Expert: Joseph Logue - 4/21/2007

Question
Could you please tell me what religion Henry V111 was Thank you

Answer
Hello Gemma,

Henry VIII was born, christened, and raised as a member of the Roman Catholic faith.  His split with Rome, over the issue of his divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, was not meant to create a new religion.  It was more about who was in charge of the Church in England and certain policies.  Though his son, Edward VI, solidified the place of the Anglican faith in the monarchy, his daughter, Mary I, tried to return England to the fold.  Henry's other daughter, Elizabeth I, would not submit to Rome and sought to restore peace on the religion issue in the kingdom.

It would be fair to say that Henry did not stop being a Catholic, but he did not like the "Roman" part.  He died believing in many of the tenets of the Catholic faith, but convinced that no pope could rule matters of English spiritual life, and that the only person fit to do so was the monarch.

Thanks for visiting AllExperts, Gemma.  Come back soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue