Religious Reforms

Question 1

Was religion a major domestic policy for Henry VII? Why?

Answer 1

No.
Ending the 100 year was more a priority. Catholicism was unresputed in England at the time.

Question 2

How many churches were there under Henry VII?

Answer 2

8000 Parish Churches.

Question 3

Was there corruption in Henry VII’s churches?

Answer 3

Yes.
Clergy mistresses, money scammed from the church and parts of religion ignored.

Question 4

Was there opposition to catholicism under Henry VII?

Answer 4

Opposition from Lollards and Humanitarians.

Question 5

Was Henry VII religious opposition serious? Why?

Answer 5

Not at all.
Lollards were already weak from a defeat in 1414.

Question 6

How many masses were held after Henry VII’s death? Why?

Answer 6

10,000 to help his soul through purgatory.

Question 7

What facts show Catholicism as vital within Henry VII England?

Answer 7

Church owned a third of all land.
Church had considerable wealth.
Legal system under the Pope.

Question 8

An example of a highly religious but highly important political man in Henry VII?

Answer 8

Richard Foxe

Question 9

Types of monks within Henry VII England

Answer 9

Benedictine, Cistercian, Carthusians

Question 10

Where did Henry VIII gain the title ‘Protector of the Faith’? Why?

Answer 10

Henry VIII defended Catholicism so Pope Leo X assigned him the title in the 1521 ‘Assertio Septem Sacramentorum’.

Question 11

What factors catalysed Henry VIII’s break from Rome?

Answer 11

Catherine of Aragon failure to produce an heir.
Anne Boleyn’s arrival.
Cromwell’s failure to get a divorce from Pope Clement VII.
Henry VIII’s desire for further power.

Question 12

What event officially broke Henry VIII from the Pope?

Answer 12

On Jan 5 1531 Pope warned Henry VIII not to get remarried or he would be excommunicated. A warning which was ignored when Henry married Boleyn in 1532 and publicly on 25 January 1533.

Question 13

When was the Act of Succession? Monarch?

Answer 13

23 March 1534
Henry VIII

Question 14

What did the Act of Succession do?

Answer 14

Officialised divorce to Catherine of Aragon and thus delegitimising Mary.

Declared the crown would be passed down to Boleyn’s heirs.

Also made all the nobles sign in agreement that Catherine was no longer legitimate.

Question 15

When was the Act of Supremacy? Monarch?

Answer 15

1534
Henry VIII

Question 16

What did the Act of Supremacy do?

Answer 16

Proclaimed Supreme Head of the Church (rather than the pope) with control over the church, its doctrine, religious buildings and beliefs.

All clergy were the King’s subject which an oath was expected for.

‘Bishop of Rome’ was the Pope’s new title which was insultive and a large downgrade.

Question 17

When was the Act of First Truths and Tenths? Monarch?

Answer 17

December 1534
Henry VIII

Question 18

What did the Act of First Truths and Tenths do?

Answer 18

Transferred the taxes on ecclesiastical income from the Pope to the crown.

Question 19

When was the Treasons Act? Monarch?

Answer 19

1534
Henry VIII

Question 20

What did the Treasons Act do?

Answer 20

High treason punishable by death to deny royal supremacy. A crime to criticise the religious changed, marriage or altered succession in any verbal manner.

Question 21

When was the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act? Monarch?

Answer 21

1536
Henry VIII

Question 22

What did the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act do?

Answer 22

Any religious acts with an income of under £200 were dissolved.

Partnered with Valor Ecclesiasticus which investigated church wealth and Cromwell sending investigators to see behaviour.

As they were only small, little opposition arose. Only 67 out of 300 were exempted.

Question 23

When was the Royal Injunctions? Monarch?

Answer 23

1538
Henry VIII

Question 24

What did the Royal Injunctions do? An example?

Answer 24

English bible in all parishes within two years (1537 Protestant Matthew Bible), discouraged pilgrimages and removed relics.

An example is the destruction of Thomas Becket’s shrine at Canterbury Cathedral. Began recording births, deaths and marriages in parishes.

Question 25

When was the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries? Monarch?

Answer 25

1539 Henry VIII

Question 26

What did the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries do?

Answer 26

800 monasteries in England all could be dissolved due to parliament being convinced after Cromwell’s 1535 national survey. Showing corruption and potential to double the crown's income.

Question 27

Why did Henry VIII want the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries?

Answer 27

Monks served as a constant reminder of catholicism and proposed a threat, had immense wealth from renting out land and functioned to perform a catholic sacrament. Not a protestant one. Thus lots were forcefully destroyed with aiding royal bribes.

Question 28

Why is Edward VI so protestant?

