Transcript Part II: The English Reformation

Part II: The English
Reformation
A saga of loyalty, disloyalty, love
and lust
If we remember, England had been
through a long civil war prior to Henry
VII’s succession
The objectives for this slide show are:
• You will know why the War of the Roses
influenced the actions of Henry VII and Henry
VIII
• Identify the reasons for Henry VIII’s split from
the Catholic Church
• What role did Catherine of Aragon and Anne
Boleyn play in precipitating this split?
• Judge for yourself: did Henry remain a
Catholic or not in his beliefs?
Henry VII was not the only one
who had a claim to the throne
Henry had married Elizabeth of
York to solidify his claim
But the War of the Roses remained in living
memory.
Henry VII would be called a usurper from time to
time
Henry VII had two sons and two
daughters who survived infancy
• His eldest son, Arthur, married the daughter of
Catherine of Aragon.
• Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella
• Catherine was the sister of Juana de Loco—Crazy
Joanna who wouldn’t let her husband’s body be buried
Arthur died 6 months after he had
married Catherine, in 1502
• Catherine had a
rich dowry—
England could
not risk letting it
go back to Spain
Later on, this would be a question of
primary importance: Was the marriage of
Catherine of Aragon and Arthur consummated?
•Catherine of
Aragon always
insisted that they
had lived together as
brother and sister
because of their
young ages (15 and
16)
Catherine remained in England, in
limbo, for seven years after Arthur died.
• While living in England, she was impoverished
and a pawn between England and Spain
• Henry VII initially tried to betroth her to his
surviving son, Prince Henry.
• Henry VII dies in 1509, and his son accedes the
throne as Henry VIII
• Her father, Ferdinand of Aragon, insists that
she marry the younger brother of Arthur, Prince
Henry
Henry VIII marries Catherine,
despite the doubts of the Pope, Julius
II, and the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
They expressed concern that Catherine
would now have been married to both
brothers.
Initially, Catherine and Henry had
a happy marriage
• They were both religious
• Henry VIII even wrote a book called “The
Defense of Seven Sacraments.”
The Defense of Seven Sacraments
defended the many sacraments of
the Catholic church that were being
attacked by the reformers as
needless and repetitive
This book earned Henry VIII the
title of “Defender of the Faith”
Catherine bore Henry many
children. They were either still
born or lived a brief time.
Only a daughter, Mary, survived.
Henry began to feel that his marriage
was cursed because of the lack of heirs.
He sought an annulment from the Pope based on
the fact that Catherine had been married to his
brother.
The Pope should have granted
Henry VIII the annulment
because annulments for lesser
reasons had occurred amongst
European Royalty
Can you guess why he did not
grant the annulment to Henry?
The Pope did not want to displease the
Emperor
Catherine objected to the divorce—and
it was her nephew Charles V who
supported her objection
Henry took the bold move to
separate from the Catholic Church
• He appointed Cardinal
Wolsey to help him
• He asked (or forced) his
followers to take an oath
of supremacy
• The Act of Supremacy
made the English King
head of the Church of
England. It was signed
in 1534.
Sir Thomas More, a friend of Erasmus, was
executed for refusing to sign the oath
• Originally, he did not
intend to change the
doctrines at all.
• He just wanted to be
the head of the
church and not
subject to the Pope’s
authority.
• Once the separation
began, many
reformers in England
saw this as a welcome
move
Henry’s attitude
became more extreme
over time
These reformers closely followed the
development of Lutheranism on
mainland Europe
Henry VIII was in love with Anne
Boleyn—this gave him another excuse
to pursue the separation from Rome
Anne would not become his mistress.
She wanted to be Queen or nothing else
Their courtship went on for almost seven years.
Henry VIII risked all for his lust of Anne Boleyn
Never lose your mind over a
woman.
Or you will keep these people
in business
Henry VIII confiscated monastic lands
and church wealth as the English
Reformation ensued
The monasteries were dissolved.
The land and wealth was passed out
to Henry’s loyal followers
Many monasteries and abbeys fell
into disrepair and ruin
Their ruins inspired the
Romantic poets of the
early 19th century
Other church buildings were saved
when they became Protestant Churches
Many churches suffer vandalism when
their statues and windows are smashed
in an anti-Catholic reaction
The landed classes will continue to
support the Kings and
Queens of England
Henry marries Anne Boleyn in 1532
They have a daughter, Elizabeth, in
1533
• Henry moves quickly to eliminate Anne when
she gives birth to a still born son a year and a
half later
Anne was put on trial, and the
accusations against her were
solicited under torture.
Anne was executed by a French
Swordsman at the Tower of London in
1536
She left the baby Elizabeth who will
eventually become England’s
greatest Queen
Henry goes on to have four more wives.
His third wife, Jane Seymour will finally give him
son. She will die ten days later
Henry will not be attracted to fourth
wife, Anne of Cleves. They have an
amicable divorce
Fifth wife Catherine Howard will be found
guilty of adultery/treason She will be
executed in 1542.
Six wife, Catherine Parr, survives Henry.
She attempts to unite the three half siblings,
Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward
Henry VIII will not show visible regret
over his bringing about the English
Reformation. His personal beliefs
swayed between Catholicism and
Protestantism. He dies in 1547.
So much was at stake that
he saw it through, despite
many private
disappointments
He was a complex man who became
very difficult as his health declined.
So, as we end this part of our
story, we can recall the ditty:
Henry VIII had six wives—
One divorced
One beheaded
One died
One divorced
One beheaded
One survived
England is now Protestant. . .but stay
tuned. .
The objectives for this slide show
were:
• You will know why the War of the Roses
influenced the actions of Henry VII and Henry
VIII
• Identify the reasons for Henry VIII’s split from
the Catholic Church
• What role did Catherine of Aragon and Anne
Boleyn play in precipitating this split?
• Judge for yourself: did Henry remain a
Catholic or not in his beliefs?