ANDHRA CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

Subject : History of Reformation

Topic : Reformation in England

Date of Submission : 19-Aug-2024

Submitted By : Submitted To:

Franklin Edison L Rev. P. Usha Priya Madam
Mdiv 2nd year 1st Sem M.A (Lit)., M.Th
Reformation in England

King Henry VIII (1491

– 1547)
Contents :
1. Introduction
2. Early Reformation in England
a) The Lollards
b) The Humanists
c) The Lutherans

3. King Henry VIII

4. Causes of Reformation
5. Establishment of Church of England
a) The role of the Parliament up to 1534
b) Religious continuity and change

6. Reformation under Edward VI

7. Mary I & the Reformation's Reversal
8. Reformation under Elizabeth I
a) The Elizabethan Settlement

9. Consequences of the Reformation in England

10. Conclusion
 1) Introduction

The Reformation occurred in the beginning of the sixteenth

century, when Western Europe experienced a wide range
of social, artistic, and geo-political changes as a result of
a conflict within the Catholic Church. The Reformation
movement began in 1517, when Martin Luther posted a list of
grievances, called the Ninety-Five Theses, against the
Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a
member of the Augustinians, and assigned as a lecturer
at the University of Wittenberg. While working as a parish
priest, Luther became disgusted by the Catholic Church’s
practice of selling indulgences.
The purchase of an indulgence assures the buyer
a remission of sins and thus a shorter period in purgatory.
The main purpose of the Ninety-Five Theses was to eliminate
the sale of indulgences.
The Church demanded Luther to retract a number of his
protests, and he refused.
The Reformation led to the north-south split in Europe.
The northern European countries became Protestant and
the southern European countries remained Catholic.

The English Reformation was a series of events in

sixteen century which the Church of England broke away
from the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic
Church. These events were in part associated with the
wider European protestant Reformation, a religious and
political movements that affected the practices of
Christianity across the invention of the printing press and
increased circulation of the Bible and transmission of new
knowledge and ideas among scholars , upper and middle
classes and readers in general.
2) Early Reformation in England
In the early sixteenth century England was part of the
western Christian Church which accepted the Pope as the
Supreme Head of the Catholic Church. The Pope controlled
two provinces of the Catholic Church in England,
Canterbury and York .
The Bishops organized the Church in England and they
controlled the clergy. The doctrine and practices of the
Catholic Church, such as the sacraments which was said in
Latin by the priests, were important to the ordinary people
and many Catholics went on pilgrimages to places such as
Canterbury. The Church and State were the largest and
most dominant institutions that worked together.

In the 1520s, Religious reformers gained growing support

for their new ideas. These reformers can be divided into
three main groups.
a) The Lollards
The Lollards formed by John Wycliffe in the fourteenth
century and mainly based in South-East England, were the
first group. The Lollards believed that the Bible was the
supreme authority on earth.

b) The Humanists
The Humanists inspired by Erasmus who wanted to reform
and purify the Catholic Church, were the second group.
They were supported by England’s leading humanists
Thomas More and John Fisher.
The Humanists wished to reform the Roman Catholic
Church rather than establish a new Church. They attacked
the superstitious practices of the Church and the sale of
indulgences. They also objected the position of the Pope
and believed that the authority of the Bible was central to
faith.
c) The Lutherans
The Lutherans who placed emphasis on personal devotion
and bible study, represented the third group. Lutheran ideas
reached England by 1530. William Tyndale ( a Lutheran)
had translated the Bible into English for the first time in 1525
and it was published abroad. Despite persecution and
censorship, Tyndale’s Bible sold well in England and helped
to spread the new Protestant ideas.

Although reformers were gaining some support in England ,

this was not widespread. Many were scared of criticizing the
Church for fear of being convicted of heresy.
 3) King Henry VIII
• Henry VIII was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the
second son of Henry VII, first of the Tudor dynasty line and
Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward IV, first king of the
short-lived line of York).
• In 1509, just after becoming King of England, Henry VIII
had shown devotion to the Catholic doctrine by writing
against Luther’s attacks. The Pope rewarded Henry by
giving him the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ in 1521.

• Henry VIII had to get special permission from the Pope to

allow the royal marriage with Catherine of Aragon.
• Catherine of Aragon was seven years older than Henry VIII
and had been married to his elder brother Arthur (14th Nov
1501) who died on 2nd April1502.
• King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, (Daughter of
• King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and the aunt of
Emperor Charles V) thus securing good relations between
England and Spain.

