Henry VIII and the English Reformation

Henry VIII and the English Reformation

Who is Henry VIII?

- The second son of Henry VII. - The first English ruler from the House of Tudor (1491-1547) - Brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation. - Established the Protestant Church of England . - He is known for his 6 wives. - Father of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, England’s monarchs after he died.

Facts about Henry VIII

He established the Protestant Church of England so he could divorce Catherine of Aragon.

Became the King of England at age 17 in 1509 when his father, Henry VII, died.

Born on 28 June 1491 in London, at Greenwich Palace.

In 1521, the Pope gave Henry the title of "Defender of the Faith" because of his support for the Catholic Church.

His education was overseen by his grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. He grew up as a Catholic.

Facts about Henry VIII

In 1534, the First Act of Supremacy declared Henry VIII as the head of the Church.

From his six marriages, he only had three illegitimate children who lived. Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

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Henry VIII enjoyed being outdoors and doing exercise. However, he became very fat as he got older and could not exercise as much as before.

In 1536, Henry was badly hurt in a jousting competition.

He died in 1547, and he's buried at Windsor Castle next to his favourite wife, Jane Seymour.

Who were his six wives?

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536): Demoted for Bearing No Son

*Daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. *Widow of Henry's elder brother, Arthur. *Married Henry in 1509. *Had multiple failed pregnancies. *Gave birth to Mary I. *Henry VIII's wife for 23 years. His true love. *Divorced against the will of the Catholic Church. *Died on January 7, 1536.

Anne Boleyn (1501-1536): The Union That Sparked Reformation

*Lady-in-waiting to the queen. *Married Henry in January of 1533. *Gave birth to Elizabeth I *Accused of adultery and treason. *Henry had their marriage annulled. *Beheaded for her alleged and mysterious crimes on May 19, 1536.

Elizabeth Blount: Illicit Affair

Henry had a brief extra-marital affair with Elizabeth Blount, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. In 1519, Elizabeth gave birth to Henry Fitzroy, Henry’s only acknowledged illegitimate child.

Henry Fitzroy

Jane Seymour (1508-1537): Died After Giving Birth to Male Heir

*Lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. *Her mother and Anne Boleyn’s mother were first cousins. *Gave birth to Edward VI on October 12, 1537. *Died from complications of the birth weeks later. *Buried at St. George's Chapel.

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557): Strategic, Six-Month Marriage

*Sister of Germany’s Duke of Cleves. *Arrived in England on January 1, 1540. *Married Henry on January 6, 1540 (European alliance) *The "ugly wife". *Accepted a divorce and generous settlement six months later. *Recognized as the “King’s Sister” (peace) *Died in July 1557.

Catherine Howard (1523-1542): Treasured, Then Executed

*19-year-old lady-in waiting to Anne of Cleves. *Married Henry in July 1540. *Showered with gifts by Henry. *Called his “rose without a thorn”. *Rumours of infidelity surfaced after a year of marriage . *Executed for adultery and treason at the Tower Green on February 13, 1542.

Catherine Parr (1512-1548): Peacemaker Who Outlived Henry

*Married Henry in July 1543. *Spirited and educated widow. *Interested in Protestantism. *Arrested by Henry. *Managed to avoid the fate of her predecessors. *Brought stability and peace to the court. *Kind and caring stepmother to Henry’s children. *Died in 1548.

Henry's Divorce and the English Reformation

From Defender of the Catholic Church...

To Supreme Head of the Church of England

By the 1520s Catholicism started to be criticized, but it still was widely supported by the populace. Henry VIII vehemently condemned Martin Luther's 95 Theses, which earned him the title of "Fidei Defensor" or Defender of the Faith by the Pope.

However, a mere decade later Henry would find himself leaving the Catholic Church behind, dissolving the nation's monasteries, absorbing and redistributing the Catholic Church's property as he saw fit.

His first marriage wasn't as succesful as he had hoped

In 1527, his wife, Catherine of Aragon couldn't conceive a son (male heir) for him. Henry himself, at the time, also became infatuated with Anne Boleyn, sister of a previous lover of his. But Anne refused to become only a mistress, aiming for a higher goal. As a result Henry petitioned the Pope Clement VII for an annulment, but it was refused.

The Pope couldn't grant Henry's wishes of divorce, much to his dismay.

Consequently, Anne gave Henry a book which criticized the Pope, and it gave ideas about a new kind of Christianity that denied the power of the old Church. This book planted a seed in Henry’s mind because he realized that if there was not Pope, he would get the divorce.

How would Henry get his divorce then?

Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell

Act of Supremacy (1534)

Anne Boleyn

Solidified the break from the Catholic Church, making the king the Supreme Head of the Church of England, taking control of the church's property holdings, returning it all to the crown to be distributed as rewards to loyal counselors.

Pregnant with Henry's future heir, was crowned queen of England by June 1533, unfortunately for her, said heir would turn out to be a daughter. Anne would then be accused of treason and promptly executed.

They convinced Henry of not letting England's King be a subject of the Pope's jurisdiction. Cranmer was then appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury, who then finally granted Henry's wishes.

People believed there was nothing separating them from God. Bibles were printed in English instead of Latin, so anyone could read these wonderful histories about a man called Jesus who came to give hope to poor people, and histories about bad Kings punished by God.

Sucess: Edward VI

Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, managed to give Henry his coveted male heir, who would later become the future king Edward VI. After Henry's death in 1547, Edward's reign was swiftly dominated by evangelical protestant counsellors who introduced a much more radical reformation into England. Edward had an early death, being only 15 years old at the moment of his passing. His half sister Queen Mary I took the throne and reversed many of the changes introduced by the counsellors.

Finishing the job: Elizabeth I

Henry couldn't finish with the English reformation during his lifetime, it would all fall on the shoulders of Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of Anne Boleyn. She would complete the reformation during her rule of almost 50 years.

Team

Gabriel Gosp

Micaela Garcia

Vanesa Huerta

CamilaSalazar

Estudios interculturales en lengua inglesa 3 ISFD 42 - Prof. Sebastián Villafañe.