A Marriage Becomes a National Crisis
In 1527, Henry VIII sought an annulment of his eighteen-year marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Pope Clement VII refused. The dispute might have remained a royal embarrassment, but Henry turned it into a confrontation over sovereignty.
Parliament Rebuilds the Church
The Reformation Parliament, meeting from 1529 to 1536, passed laws that abolished papal authority in England. Henry was declared head of the Church of England, and final authority in doctrinal disputes now rested with the monarch. The First Act of Supremacy rejected foreign authority and made royal supremacy the foundation of the new order.
Denying this supremacy could be treason. The Treasons Act 1534 helped create an atmosphere in which resistance to the king’s religious authority could lead to execution. Ex-Chancellor Thomas More and Cardinal John Fisher were among those put to death.
Power—and Property
Breaking with Rome gave Henry control over church officials, laws, taxation, doctrine, and ritual. The dissolution of the monasteries went further, destroying or selling religious houses and transferring their wealth. The English Reformation became financially attractive to the Crown and its supporters, producing what has been described as a Tudor kleptocracy.
A Revolution Led by a Traditionalist
Henry’s motives were not simply Protestant. He remained a traditional Catholic in many respects, while some of his allies were Catholic opponents of papal supremacy. The striking paradox is that England’s institutional break with Rome came before the country’s full transformation in belief. A king seeking control over his marriage had redrawn the religious map of an entire nation.