• The royal marriage produced six children in total but only a

female child survived, Mary who was born in 1516.
 4) Causes of English Reformation
Henry VIII Unwanted Marriages and Divorces.
• By 1527 Henry VIII asked the Pope to annul his marriage
to Catherine. Henry VIII’s search for a divorce was
prompted by a number of factors.
• Firstly, he thought that his marriage was against the will of
God. In addition, Catherine, who reached the age of 42,
was too old to have the legitimate male heir who would
secure the Tudor dynasty.
• Moreover, he had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn and had
promised to marry her.
• Charles V was Catherine’s nephew and the most influential
ruler in Europe. In 1527 he had sacked Rome and held the
Pope in custody.
• Charles V would not allow the Pope to grant an annulment,
who was determined to protect his aunt, Catherine of
Aragon, the divorce crisis had reached deadlock by 1529.
 5) Establishment of Church of England
The role of the Parliament up to 1534
• Under the influence of Cromwell, in particular, Parliament
began to play an important role in the divorce crisis from
1529 to 1533. Many historians believe that this was a
revolution in the relationship between the Church and
State.
• In 1529 a number of acts were passed limiting the
powers and rights of the clergy.
• In January 1531, Henry publicly recognized as Head of
the Church in England “as far as the law of Christ
allows.”
• As Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer was the
head of the Church of England from 1532 until 1556. He
ordered that the Bible be translated into English and a
copy to be placed in every church at a place where all
could read it.
• In 1532 Parliament passed an Act limiting the payment of
Annates (taxes paid annually to the Pope). This was
delayed for a year to put more pressure on the Pope to
grant the royal divorce.
• An Act of Restraint was passed in 1533 which prevented
the English people from appealing to Rome in legal cases.

These measures by Parliament contributed to the break with

Rome and the English Reformation. Henry VIII had also
played a role in these political developments.
• In 1533-34 Parliament passed a series of Acts which
ended Papal authority in England and changed the Church
of England. The power, role and influence of the monarch
were increased and gave Henry VIII control over the
Church with the support of Parliament.
• In May 1533, Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer
got Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn married.
• The Act of Succession of 1534 ended the legal claims of
Catherine of Aragon by declaring her marriage
invalid. Mary was declared illegitimate.
• This was followed later in 1534 by The Act of Supremacy,
which made it clear that the King had replaced the Pope as
Head of the Church.
• The Treason Act of 1534 ended these parliamentary
sessions and made it a crime to criticize the King’s religious
policies, the royal marriage and succession issues.

• Opponents are Executed

When Thomas More and John Fisher, Bishop of
Rochester, refused to recognize the Act of Succession and the
Act of Supremacy, Henry had them executed, making clear
his determination to have his way regardless of the cost.
 b) Religious Continuity and Change

• Despite the radical changes implemented by Parliament

and Henry VIII in1533–34, the immediate impact on
traditional religious practices and beliefs was limited.
• In 1534 religious services were still held in Latin and priests
still celebrated the mass. The King appeared to remain a
good Catholic but his advisers Thomas Cranmer and
Thomas Cromwell were sympathetic to the new
Protestant ideas.
• Thomas Cromwell called The Architect of English
Reformation. He was a highly influential advisor to King
Henry VIII, Serving as the King’s chief authority on Church
matters in 1535.
• Thomas Cromwell implemented significant reforms to the
Church of England, Introducing new Priests, Printing and
publish religious text.
• England was starting to become a Protestant country and
a series of radical religious changes were implemented
from 1536 to 1540, in particular the dissolution of the
monasteries which started in 1536. This was followed by
the Ten Articles of 1536 which rejected Catholic doctrine
and they were followed by the Royal Injunctions.
• In 1537 the Bishop’s Book continued the drift towards
Protestantism, which was followed by the publication of
the Matthew Bible.
In April 1539, the English Great Bible was published which
approved the authority of the King over the Church in
England.
• A Book of Common Prayer was issued in English and over
the period 1547 - 1553 the structure of church ceremonies
was simplified. The appearance of parish churches were
considerably transformed; communion tables replaced
altars, images were removed.
Protestantism :
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that developed
out of the Reformation. Three distinct branches of
Protestantism emerged
1) Lutheranism, based on the teachings of Martin Luther
in Germany;
2) Calvinism, based on the teachings of John Calvin in
Switzerland and
3) Anglicanism, established by King Henry VIII in
England. Protestantism spread throughout Europe in the
16th century and, later.
6) Reformation under Edward VI

