Reformation in England
In
England, right from the 12th c, there was a strife between the state
and the church.
Europe
was divided on the issue of Papacy and Reformation. Reformation was established
in England at the time of Henry VIII. England was ripe for Reformation, through
the works of people like the Oxford and Cambridge scholars.
But,
the immediate situations for English reformation was far from religious.
HENRY VIII (1509 – 1547)
Henry VIII: The Person: succeeded
his father Henry VII to the throne of England in 1509 at the age of 18, and
ruled till 1547.
(Comment: H 8 as a young and charming gentleman: p 154)
Favoured
learning and scholars.
Dislike for
monks, image and relic worship
Encouraged
study of the Bible
Not frugal
like his father
Diplomat
and despot (these skills helped to build up the treasury)
HENRY VIII & the Reformation:
Henry’s
reign can be considered as two periods: the time he was a devout Catholic, and
the anti-papal period.
Refuting
the doctrinal claims of Martin Luther, Henry VIII wrote a treatise defending
the Pope and the Catholic faith. Pleased with this, the Pope Leo X bestowed
upon him the title of “Defender of the Faith”.
Immediate
Cause for Reformation in England: not religious or political, but the King’s
personal matrimonial problems. Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Arragon
(Spain), who was the widow of his brother, Prince Arthur. (Refer p. 138 of
the text.) All their children except Mary did not survive infancy. The King
was infatuated with Anne Boleyn, the maid of honour to Catherine. Pope Clement
VII did not allow divorce, as it was against the rule of the church, and also
because he was afraid of the displeasure of Charles V of Spain, the nephew of
Catherine. With the sanction of the Parliament and church heads appointed by
him, the King divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn.
The
parliament summoned by the king, known as the Reformation Parliament,
sat between 1529 and 1536. It took several measures to control the church and
remove it from the clutches of the Pope. (P
152)
Acts
of the Parliament:
Act
of Succession: Kingdom to
pass to the heirs of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
Act
of Supremacy: King to be
the supreme head of the church, which is to be known as the Church of England
Act
of Treason: Anyone who
dared to criticize the king would be tried for treason and executed
Act
of Six Articles: (proving that Henry VIII was not against any
doctrine of the church): to deny any of the six articles of the Catholic
Church was a crime
Henry VIII’s Approach to Religion: A
faithful Catholic, Henry VIII opposed the waves of Reformation. Later, he
turned against the Church as it didn’t sanction his desire to divorce
Catherine.
Reformation Parliament
Prosecution of clergymen who were
against his wishes / who supported Wolsey
Attack on monasteries (support of
Thomas Cromwell)
Henry VIII’s Relation with Other Lands: Henry’s
Welsh blood gave him the loyalty of Wales. The Council of Wales was given
immense powers. Though the same policy was tried upon Ireland, the Irish
remained firmly Catholic. In Scotland, Henry arranged a marriage of his son
Edward and Mary Stuart, but the alliance did not take place. The Calvinist and
Protestant leanings of the Scots kept them on good terms with HENRY VIII. Relation with Other European Rulers: P 156
Henry VIII’s interest in the Navy: (p 161)
– port holes
Henry VIII & His
Chancellors
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey:
Made chancellor even at the time of Henry VII.
Henry VIII also let Wolsey to play a major role in keeping the balance of power
among the European countries.
Wolsey tried to keep Spain and France in mutual
dislike.
Tried to bring in an alliance between England
& France through a diplomatic marriage (Henry VIII’s sister with the French
king)
Disapproved by Charles V of Spain and
Netherlands. (Netherlands was England’s partner in wool trade.)
Charles V was nephew to Queen Catherine of
England
Unknown to Wolsey, Henry enters into an
alliance with Spain; sends army to help Spain in a battle against France.
Though England defeated France, this battle was not approved by the people of
England. The war was also a failure in Wolsey’s statecraft.
Wolsey didn’t support Henry VIII’s desire to
annul his marriage with Catherine. Wolsey was stripped of power and wealth.
Page 157: Wolsey: an estimate
Sir. Thomas More
(The
author of Utopia)
More reluctantly took up office as Chancellor.
A humanist scholar who wanted purification of the church from within. Did not
approve the Act of Supremacy, and cheerfully accepted execution.
“…the king's good servant, and God's first” (Quoted as More’s words at the scaffold)
Archbishop Thomas
Cranmer
Gave an
intellectual backing to the king’s desires. Initiated discussions in the
Universities on the need of reformation. One topic: king should be given chance
to lead a blameless life by divorcing Catherine (incest). Cranmer broke off all
connections with the Pope. He was free from the king’s paranoia.
Henry
VIII & Thomas Cromwell
A
man of humble birth, Cromwell was a person through whom Henry VIII could fulfil
his cruder wishes. He was instrumental in the execution of people who refused
to accept the King as the supreme head of the church – this includes Sir.
Thomas More and Bishop Fisher. He was elevated as Vicar General, and had power
to enter any monastery – a step that helped in the dissolution of monasteries.
In this process, there was widespread destruction of libraries and beautiful
buildings. Cromwell earned the name: Hammer of the Monks. He also fell
out of favour with the king when he attempted to bring in a marriage between
the King and Anne, the sister of the Duke of Cleves (Germany/ Protestant). But
the King took an instant dislike for Anne. Thomas Cromwell suffered the King’s
wrath, and was executed. (p 159, 60)
Henry VIII & His Wives
Henry was first married to Catherine of Aragon, who was the widow of his brother, Arthur. Later he wanted to divorce
her, as she was not able to give him a male heir. The only child who survived
infancy was Princess Mary. Henry VIII’s infatuation with Anne Boleyn also
prompted this divorce. Catherine submitted to the orders to go into retirement,
as the King’s ‘honourable sister in law’.
Henry VIII married Anne
Boleyn in 1533, with the
support of Cranmer. She too was not able to give him a son. A daughter was born
to them, named Elizabeth. The people of England were sympathetic to Catherine,
whom they considered as having been wronged by Henry. In 1536, the Queen was
arrested for misconduct, tried and executed.
Cranmer permitted Henry to marry again, and his new wife was Jane
Seymour, who had been lady in waiting to
both Catherine and Anne. Sweet tempered and pleasant, she put up with Henry’s
tantrums. A son, Edward, was born to them, but the Queen died in child birth.
Thomas Cromwell brought in an alliance for the King with Anne, the sister of the Duke of Cleves
(Germany). Henry took an instant dislike for the Lutheran princess, and quickly
divorced her. He gave her a house and a pension and called her his royal
sister.
HENRY VIII’s next wife was Catherine Howard, the niece of the Duke of Norfolk. She was cousin of Anne Boleyn. The
King looked upon his young wife with suspicion. Accused of infidelity, she was
beheaded.
The last of HENRY VIII’s wives was Catherine Parr. She knew how to pacify the King. She was firmly with the reformers whose
position in court was established with her support.
Henry
VIII’s children:
Mary,
daughter of Catherine of Aragon
Elizabeth,
daughter of Anne Boleyn
Edward,
son of Jane Seymour
An amusing feature
of history: these three step siblings become monarchs of England.
Henry VIII breathed his last in 1547, after a
brief illness. He was succeeded by Edward, his only son and heir, who became Edward VI of England.
Labels: Chancellors, Henry VIII, Reformation
