The Anglican Church was founded for personal reasons in 1533, but it soon became widespread. Henry VIII had no ties to Rome, so he worked towards making himself the main power. He appointed the bishops and the clergy in order to make sure that they were loyal to him before the church. He also uses Parliament's power to enforce the new church. The Act of Supremacy (1534) establishes the king of England as the head of the Anglican Church. This makes it illegal to not support the Anglican Church. If you oppose this law, you are executed. Elizabeth Barton, the equivalent of Mother Teresa, says that the king cannot break from Rome and starts to gain some support from the people, so she is executed. Bishop John Fisher and Thomas More both refuse to take this act of supremacy and are executed. The Carthusian monks at the London Chapterhouse also refuse and they are bloodily massacred. Henry chooses to close the small monasteries and confiscated their land for financial gain. People hated this, so they rioted in the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536). In response to these uprisings, Henry starts to partake in Iconoclasm, or the destroying of religious items. Under the recommendations of Cromwell and Cranmer, he starts to legitimize his break from the church. He wrote the Ten Articles in 1536, which acknowledges scriptures and 3 sacraments. He also prints the first Anglican bible in 1538. Later throughout his life, he believes that these were too extreme and that he needs to find a middle way. He arrests and executes Cromwell and starts to repair what changes he had made, through the Six Articles. He also made a new bible, named as the Bishops Book, but later known as the King's Book. He tried to outlaw anyone below the rank of gentry from reading the bible, because he feared social uprising. After his death, the Anglican Church lost power and England was returned to Catholic ruling. England remained Catholic, until Elizabeth took the throne. She wrote the 39 Articles, adding onto what Henry VIII had done and making a middle ground between the two religions. It is similar to the Catholic church in that it is an episcopal church, has ceremonies, is eucharist, and values good art. It is different from Catholicism in that the king of England is the head of the church, ended monastic life, cracked down on superstitious beliefs, and has an English bible.
1500s |
Anglican Church |