Expert: Joseph Logue - 8/28/2007

Question
I am just about to start studying the Reformation in England between 1529-1547 and was just wondering what factors contributed to the Reformation.
Thank you for your time.
Katie

Answer
Hello Katie,

This is going to be brief, because the longer answer is really, really long.  Essentially, the Reformation began because Henry VIII wanted a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.  We all know that part, but it also was a way of ridding England of oversight from Rome.  The papacy was a very strong institution then -- politically and militarily -- and Henry had as much to fear from Rome as he did from France or the Empire.

The divorce, though a direct goal, can also be seen as a pretext.  Henry, at which point we'll never know, realized that breaking with Rome did not bring about Hell on earth, did not subject his people to divine wrath, and he made money on it by dissolving the abbeys and seizing church lands, to boot.

In the end, the factors can be said to be getting rid of a powerful enemy (the Act in Restraint of Appeals stated that there was no higher authority in England than the crown), getting rid of an unwanted wife, and the realization that in the nascent modern world churches could be national and need not be universal, or catholic.

I hope this brief survey helps Katie.  Come back soon!

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue