“Albeit the king's Majesty justly and rightfully is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and so is recognized by the clergy of this realm...” this excerpt from the Act of Supremacy passed by the English Parliament in 1534 made King Henry VIII the leader of the Church of England (“Act”). Pope Clement VII and King Henry VIII both played a major role in the withdrawal of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Stubbornly, King Henry VIII rejected Pope Clement VII’s refusal to grant him an annulment, thus, resulting in England's rejection of the Church of Rome. In 1534, King Henry VIII declared that he should have final authority in the church, therefore giving himself the ability to divorce his wife. Politics was the primary
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One example of this was after 24 years of marriage, King Henry VIII and his wife Catherine had only produced a female heir, Mary, the only legal successor to the throne (“Henry”). King Henry was furious and started having affairs with other women to try to produce a male heir. King Henry VIII became even more furious when Catherine became too old to produce any more children. King Henry VIII thought that because he was the king that he should be able to divorce his wife since she could not give him a son, however divorce was not allowed in the church. Another example of the Roman Catholic Faith , was most of Europe practiced Catholicism and believed in marriage for life. The pope refused annulments so that the people would not take the sacrament of marriage lightly. From the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, the Christians in England had become disgruntled with the Church of Rome. People were angry with the Catholic Church for selling indulgences; a declaration by church authorities that those who say certain prayers or do good deeds will have some or all of their punishment in purgatory remitted (“Act”). King Henry VIII believed that considering he was King he should be allowed an annulment. King Henry VIII was not the first King …show more content…
One example of King Henry VIII’s greed was his major debt incurred for elaborate parties, art and entertainment at Henry’s Court. These extravagances incurred by the king put the monarchy in financial difficulty. King Henry VIII also spent large sums of money on military campaigns. The acquisition of the French town of Tournai cost the Monarchy £ 2.5 million (the equivalent of £ 6.5 billion today) forcing the Monarchy near bankruptcy (Oloffson). King Henry VIII was young when he became King and didn’t understand how to properly manage money. Due to his lack of experience he wasted the majority of England’s funds on lavish entertainment. He soon faced bankruptcy and needed a way to raise money. To bring in more money, King Henry VIII imposed high taxes to support his luxurious lifestyle which made the English people angry (Feuerlicht 15). Even though King Henry VIII was facing bankruptcy, he continued to live a luxurious lifestyle, while heavily taxing the English people. The people of England started to become angry with King Henry because they were sacrificing money for him, but he refused to give up living extravagantly. Tax wasn’t King Henry VIII’s only idea to add to the royal funds, he recognized the church had lots of it, so the solution was obvious - take control of the church and its assets. (“Act”). King Henry VIII thought that if he took control
One example of this was after 24 years of marriage, King Henry VIII and his wife Catherine had only produced a female heir, Mary, the only legal successor to the throne (“Henry”). King Henry was furious and started having affairs with other women to try to produce a male heir. King Henry VIII became even more furious when Catherine became too old to produce any more children. King Henry VIII thought that because he was the king that he should be able to divorce his wife since she could not give him a son, however divorce was not allowed in the church. Another example of the Roman Catholic Faith , was most of Europe practiced Catholicism and believed in marriage for life. The pope refused annulments so that the people would not take the sacrament of marriage lightly. From the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, the Christians in England had become disgruntled with the Church of Rome. People were angry with the Catholic Church for selling indulgences; a declaration by church authorities that those who say certain prayers or do good deeds will have some or all of their punishment in purgatory remitted (“Act”). King Henry VIII believed that considering he was King he should be allowed an annulment. King Henry VIII was not the first King …show more content…
One example of King Henry VIII’s greed was his major debt incurred for elaborate parties, art and entertainment at Henry’s Court. These extravagances incurred by the king put the monarchy in financial difficulty. King Henry VIII also spent large sums of money on military campaigns. The acquisition of the French town of Tournai cost the Monarchy £ 2.5 million (the equivalent of £ 6.5 billion today) forcing the Monarchy near bankruptcy (Oloffson). King Henry VIII was young when he became King and didn’t understand how to properly manage money. Due to his lack of experience he wasted the majority of England’s funds on lavish entertainment. He soon faced bankruptcy and needed a way to raise money. To bring in more money, King Henry VIII imposed high taxes to support his luxurious lifestyle which made the English people angry (Feuerlicht 15). Even though King Henry VIII was facing bankruptcy, he continued to live a luxurious lifestyle, while heavily taxing the English people. The people of England started to become angry with King Henry because they were sacrificing money for him, but he refused to give up living extravagantly. Tax wasn’t King Henry VIII’s only idea to add to the royal funds, he recognized the church had lots of it, so the solution was obvious - take control of the church and its assets. (“Act”). King Henry VIII thought that if he took control