Diverting the wealth of the Church from Rome to Henry would help him with his financial issues. They argued that the clergy, monks and nuns did not lead humble lives. Protestants also criticised the wealth of the Catholic Church. It argued that Henry should have the power to annul his own marriage in England. One such book was called the Collectanea Satis Copiosa, or the Sufficiently Abundant Collections. In 1531, Henry had Protestant thinkers and university academics compile historical and religious works which showed that a king could make religious decisions in his own kingdom. The power of the Pope was criticised in Protestant texts. With the help of Anne Boleyn, new figures such as Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer, who had Protestant sympathies, began to rise at court. Networks of men and women met secretly and shared Protestant books, which had been smuggled into England from Europe. In the years before the break with Rome, groups of people who were attracted to Protestant ideas had begun to gather in England. Anne had also said that she would not consummate her relationship with Henry unless he married her.
Sources from the time suggest that Anne believed in many of these reformist ideas, and she was known to have had a significant influence over Henry. Anne was an intelligent woman who had encountered reformist ideas, such as those of Martin Luther, during her teenage years in France. In 1526, Henry became romantically interested in one of Catherine of Aragon’s ladies in waiting, Anne Boleyn. This contributed to England breaking with the Catholic Church in Rome, and the development of the Church of England. However, by 1533 Henry was desperate to find another solution to end his marriage. Henry broke with Rome for a range of reasons:Īfter 1529, Henry continued in vain to attempt to get his annulment. In 1534, Henry used Parliament to grant the Act of Supremacy, which allowed him to annul his marriage to Catherine as it made the monarch the head of the English Church. This suggests his starting of the English Reformation was more about politics, wealth and family dynamics than his personal faith. However, Henry VIII never became a Protestant. Religious discrimination grew on both sides and after the reign of Henry VIII, the religion of the king or queen would play a vital role in the shape of the country for centuries to come. This period is known as the English Reformation. The break with Rome opened the door for Protestantism to grow in the country. Even Anne Boleyn, who would become Henry's wife, was in favour of some church reform. These events came after many years of people calling for change within the Church. The Protestant religion rejected the Pope's control and wanted individual believers to have their own relationship with God rather than only through a priest. At the same time, across Europe, a new religious belief system was emerging: Protestantism, led by people like John Calvin and Martin Luther. Over four years, 800 monasteries were disbanded and their lands and treasures were taken by the Crown. Religious buildings were destroyed, and the land and wealth was transferred to the king. He and his new chief adviser, Thomas Cromwell, began the Dissolution of the Monasteries. By taking control of church properties, Henry would gain vast amounts of wealth that would help fund his wars with France, Scotland and Ireland. The Pope refused and Henry decided to make himself Head of the Church of England so he could marry Anne.Īnother reason Henry wanted to break from the Pope was that the Catholic Church was very rich. The Catholic Church would not allow Henry to divorce Catherine, so in 1527, he asked the Pope to annul the marriage instead.
Henry had also fallen in love with Anne Boleyn. Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had a daughter, Mary, but Henry wanted a son, a male heir to the throne. So what caused Henry to break from the Catholic Church and its leader in Rome, the Pope? In the early years of his reign he attended mass five times a day and his most trusted adviser was the head of the Catholic Church in England, Cardinal Wolsey. Henry VIII was brought up as a devout Catholic.