The English Reformation refers to the period where England broke away from Rome and formed the Anglican Church.
The Anglican Church was founded under Henry VIII for personal reasons but soon became widespread.
When Henry was younger, he had been a loyal patron of the English Church and had even written the Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (Defense of the Seven Sacraments) in 1521, declaring Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, a traitor and was given the title 'Protector of the Faith' by the Catholic Church. There is some speculation today of whether he actually wrote this article or if Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, or Bishop Fisher wrote it. There is no certain way to know who wrote it, but Luther took advantage of the speculation and wrote about how this article was not to be taken seriously because it was not written by the King, even asking for the King's friendship. Although this article was written for political reasons over personal, it helped unite Henry with the Pope. This unification helped with Henry's first marriage. He wanted to marry his brother's widow and needed a pardon from the Pope, which he granted. Henry and Catherine were married for many years, but she failed to give him a male heir. He then met Anne Boleyn in 1533, with whom he fell in love. He soon needed a divorce because Anne was pregnant, with what was possibly a male heir. He asked for a divorce based on the grounds that the Pope did not have the power to allow them the marriage in the first place, and thus the marriage was not legitimate. The Pope refused to do so because that would take away from his power, so under advice from Cranmer, Henry broke away from the church. He divorced Catherine and married Anne. In response, Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry and Cranmer.
Now with no ties to Rome, 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 used Parliament's power to enforce the new church. The Act of Supremacy (1534) established the King of England as the head of the Anglican Church. This made it illegal to not support the Anglican Church. If you opposed this law, you were executed. Elizabeth Barton, the equivalent of Mother Teresa, said that the King cannot break from Rome and started to gain some support from the people, so she was executed. Bishop John Fisher and Thomas More both refused to take this Act of Supremacy and were executed. The Carthusian monks at the London Chapterhouse also refused and they were bloodily massacred. Henry chose to close the small monasteries and confiscated their land for financial gain. People resented this, so they rioted in the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536). In response to these uprisings, Henry started to partake in Iconoclasm, or the destroying of religious items. Under the recommendations of Cromwell and Cranmer, he started to legitimize his break from the church. He wrote the Ten Articles in 1536, which acknowledged scriptures and 3 sacraments. He also printed the first Anglican bible in 1538. Later throughout his life, he believed that these were too extreme and that he needed to find a middle way. He arrested and executed Cromwell and started 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. Mary strengthened the tie with Rome and would even kill those who refused to conform in the Hersey Acts, earning the nickname Bloody Mary. Many Protestants were forced to live in fear and conform to Catholicism. After her death, Elizabeth took the throne and promoted religious tolerance. She wrote the 39 Articles, adding onto what Henry VIII had done and making a middle ground between the two religions.
Side pages:
Thomas Cranmer
Six Articles
Ten Articles
Thomas Cromwell
39 Articles
Anglican Church
95 Theses
Lutheranism
Elizabeth I
Mary
The Anglican Church was founded under Henry VIII for personal reasons but soon became widespread.
When Henry was younger, he had been a loyal patron of the English Church and had even written the Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (Defense of the Seven Sacraments) in 1521, declaring Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, a traitor and was given the title 'Protector of the Faith' by the Catholic Church. There is some speculation today of whether he actually wrote this article or if Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, or Bishop Fisher wrote it. There is no certain way to know who wrote it, but Luther took advantage of the speculation and wrote about how this article was not to be taken seriously because it was not written by the King, even asking for the King's friendship. Although this article was written for political reasons over personal, it helped unite Henry with the Pope. This unification helped with Henry's first marriage. He wanted to marry his brother's widow and needed a pardon from the Pope, which he granted. Henry and Catherine were married for many years, but she failed to give him a male heir. He then met Anne Boleyn in 1533, with whom he fell in love. He soon needed a divorce because Anne was pregnant, with what was possibly a male heir. He asked for a divorce based on the grounds that the Pope did not have the power to allow them the marriage in the first place, and thus the marriage was not legitimate. The Pope refused to do so because that would take away from his power, so under advice from Cranmer, Henry broke away from the church. He divorced Catherine and married Anne. In response, Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry and Cranmer.
Now with no ties to Rome, 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 used Parliament's power to enforce the new church. The Act of Supremacy (1534) established the King of England as the head of the Anglican Church. This made it illegal to not support the Anglican Church. If you opposed this law, you were executed. Elizabeth Barton, the equivalent of Mother Teresa, said that the King cannot break from Rome and started to gain some support from the people, so she was executed. Bishop John Fisher and Thomas More both refused to take this Act of Supremacy and were executed. The Carthusian monks at the London Chapterhouse also refused and they were bloodily massacred. Henry chose to close the small monasteries and confiscated their land for financial gain. People resented this, so they rioted in the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536). In response to these uprisings, Henry started to partake in Iconoclasm, or the destroying of religious items. Under the recommendations of Cromwell and Cranmer, he started to legitimize his break from the church. He wrote the Ten Articles in 1536, which acknowledged scriptures and 3 sacraments. He also printed the first Anglican bible in 1538. Later throughout his life, he believed that these were too extreme and that he needed to find a middle way. He arrested and executed Cromwell and started 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. Mary strengthened the tie with Rome and would even kill those who refused to conform in the Hersey Acts, earning the nickname Bloody Mary. Many Protestants were forced to live in fear and conform to Catholicism. After her death, Elizabeth took the throne and promoted religious tolerance. She wrote the 39 Articles, adding onto what Henry VIII had done and making a middle ground between the two religions.
Side pages:
Thomas Cranmer
Six Articles
Ten Articles
Thomas Cromwell
39 Articles
Anglican Church
95 Theses
Lutheranism
Elizabeth I
Mary