How Did Henry Viii Cause The English Reformation
During the first half of the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church was one of, if not the, most important and involved institutions in the lives of the citizens of Europe. As with any powerful institution, corrupt practices evolved, as the Church’s monopoly on paths to Heaven meant people could not criticise it without fear of excommunication and/or damnation. Nevertheless, certain individuals emerged who would lead to the establishment of new churches that could compete with the Church for religious adherents. The momentous challenge first occurred when a young religious man by the name of Martin Luther witnessed the selling of indulgences, which according to the Church, if bought, would act as a sort of Fast Pass to Heaven for the buyer.
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Henry VIII was the second king of the Tudor line, which seized power after a politically volatile period in English history, the Wars of Roses. His line had only tangential claims through a female line of murky legitimacy and a male line from a former queen consort. At this time, there were still people with better claims to the throne than Henry, such as the noble Pole family, so Henry VIII had probable need to test his subjects’ loyalty to him and augment his own stability should his nobles not like his changes. This is particularly clear in his treatment of dissenters such as Sir Thomas More and Reginald Pole, who he had beheaded for treason, which in addition to asserting his power, weeded out those powerful figures who could oppose him. Additionally, his new stewardship of his nation’s Church allowed Henry to achieve a state of divinity, thereby cementing the Tudor line and all Protestant monarchs from it as the true leaders, ordained by God, making it harder for religious peasants and noblemen to rebel against them for fear of invoking God’s wrath. He also achieved stability by divorcing his current, infertile wife, Catherine of Aragon, who would not grant him a Catholic annulment or give him a male heir, which left questions as to what would occur in the event of Henry’s death. When he broke from the Catholic Church, Henry was able annul his marriage to her and find new, young, fecund wives who would be able to provide him with the crucial male heirs needed for his family’s stability. His marriages after his break are obvious evidence of his attempts to politically strengthen his family’s
Henry VIII was the second king of the Tudor line, which seized power after a politically volatile period in English history, the Wars of Roses. His line had only tangential claims through a female line of murky legitimacy and a male line from a former queen consort. At this time, there were still people with better claims to the throne than Henry, such as the noble Pole family, so Henry VIII had probable need to test his subjects’ loyalty to him and augment his own stability should his nobles not like his changes. This is particularly clear in his treatment of dissenters such as Sir Thomas More and Reginald Pole, who he had beheaded for treason, which in addition to asserting his power, weeded out those powerful figures who could oppose him. Additionally, his new stewardship of his nation’s Church allowed Henry to achieve a state of divinity, thereby cementing the Tudor line and all Protestant monarchs from it as the true leaders, ordained by God, making it harder for religious peasants and noblemen to rebel against them for fear of invoking God’s wrath. He also achieved stability by divorcing his current, infertile wife, Catherine of Aragon, who would not grant him a Catholic annulment or give him a male heir, which left questions as to what would occur in the event of Henry’s death. When he broke from the Catholic Church, Henry was able annul his marriage to her and find new, young, fecund wives who would be able to provide him with the crucial male heirs needed for his family’s stability. His marriages after his break are obvious evidence of his attempts to politically strengthen his family’s