Answer 28

Had Protestant tutors Had a very protestant privy council Had to be protestant or would see himself as illegitimate

Question 29

When was the Chantries Act? Monarch?

Answer 29

1547 Edward VI

Question 30

What did the Chantries Act do?

Answer 30

It was revived from his fathers dissolution act and contained a preamble which condemned all prayer for the dead. Very impactful to local life as Catholic souls would struggle in purgatory. 3000 dissolved and likely aided the rebellion in 1549.

Question 31

When was the Treason Act Repeal? Monarch?

Answer 31

25 December, 1547 Edward VI

Question 32

What did the Treasons Act Repeal do? What did radical protestants do in response?

Answer 32

Removed all heresy laws, treason, censorship and proclamation laws. People could so discuss religion freely without fear of imprisonment even in the press. Radical Protestants took this as a chance to destroy catholic images and altars with the government not able to stamp it out.

Question 33

When was the Second Book of Common Prayer? Monarch?

Answer 33

January 1552 Edward VI

Question 34

What did the Second Book of Common Prayer do?

Answer 34

Highly Protestant document which banned all catholicism and established a Eucharist ceremony. No more prayers for the dead and vestments were removed.

Question 35

When was the New Treason Act? Monarch?

Answer 35

January 1552 Edward VI

Question 36

What did the New Treasons Act do?

Answer 36

Reinstated past laws so the government could control religious conflicts again.

Question 37

When was the Second Act of Uniformity? Monarch?

Answer 37

April 1552 Edward VI

Question 38

What did the Second Act of Uniformity do?

Answer 38

Enforced second book of Common Prayer as some acts were repeated since some ignored the Protestant Acts. It became an offence for clergy or laity not to attend the services of the Church of England.

Question 39

How many European reformers were invited to England by Archbishop Cranmer under Edward VI?

Answer 39

40

Question 40

Who was an European reformer? What was the influence?

Answer 40

Martin Bucer who arrived in March 1549 became a lecturer of the divine at Cambridge and his criticisms inspired the second Book of Common Prayer after he criticised the first.

Question 41

Was there a lot of persecution under the Edwardian government?

Answer 41

Notably a lack. Especially to the lower clergy.

Question 42

Mary I persecution technique examples.

Answer 42

Public spectacles of burnings. Bishops were to visit their dioceses and find heretics to be 'consumed by flames'. This is to cleanse their sins.

Question 43

Mary I persuasion technique examples.

Answer 43

Encouraged bishops to regularly check in on their diocese to overlook finances and clergy discipline. Clerical education with reports written by schoolmasters.

Question 44

When was the Act of Repeal? Monarch?

Answer 44

Autumn 1553, Mary I

Question 45

What did the Act of Repeal do?

Answer 45

Undid all the Edwardian Reformation, revived mass, ritual mass, clerical celibacy, Catholic belief of transubstantiation. The church was revived to its previous position under the Act of the Six Articles from 1547. Made the previous celebration of mass in the country legal while confirming catholicism in the country.

Question 46

When did Mary I give up being the Supreme Head of the Church?

Answer 46

Autumn 1553.

Question 47

When was the Royal Injunctions? Monarch?

Answer 47

March 1554, Mary I

Question 48

What did the Royal Injunctions do? Statistics?

Answer 48

Bishops were to suppress heresy, remove married clergy, restore holy days, restore catholic ceremonies, Gardiner deprived married priests of their livings. In the diocese of Norwich, 243 priests lost their positions alone. 10-25% were deprived with some returning their titles after conforming.

Question 49

When was the Heresy Laws? Monarch?

Answer 49

April 1554 Mary I

Question 50

What did the Heresy Laws do? Who inspired it?

Answer 50

It became illegal to deny the Pope as the Head of the Church and punishable by the death penalty. Cardinal Pole was the inspiration behind the burning of heretics. At first the Church refused to reinstate it but did so when monastic lands were promised to be returned. Rogers was the first person burned in February 1555.

Question 51

When was the Twelve Decrees? Monarch?

Answer 51

February 1556 Mary I

Question 52

What did the Twelve Decrees do? What happened at a similiar time?

Answer 52

Issued by the Synod on clerical discipline. Against abuses such as absenteeism, pluralism, simony and heresy. At the same time refounded the Benedictine House at Westminster with smaller religious houses also being reformed going into June 1557.

Question 53

What issues did Mary I have returning to catholicism?

Answer 53

Pole’s strategy relied on bishops but 6 seats were consistently empty in the reign. People Paul VI was anti-Habsburg The Marian government did not capitalise on printing. Writing against catholicism then with was 2:1. A lot of people tried to argue for Catholicism then persuade in writing and speeches. Pole’s tactics were cumbersome as they took 18 months and a high financial contribution.