The English Reformation—A Time of Change

“This was a world living in the thick of change and re-appraisal.”

THAT is how J. J. Scarisbrick describes 16th-century England in his biography Henry VIII. Religious upheaval in Europe contributed to the belief of some that orthodox religion was in need of reform.

Martin Luther’s controversial teachings found supporters in England. And beginning in the late 14th century, the Lollards, ardent preachers and champions of the Bible, had endured and spread their teachings over England.

By 1526, copies of William Tyndale’s English translation of the Greek Scriptures had reached England, despite the efforts of powerful enemies to prevent its distribution. Such traditional Catholic teachings as purgatory, transubstantiation, and priestly celibacy were exposed as having no Biblical backing.

But it was a crisis in the king’s domestic affairs that served to fan the flames of the English Reformation. Henry VIII sought to divorce his Catholic wife Catherine of Aragon because he wanted a male heir to the throne. All six children that Catherine had borne to Henry were stillborn or had died in early infancy, except one, a daughter named Mary. Furthermore, Henry was attracted to the young, vivacious Anne Boleyn and intended to marry her.

Unwittingly, Henry’s capable and powerful ally, cardinal Thomas Wolsey, gave further impetus to the Reformation. Since the beginning of Henry’s reign in 1509, Wolsey had steadily gained power and wealth. Eventually his influence was second only to the king himself. But Wolsey was unpopular because he was domineering and had raised taxes. In addition, he seemed to feel that he was above the laws of his own church, as he had fathered two illegitimate children.

Nobles plotted Wolsey’s downfall, which was sealed when he failed to procure the divorce that Henry so desperately wanted. Stripped of his offices, Wolsey died in 1530, just before he was to appear before the king on charges of treason.

An anticlerical spirit became strong in England. Historian Scarisbrick wrote that it was “argued that the Church needed radical purging, that society could no longer carry this uneconomic burden, this vast institution which absorbed so much manpower, sterilized so much wealth, took so much and gave back so little . . . , and that the flow of English money to Rome . . . damaged [England’s] economy.”

The Cromwell Era

Eventually, Henry’s marital difficulties were “solved” with the help of his chief adviser Thomas Cromwell and the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. The English church broke with the church of Rome, and the king became head of the English church. Cranmer had Henry’s marriage to Catherine annulled in 1533. By this time Henry had already married Anne Boleyn, who was pregnant. This release from papal authority had profound repercussions.

Cromwell was given unlimited authority over the church and was subject only to the king. Progressively, the monasteries were demolished and their properties handed over to the Crown, providing much-needed revenue. In addition, Cromwell played a vital role in the printing and distributing of the Bible in English, as A. G. Dickens observes in his book The English Reformation: “The political initiative, the planning of publication, the finance, the pressure to impose the Great Bible upon the English Church, these came from the vicegerent Thomas Cromwell.”

As the Bible became more accessible to the public, it had a profound effect on people’s view of orthodox religion. Dickens notes: “The unaffected simplicity which marked the lives of Jesus Christ and the Apostles stood in bizarre contrast with the immense legal and coercive apparatus, the great wealth and splendid architectural exploits of the later medieval and Renaissance Church.”

Henry expressed interest in certain religious reforms, but his policies were often dictated by political expediency rather than by strong religious conviction. He was well aware of the two opposing factions at court, those for reform and those who wanted to maintain traditional religion, the conservatives. To keep the upper hand, he would adroitly play one group against the other.

By 1540 the golden era of reform was temporarily interrupted by the downfall of Cromwell. His conservative enemies convinced Henry that he was both a traitor and a heretic, and he was executed without a trial.

For a time, the conservatives seemed to have the upper hand. But they were unable to halt the reform that had already taken root. Even so, the Reformation did not fulfill its promise. Protestant Reformers failed to root out many of the false teachings of men and traditions that contaminated the Roman Catholic faith.

When Henry married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, in 1543, those for reform took heart. She showed great interest in the new religious teachings. But the conservatives were not prepared to give up without a fight. Their scheming and court intrigues would embroil the new queen in a desperate fight for her life. This will be considered in a future issue of Awake!

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Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

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Catherine of Aragon

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William Tyndale

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Thomas Cromwell

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Thomas Cranmer

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Thomas Wolsey

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Thomas Wolsey: From the book The Story of Liberty, 1878; crest, background design, and King Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn: From the book The Library of Historic Characters and Famous Events, Vol. VII, 1895; Catherine of Aragon, Thomas Cranmer, and Thomas Cromwell: From the book Heroes of the Reformation, 1904