Was Henry Viii Catholic or Protestant
Henry the VIII was the second English Tudor king, after his father, Henry VII. He reigned over England from, 21st April 1509 until, 28th January 1547. During his childhood and his first marriage, Henry was a firm believer of the Catholic Church and of the Pope. However things changed and later in Henrys reign the English reformation came to England; the monasteries were closed and Henry separated himself from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry was definitely starting to look more and more like a protestant. There are many points that we can use to decipher whether or not Henry VIII was really Catholic or Protestant and in this essay these points will be discussed to draw a conclusion. Henry VIII was brought up and taught as a Roman Catholic. In the first years as king, he was a firm believer and supporter of the Catholic Church. He showed this support and belief when a protestant named Martin Luther started to accuse the church of corruption and said that it needed to be reformed. Henrys answer to this was to right a book called, “Defence of the Seven Sacraments”. This book opposed the attacks that Martin Luther had made on the church and defended the seven sacraments of the church. This shows clear belief and support of the church and catholic beliefs, as well as the fact that he was actually willing to write a book to defend the beliefs of the church. Writing a book would take a considerable amount of knowledge and belief of the seven sacraments of the church showing that Henry was a firm believer of Catholicism. He later received the title, “Defender of the Faith” for doing this, which showed the popes devote trust in him as it is still used today. Another point that shows Henrys commitment to the church is the fact that he is the founder of Christ Church College in Oxford. This shows time that he has spent to open a Cathedral church for Oxford as a catholic as a praise to God. In 1539, Henry passed the, “Act of six Articles”. This Act of Parliament