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English Reformation The king takes over from the pope In 1531, by using a series of obscure laws, some over 200 years old, Henry VIII took over as head of the Church of England from the pope. By the Act of Supremacy (1534) Henry was appointed Supreme Head of the Church of England. This gave him the powers to collect Church taxes, own Church land, control the way churches were run and appoint all clergy. There was some opposition from the clergy who refused to give up their loyalty to the pope. In 1535 Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More (an ex-chancellor) were beheaded for refusing to acknowledge Henry as head of the English Church.
Thomas Cromwell, the new chancellor, set up a Commission of Visitations, in 1535, to look into the way parishes, abbeys and monasteries were run. The arguments against change Many priests were used to the old ways and, therefore, did not want to change. Others were concerned that the king, who needed money, would confiscate Church land to pay for wars. Ordinary people and the clergy were also worried that Lutheranism would spread - this might bring about wars of religion, as it had in the rest of Europe. The greatest fear for the bishops was that it was Parliament which had passed the Act of Supremacy - that meant the Church's power was limited and the power of the middle class was increasing. Reaction
The pope was verbally attacked by priests in England. The priests were ordered to do this, but it was not always a success. The Archbishop of York ordered his priests to read a declaration against the pope but there were very few priests in the diocese who could read. The pope's reaction was the excommunication of all England. This used to be very serious, but the real power of the pope to do anything was no longer there; Henry merely ignored it. The biggest reaction to these changes was felt by the monasteries, which were suppressed by Cromwell and Henry.
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