Was there a Religious Mid-Tudor Crisis?: Henry VIII

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

What were the key Catholic steps during Henry's reign?

Key Catholic steps:

1539 - Act of Six Articles. This marked the beginning of the reactionary period, which would last until the end of Henry's reign. The Six Articles re-affirmed six points of Catholic doctrine, and imposed severe penalties on those who would not accept these steps:

Transubstantiation - those denying this Catholic practice would be burnt.
Communion
Priests could not marry
Chastity for monks and nuns
Private masses allowed (previously they had been forbidden)
Confession

Protestant reformers referred to the Act as a 'whip with six strings'.

1543 - Act for the Advancement of True Religion. This restricted the reading of the Bible to clerics and noblemen only. It also prohibited Protestant literature.

1543 - The King's Book was published. This defended the Catholic practice of transubstantiation and re-affirmed the Six Articles.

Glossary

Canon Law - the body of laws that governs the Christian church. The study of Canon Law was forbidden during Henry's reign to prevent people becoming too educated about the Church, and questionning Henry's actions.
Consubstantiation - the Protestant belief that during Communion, the bread and wine represented (but did not actually become) the body and blood of Christ.
Dissolution of the Monasteries - a term used to describe the closing of English monasteries by Henry VIII in the mid-16th century. Their wealth and lands were given to the monarchy.
Excommunication - the exclusion of a person from taking part in Communion, and so also forbidding them access to Heaven after death. This was especially harsh when used against a monarch, as it meant that their subjects were also excommunicated.
Henrician Reformation - a term used to describe the religious changes that happened during Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547).
Laity - the followers of a religion who are not clergy members, i.e. the common people who went to church and called themselves Christians but did not have a religious office.
Pluralism - the practice of one clergyman holding a number of religious offices. This became a problem if he was unable to fulfill all the duties of the offices, as religious practice suffered.
Protestantism - a Christian religious movement began by Martin Luther in 1517. It started out as a 'protest' against the abuses of the Catholic Church and doctrine, but broke away and developed into its own church. There were different doctrines, or versions, of Protestantism, such as Calvinism, Lutheranism and Puritanism.
Reactionary Period - the name given to the period during which Henry's religious policies showed signs of a return to Catholicism, rather than the clearly Protestant steps that had been taken previously.
Reformation - a term used to describe all the changes to the Church that occurred throughout Europe in the 16th century, moving it away from Catholicism and towards Protestantism.
Reformers - those in favour of the Protestant change.
Reformation Parliament - the parliament which began in 1529 and did not dissolve until 1536. It enacted all the religious legislation between these dates.
Transubstantiation - The Catholic practice whereby the bread and wine used in Communion were believed to actually become the body and blood of Christ.
Vernacular - in the everyday language spoken by the people: a Vernacular Bible in England would be in English. This was an anti-Catholic practice, as Catholicism believed that the Bible should be in Latin.

Was there a Religious Mid-Tudor Crisis?

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

What were the key Catholic steps during Henry's reign?

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