.

The Act It reinforced royal control over the English church and ensured that the first allegiance of priests was to Henry not the Pope and all religious houses were forced to take the oath, enhancing Henry’s control over the Church.

Similarly the dissolution of monastaries also resulted in increasing hostility between Church state relations and in  In 1539 the Act of Six Articles was passed, which reinforced Catholic doctrines.

L - Therefore, relations between the Church and the state essentially collapsed following the Break from Rome due to Henry and Cromwell’s bullying of the clergy and anti-papal legislation which saw a large proportion of the bishops and clergy remain unreconciled.

P - It could be argued that Edward VI’s reformation and move closer to protestantism was met fairly enthusiastically

E - For instance,  In 1549 the Act of Uniformity introduced the Book of Common Prayer and made it compulsory in all church services. In 1552, Cranmer produced a more Protestant version of the Book of Common Prayer.

This replaced the Catholic stone altar with a wooden table and the ministers had to wear a plain vestment. The Prayer Book favoured a Protestant version of communion which denied the real presence of Christ. The changes to the doctrine and style of the Church had changed. 

L - Therefore, due to the fact this was met with fairly little resistance implied that under Edward Church state relations remained fairly peaceful - But this argument is not compelling as there was numerous acts of disobedience that was undertaken during Edwards reign as many Catholics opposed his new doctrines - BUT in further evaluation the acts of disobedience that Edward faced was predominantly a result of socio-economic hardship rather than religious opposition so during Edward relations remained fairly harm

P - It would be compelling to argue that following Edward VI church state relations were far from, harmoneous

E - Mary managed to repeal the Act of Supremacy but was met by much opposition from the determination of English protestants - but relationship wasn’t significant enough to declare as not harmoneous as she failed to leave a lasting impression

E - Under Elizabeth Church state relations were not harmoneous due to a plethora of reasons.

Puritan opposition activity led to immense difficulties especially seen as some of them were in high power positions i.e. Grindal. They saw the reform of the Protestant Church as incomplete and wanted further reform. Emphasised importance of preaching and the Bible. I.e.

The Puritans tried to continue the reform of the Church. Under pressure from them, Convocation passed Article 29, which denied the real presence in the Communion.

What were ‘Prophesysings’?

They were meetings of Puritans aimed at encouraging better education through Bible study and preaching. 

These puritans were then elected as MP’s which resulted in threats to Elizabeth’s parliament also as they began rebelling

E - However, by 1589 their threat was suppressed by key supporters dying as well as the Act against Seditious Sectaries in 159 - The Act said anyone who refused to attend Church of England services had to leave the country

L - Therefore during the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth Chruch state relations were certainly not streamline with Mary changing the English religion entirely and Elizabeth firstly having to find a ‘Middle Way’ for her settlement as she was a woman and secondly the immense challenge from radical purtians for the majority of her reign. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to declare this relationship as harmoneous

religious changes per monarch

Henry VII

  • Not much needed Church on side as he was a usurper

  • Pope was on his side and The Pope appointed Henry’s candidate John Morton to be Archbishop of Canterbury

  • BUT did challenge Churches role over Sanctuary i.e. imprisonment of Straford and Benefits to the Glergy

Henry VIII

  • Parliament to pass the Act in Restraint of Appeals which stopped legal appeals in Church courts being sent to Rome.

  • The Act of Supremacy (1534)

    In 1534 the Act of Supremacy confirmed Henry as the head of the English Church under English law.

  •  The Act of Succession (1534) declared that his marriage to Catherine had never been valid and that the heirs to the throne were to be Henry and Anne’s children.

  •  Treason Act. Now it was treason to plot against the king and speak against him and the supremacy.

  • Cromwell masterminded the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1535, commissioners were sent to investigate the moral, spiritual and financial state of the monasteries. As a result an Act of Parliament was passed to dissolve smaller monasteries. This led to the most serious rebellion of Henry’s reign, the Pilgrimage of Grace.

  •  The Act of Ten Articles (1536) was the first attempt to define the beliefs of the new English Church. The Articles were mostly in line with Catholic belief. Cromwell also issued two sets of instructions to the English clergy (1536 and 1538). These discouraged practices that were seen as superstitious by reformers such as pilgrimages. 

  • Henry was not a reformer. In 1539 the Act of Six Articles was passed, which reinforced Catholic doctrines.

Edward:

  • Move to protestantism

  • In 1549 the Act of Uniformity introduced the Book of Common Prayer and made it compulsory in all church services.

  •  In 1552, Cranmer produced a more Protestant version of the Book of Common Prayer. This replaced the Catholic stone altar with a wooden table and the ministers had to wear a plain vestment. The Prayer Book favoured a Protestant version of communion which denied the real presence of Christ. The changes to the doctrine and style of the Church had changed. 

Mary:

  • Mary was able to repeal the Act of Supremacy with an Act of Parliament in 1554

Elizabeth:

  • Supremacy Bill - Elizabeth took the title ‘Supreme Governor’ rather than ‘Supreme Head’. This appealed to the Catholics who recognised the Pope as Supreme Head and Protestants who did not like a woman being the head of the Church.

    This bill also ensured that Elizabeth would be accepted by including an oath of loyalty to be taken by all officials; the punishment for not doing so was loss of office.

  • The Bill of Uniformity - It imposed a radical 1552 Prayer Book and a fine for non attendance at Church services but it also altered the wording of the Communion prayers.

    Why would this appeal to both Catholics and Protestants?

    Catholics could interpret this to mean the real presence of Christ in bread and wine, while Protestants could see it more as a commemoration of the Last Supper.