England became a part of the reformation more through politics than theological debate. King Henry VIII (1509-47) needed an heir to the throne and with his wife was unable to produce one. The Pope would not grant a divorce and so Henry convinced Parliament to declare him head of the Church in England. Henry’s daughter, Mary Tudor was a staunch Catholic and persecuted the Protestants. When Henry’s other daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the throne, she tolerated the Protestants just enough so as not to irritate the Pope. When the English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Anglican Church permanently replaced the Catholic one in England.
(Below is an excerpt from the biography of Henry VIII)
In 1534 Henry VIII was declared head of the English Church. People had to swear an oath that in future they would obey Henry as head of the church. More refused and he was convicted of high treason. Still refusing to recant, he was executed at the Tower of London on 6 July 1535.
The Pope and the Catholic church in Rome were horrified when they heard the news that Henry had destroyed St. Thomas Becket's Shrine. On 17 December 1538, the Pope announced to the Christian world that Henry VIII had been excommunicated from the Catholic church.
When Henry became Head of the Church in England, he confiscated property which had previously belonged to the Catholic Church. The wealth then became part of the Royal Treasury.
Henry VIII
Is this question about Henry the 8th or the 7th? Henry the 8th broke with the Catholic church simply because the Vatican would not allow an annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon.
I think it was Anne Boelyn
Henry VIII filled his coffers with the spoils from his break with the Catholic Church and the following raiding of their monies and assets.
Henry VIII.
The Roman Catholic Church.
Henry VIII wanted to break with Rome, but not the Catholic religion. The Church in England, at least during Henry's reign, remained Catholic in theology and liturgy. After the break and until Henry's death, the Protestant religion was still illegal in England.
Roman Catholic AnswerHenry VIII did not break with the Catholic Church for money.
No king has ever replaced a pope as head of the Catholic Church. Henry VIII did break from the Catholic Church and formed what is the Church of England but which is not a Catholic Church as it is not in union with Rome.
He opposed Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church.
He opposed Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church.
It undermined the power and authority of the pope.
It undermined the power and authority of the pope.
because the pope would not grant him a divorce
King Henry VIII separated the English Church from the Catholic Church when the pope refused to grant King Henry a divorce. By forming a separate church, of which he was the head, he could grant himself a divorce.
When Henry became Head of the Church in England, he confiscated property which had previously belonged to the Catholic Church. The wealth then became part of the Royal Treasury.