• On January 28, 1547, Henry

VIII died, leaving the throne
to his nine-year-old son,
Edward VI.
• Edward VI was King Henry
VIII’s only legitimate son; his
mother, Henry’s third wife,
Jane Seymour, died 12 days
after his birth.
• Although Edward has
traditionally been viewed as a
frail child who was never in
good health.
• He was educated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas
Cranmer, and a protestant.
• Introduced the First Prayer Book (1549)
• In 1552, Edward’s close advisor, Archbishop Cranmer
issued The Book of Common Prayer:
• Changed the liturgy from Latin to English
• Denied transubstantiation
• Turned altars into communion tables.

• Edward displayed a potential for effective administration,

but many scholars have felt that, had he lived, his religious
zeal and extreme obstinacy might have imprinted much
firmer and more uncompromising Protestantism on the
Church of England
 7) Mary I & the Reformation's Reversal
• In 1533, Catherine of Aragon’s
daughter succeeded Edward (who
had died in his teens) to the
English throne as Mary I.
• She was a Roman Catholic and
Aim to bring England back under
the yoke of the Roman Church.
• Mary sought to undo the
protestant reforms that had taken
place during Edward’s reign. She
introduced two acts of repeal.
• The first Act of Repeal in October 1553, which reversed
all Edward’s religious legislation.
• The Second Act of Repeal in January 1555, which
abolished all laws related to religious matters that had
been passed since 1529.
• This meant that the Act of Supremacy was effectively
repealed, and the Pope was once again recognized as the
supreme head of the Church of England.
‘Bloody Mary’ and The Wyatt Rebellion
• The Nick name “Bloody Mary” for Queen Mary I came from
300 Protestants martyrs who were burned at the stake
during her reign, including Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.
• While ordinary people didn’t care about the religious
changes, the nobles did, as they had profited from
dissolution of the Monasteries.
• Another issue was Queen Mary I planned marriage to Prince
Philip of Spain, which sparked fears that England would
become part of the powerful Spanish Empire.
• This Anxiety led to the Wyatt Rebellion in Kent in 1554. The
protestant rebels wanted to stop the “Spanish marriage” and
possibly replace Mary with her half-Sister Elizabeth I.
8) Reformation under Elizabeth I

• In 1558 Queen Mary I death and

the throne passed to Elizabeth.
• Queen Elizabeth brought back
the Act of Supremacy , and the
second prayer book was adopted
once more.
• Aware of the tension between
Catholics and Protestants.
• Restored Protestantism as the
official religion and Gave some
rights to Catholics.
• Slowly enforced a serious of
reforms that were later called the
Elizabethan Settlement.
 The Elizabethan Settlement
• The queen’s policies were a compromise between
Protestant and Catholic practices.
• The Church of England preserved much Catholic
ceremony and ritual.
• Queen reaffirmed that the monarch was the head of the
Anglican Church.
• Used her skills to restore unity to England.
• Reform: Supreme Governor:
In 1559, an Act of Supremacy passed parliament,
repealing all the anti-Protestant legislation of Mary Tudor.
Asserted Elizabeth’s right as “supreme governor” over all
affairs.
• Reform: Act of Uniformity
• Also in 1559, Elizabeth introduced the Act of
Uniformity, mandating a revised version of the second
Book of Common Prayer for every English parish.
 9) Consequence of the Reformation in England
• The English reformation had far-reaching consequences
for English society, culture and politics.
• The Dissolution of the monasteries led to significant social
and economic changes, as landownership patterns shifted
and traditional forms of charity declined.
• The Growth of Protestantism fostered a new emphasis on
education and literacy, as the Bible Became the center of
religious life.
• The Reformation also contributed to the rise of English
nationalism. By asserting independence from Rome,
England affirmed its status as sovereign nation.
• The Reformation also laid the groundwork for the
development of dissenting protestant groups, such as
Puritans and Separatists, who sought to purify the Church
of England further.
 10) Conclusion
• The English Reformation was a complex and multifaceted
process that transformed England in profound ways.

• While driven by personal and political motives, it had far-

reaching implications for religion, society, and politics.

• The legacy of the Reformation continues to shape the English

identity and the nation’s place in the world.

• The English Reformation was not just a religious

transformation but also a political and social disturbance.
Thank you