Henry VIII & the English Reformation

Henry the 8th

• With the death of his older brother Arthur, Henry
becomes his father’s heir though he is "untrained in the
exacting art of kingship“
• At 17, he becomes king, regarded by many as attractive,
educated, and well as an accomplished king who adored
festivities and excelled at both physical activities and
artistic endeavours "one of the most charismatic rulers
to sit on the English throne“
• Was Originally regarded as a devout catholic and
attributed the title of “ defender of the faith” by Pope
Leo
One Man, 6 Wives
• Henry had obtained a special permission from
the pope to marry his brother’s widow,
Catherine of Aragon, as a way to maintain
political alliances
• After years of stillbirths, infancy deaths, and
only one surviving daughter, Henry demanded
a divorce, wishing to marry Anne Boleyn
whom he believes could give him a son
• Henry asked Pope Clement VII to grant him a
divorce from Catherine. He argued that the
marriage was against God's will, due to the
fact that she had briefly been married to
Henry's late brother, Arthur. After years of
trial, the pope who had been a captive of
Charles V ( Catherine’s nephew) rejected
Henry’s request
 Reforming the Church
• Henry argued that he alone should be the final
authority in matters relating to the English church
• Henry broke away from the authority of the Pope
and established the Protestant Church of England
with the monarch being its supreme head
• The reformation was political rather than
ideological. It allowed Henry to get a divorce,
as well as close down monasteries (the
Dissolution of the Monasteries) and thus
seize all their wealth to recover from his costly
wars with France and finance his extravagant
life style. Many supported this protestant
reformation either because they stood to
profit or because they had grown dissatisfied
with the corruption of the church
• After three miscarriages and a daughter, Henry bedheads
Anne on charges of treason and marries Jane Seymour
• Jane dies In childbirth after finally giving Henry a son
• Henry is then engaged to Anne of Cleves, but the marriage is
later annulled as her looks didn’t meet Henry’s expectations
• His fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was executed for having
extramarital affairs
• In 1543, Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, and
remained with her until his death in 1574
• With both his daughters disinherited, Henry
VIII is succeeded by his son Edward VI aged 9.
He is the first English monarch to be raised as
a protestant. Edward VI supported the
reformation and worked for its advancement
• However, Edward fell grievously ill. Fearing
that his catholic sister Marry would put an end
to the reformation and restore Catholicism, he
decreed that his protestant cousin Jane Grey
should rule after him.
• After only nine days of being queen, Jane is
deposed by Mary who gains support thanks to
her stronger claim and catholic support
• Marry, A devoted Roman Catholic, attempted
to restore Catholicism. She worked to reverse
the English Reformation not only through
persuasion but by d reviving England's heresy
laws and burning offenders and opponents at
the stake, eventually earning the title of
Bloody Mary