History Unit 2: The Church in England

The Church in England on the eve of Reformation

Unpopularity of the Church

• church was seen as corrupt
• nepotism, pluralism, absenteeism and simony were offences of the Church
• much of the clergy didn't keep to their vows

Religious conservatives

• Thomas Wolsey grew more and more in defence of the Church
  • tried to maintain unity of Christendom
  • worked to bring justice to heretics
• the Aragonese faction developed in opposition to Wolsey's power and influence
  • sought to protect the Catholic faith
  • lept to Catherine's defence when Henry considered an annulment

The King's Great Matter

Henry's decision for divorce

• Succession issue
  • without a male heir the Tudor line would stop and the throne would be passed
  • needed a legitimate male heir because it was seen that a woman couldn't run a country 
    • couldn't be trusted, back luck
    • could leave to civil war
  • Henry's medical advisers told him that Catherine would no longer be able to conceive
• Desire for Anne
  • Henry was besotted with Anne
  • she wouldn't settle on being just his mistress
  • she was insistent that she would become his wife
• Fear for England's security
  • could lead to civil unrest if Henry left no male heir and people already had claims to the throne
  • Europe was watching Henry's every move (Charles V was Catherine's nephew)
• Moral/Religious Stance
  • Henry thought he'd gone against God and was being punished
  • a passage from Leviticus said that if you married your brother's wife you would not have children

Measures taken to prepare for the divorce

• court was held at Blackfriar's secretly to find a reason to divorce Catherine
• Henry appealed to the pope with the passage from Leviticus
  • pope didn't agree because he'd used a passage from Deuteronomy to marry them
• Wolsey tried to get the divorce to be heard in England
• Cranmer argued the case to Rome

Reformation Parliament

• Act to limit pluralism - attempted reform on pluralism
• Act to control clerical fees - 10% of clerical income was given to crown and the amount given to priests to pray for your soul was limited
• Act of Annates - abolished annates and said that bishops must be elected by deans and chapters
• Act in Restraint of Appeals - prevented appeals, in certain cases, from going to Rome
• Act for the submission of the clergy - submitted existing canon laws to Henry for scrutiny
• Act of Succession - stated Henry's marriage to Catherine invalid and Mary was declared illegitimate
• Treason Act - made it a treasonable offence to deny the King's titles
• Act of Supremacy - made Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England

Motivation for legislation

• to gain more money and power
  • decreased Rome's authority in England, giving more power to Henry, and money that previously went to the Church went to the Crown
  • divorce - so Henry could grant his own annulment without the influence of the Church
  • to reform the Church - some acts were passed to reform
  • legitimise children with Anne - needed to legitimise future children to get a legitimate male heir

The Dissolution…