Susan Evans. pr: 1640.
Course Code:- HS372.
Who within England supported
the English
Reformation and Why?
Religion, Culture and Society
in Early Modern England.
Dr. Michael Questier.
Susan Evans. pr: 1640. Religion, Culture and Society
in Early Modern England.
Who within England supported the English
Reformation and Why?
The term “Reformation” implies a reforming of a particular institution rather than complete change. In this case, the English Reformation was not strictly a Reformation but instead a religious revolution, changing the status quo for a new regime - in this case changing the figurehead of the Pope as head of the Catholic Church across Europe for King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.[1] The Roman Catholic Church had always been prepared to reform itself and this is a sign of a healthy institution.[2] However, the 1510s and 1520s started to witness considerable agitation to change religious ideas and thinking which developed into new forms of religious faith.
In analyzing the narrative of the English Church breaking away from the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, it is clear that initially England was not experiencing a change in the direction of religious faith but merely a removal of obedience from the Pope. Henry VIII initially had a different agenda for removing his allegiance from the Catholic Church, which will be briefly assessed. This is the background as to who supported the Reformation in England and why certain people supported it. It is necessary to examine the motives of people who supported the Reformation and whether these were entirely political or whether eventually there were genuinely religious overtones.
In the late 1520s, Henry VIII noticed the exciting, scintillating and mysterious Anne Boleyn. By 1524, Henry and his wife Katherine were no longer living together as man and wife. Katherine was five years older than her husband Henry, and by the 1520s, was...