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  • Essay / The History of the Henrician Reformation

    Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Henrician ReformationMain feature of the Henrician ReformationReasons for the decisive featureConclusionIntroductionThe Henrician Reformation is a phenomenon that followed the European Reformation and the Protestant Reformation. This led to the breakdown of relations between England and Rome. The aim of this article is to highlight the most decisive aspect of Henrician reform. Furthermore, the article outlines the reasons why this feature is considered a milestone of the religious revolution. Firstly, the article highlights the events that led to the Reformation under the leadership of King Henry VIII. Second, this article explains the main feature of the reform and why it is considered as such. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe Henrician ReformationIn 1515, Henry VIII succeeded in convincing Rome to elevate Thomas Wolsey to the rank of cardinal. In 1518 he was granted the office of papal legate, giving him more authority to exercise papal authority over the English Church. This included the archbishops of York and Canterbury. However, Wolsey was driven by wild ambitions and a lust for power. Additionally, he ensured that his successes pleased the king in order to maintain power. In this context, the laity, clergy, commoners and nobles disliked Wolsey due to the fact that he made many decisions on behalf of the king (Wooding, 2009, pp. 25-78). Henry VIII had developed strong support for Catholicism. In 1520, Luther published his book Babylonian Captivity of the Church which pointed the finger at the papacy. Henry VIII was furious at this publication and showed extreme antipathy towards Luther. He even went further by personally publishing a response Defense of the Seven Sacraments against Martin Luther. In his writings, Luther had retained three sacraments, namely baptism and the mass. On the contrary, Henry VIII supported the seven sacraments and dedicated his publication to Pope Leo X. In return; the Pope awarded Henry VIII the title of “Defender of the Faith” (Wooding, 2009, pp. 101-159). After several months of petitions and negotiations, a legate court was established at Blackfriars. Catherine continued to appeal against her exclusion from marriage. The case was transferred to Rome where the legal deadline expired and the court never met on time. Henry VIII spent three years pressuring Rome to refer the matter to England. It had cost Wolsey his job and his powers. The king appointed Thomas More without knowing that he was opposed to divorce. The king threatened the pope not to work under him and went further to invoke the three-century-old Angliae privilege. He was furious because, as prince and king, the divorce matter was beyond his control (Lake and Dowling, 1987, pp. 36-77). In 1531 he amended a clerical grant by adding clauses that he was the protector and sole supreme head of the English Church. He assumed the responsibilities of appointing bishops and abbots, administering clerical property, supervising ecclesiastical courts, and punishing adulterous and insolent clergy. He attacked the independence of the ecclesiastical courts by acquiescing to “the supplication of the commons against the ordinary ones”. The Convocation had launched a program of reform and counted on the support of the king. He encourages them to continue their offensive. The Convocation submitted to the clergy recognizing him as the supreme legislator of the Church in opposition to the Pope. This is how England declared its independence from Rome and the Pope (Haigh, 1993, pp.71-131). Henry VIII was finally divorced from Catherine but the damage was doneon its links with Rome. Pope Clement was furious at the divorce decision and asked Henry VIII to overturn the decision. However, the king ended ties with Rome by denouncing the pope and asking the people to ignore Rome. England enacted laws that reduced its tax returns to Rome and ended ecclesiastical dispensations in favor of the city. The Act of Supremacy declared Henry VIII earthly head of the English Church. The king dissolved the country's monasteries, abbeys and convents (MacCulloh, 1995, pp. 159-180). Main Feature of the Henrician Reformation The English Reformation under the brain of Henry VIII led to separation from Rome. Subsequent political and ecclesiastical measures followed. This proves that this movement was of a completely different nature. English reform was imposed on the masses from above. This is different from other reforms in the world, such as the European reform initiated by the people. This meant that the reform took longer to take root among the people. In this regard, it can be said that this was the result of the personal and political grievances of the king, as opposed to the theological convictions of the masses. The resulting Church of England was and continues to be a Protestant Church; he is neither Reformed nor Lutheran (Rex, 1993, pp.8-24). The meaning and importance of the dissolution of the monasteries raises many questions. We see that this is a momentous event that has affected daily life in a broad and profound way. It was much more than the break with Rome and its repair proved difficult. England had rejected its past full of beautifully designed abbeys and pious monks. On the other side of the coin, dissolution is considered significant. It was the least part of the revolution and does not deserve to be the center of attraction. Attacks on monasteries are not considered a novelty of the Reformation. They were self-contained and not as widespread as regular churches (Rosman, 2003, pp. 687-707). These monasteries expressed strong papal loyalty. The most zealous resistance to royalty would therefore come from orders. Similarly, monasticism was facing decline in England due to widespread cases of corruption. It had robbed them of their meaning. They had been subjected to the derision of the laity. Most monks sought him out because of this tainted reputation. They had lost their prestige and respect among the people. The dissolution of the monasteries was clearly a significant event in the reformation of the English Church. The establishment of royal supremacy over the Church necessitated the fall of the monasteries (Scarisbrick, 1968, 49-81). Reasons for the Decisive Article King Henry VIII was not the chosen heir to the throne because he was the second son of his father, Henry. VII. In this regard, he received a first-rate education in Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, mathematics, astronomy and theology. He had vast talents in sports and music to the delight of his tutors and artists. Arthur married Catherine, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. This was intended to cement strong political ties between the two monarchs. However, Arthur died five months after marrying Catherine. This led to the idea that Henry VIII would marry Catherine in order to avoid a large and costly dowry repayment in Spain (Shagan, 2003, pp.82-113). The papal dispensation authorizing the marriage came on June 11, 1509, after Henry VII had died. Henry's family was devoutly Roman Catholic at this time. He had married a Catholic and his faithful advisors were ardent defenders of the pope. However, Henry VIII had developed an innate desire to see reform of the Church in England. It is important to note that its.