sign in sign up
<<
Home , 1520s, 1530s, 1540s, Chantry, English Reformation, Praemunire

Part 3: The English c1520 – c1550

Dissent and break with 1 Explain why the was so wealthy (10) There were many reasons why the church was wealthy.  People gave money to the church as it was at the centre of people’s lives. Evidence: through bequests, rich people giving land to the church during their life or in their will, donations of money and goods. This was done both out of faith and possibly to gain favour with God in life and through prayers being said after passing away.  Church was effective in making money. Evidence: through tithing, selling , through -providing accommodation and selling religious artefacts

2 Explain why the church played such an important role in communities in c 1520 (10)  Churches provided certainty in an uncertain life. Religious beliefs gave comfort and helped people understand events and emphasised God controlling nature.  The church incorporated local folklore and traditions in its calendar of festivals such as , and the . This made people associate church with belonging to a community.  Vast majority of the population attended the church.

3 Why was the church powerful in (10)  Because of its influence on the daily lives of ordinary people It was the centre of religious and spiritual life and community life. It provided certainty in uncertain times  Because of its political power – its role in government. Many churchmen were highly educated and were often government ministers. and abbots sat in the . Some of Henry VIII’s closest advisors were clergy; eg. and . The concept of the Great Chain of Being supported this  Because of its wealth. (£400.000 annual - £40.000 income royal lands)  Vast majority of people went to church at least once a week.  It was part of an international church under the authority of the in Rome.

4 Explain why the church was being criticised in the and . (10)  Certain church practises were criticized. Selling of Indulgences, use & selling of , pilgrimages, lifestyle of clergy (not following the vows of poverty and celibacy), pilgrimages, pluralism, church courts, pope should not be in charge of churches in countries – it was the ruler of that country’s responsibility.  Some of the church teachings were criticized. Praying to saints, , , and services should be in language of people not in , , through works (the Reformers taught justification through faith alone )

5 Explain why some people wanted religious reform in the 1520s and 1530s .(10)  Language of the Bible and Under influence of Humanism and European reformers it was argued that people should be able to study the bible in their own languages in order to develop a personal faith.  The reformers emphasized the belief of ‘justification by faith alone’ – people couldn’t buy their way into heaven. And as mentioned in question 4.

6 Explain why Henry VIII reformed the church in the 1530s. (10)  Henry VIII wanted a divorce from his first wife to be able to marry in the hope of getting a male heir to the throne with her. As the pope didn’t grant him the (a divorce) it became clear that if he’d be head of the church himself, he could get divorced.  His desire for more power.  His desire for more money. The Pardon of the clergy as result of the issue of gave Henry £100.000 whilst giving him more power at the same time. The dissolution of the gave him money to finance the war against .  Influence of key individuals at court; e.g. Cromwell and Boleyn.  Anticlericalism and reformist ideas.

7 Explain the role of Cromwell in reforming the church in the 1530s. (10)  Cromwell was an MP, protestant, privy councellor. Was driving force in the process o f Henry breaking with Rome.  Directed Henry to accusing the clergy of Praemunire (would give Henry more power if dealt with) and to pardon the clergy for a payment of £100.000 (added to Henry’s wealth).  He drafted laws to make the marriage with Anne Boleyn legal.  Had a key role in drawing up documents such as Supplication of the Ordinaries, Act, Act in Restraint of Appeals. All of which would give Henry more power over the church,  Was made ‘the royal ’ after the Act of Supremacy was passed and wrote policies for the new .  Key role in the , Visitations and dissolution of the monasteries. Which gave Henry more power and wealth.

The dissolution of the monasteries 1 Explain why some people criticised monasteries in the 1520s and 1530s. (10)  Some people suggested that the monasteries were places where and lived un-Godly lives. The oath of celibacy and poverty was not taken seriously by all. This was checked through visitations. In the 1520s Wolsey had closed down some monasteries because these visitations had shown them to be ungodly.  Some people criticised the wealth of the church (such like Cromwell and Henry) and thought many monasteries were corrupt.  Many of the monasteries appeared to hold on to former practises such as the use of relics after 1534 which would undermine the break with Rome.

2 Explain how the dissolution of the monasteries affected people in England. (10)  Monastic buildings were destroyed and many valuable items were stolen by Cromwell’s men. This included many monastic libraries.  Most monks and found other employment as secular and received a pension. Many others faced poverty.  Nuns were not allowed to marry or become priest so most faced extreme hardship.  Poor people lost their source of support which the monasteries provided.  Gentry often benefited by being able to buy land&buildings.  For many ordinary people the closing of the monasteries impacted their lives both economically (many lost their jobs as monasteries provided jobs for many) and spiritually (for many people monasteries were a fundamental part of their religious lives – for prayer, places for , shelter whilst travelling.)

The Reformation in English churches 1 Explain how religious reform changed the way people worshipped in the 1530s and . (10)  Laws changed the way people worshipped eg. The Ten Articles in 1536 which restricted holy days and the worship of saints and images. In 1538 all churches were to have a bible and extinguish all lights. People could no longer worship saints, and relics were banned.  Church services were in English and the bible was translated in Enlish in 1536.  In the late 1530s some Catholic practises were restored such as and the idea of transubstantiation.  Under Edward (1547 onwards) more protestant reforms were implemented such as the worship of images and relics were forbidden. The Second Act of Uniformity (1552) required everybody to attend church on Sunday.  From 1547 statues, , church plate (church objects made out of precious metals)paintings, relics and images were removed from churches. A pulpit and whitewashed walls were expected in every church.

2 Explain why there were so many religious reforms between 1534 and 1550. (10)  The Act of Supremacy gave Henry specific powers in the Church and many reforms were introduced to make the religious reforms official. 1534 - 1536  After the death of Anne Boleyn, Henry re-established many Catholic practices and beliefs. 1537 -1546  Under Edward the reforms made the Church of England a more Protestant church. 1547 - 1553 One could divide the reforms in 3 phases. Phase 1 Henry VIII under the influence of the Boleyns.(to implement reforms and consolidate Henry’s power as Head of the Church) Phase 2 Henry VIII after the death of Anne Boleyn (many Catholic principles restored). Phase 3 Reforms under Edward VI (Church of England becomes a more Protestant Church)

3 Explain the effects of religious change on English parishes in the 1530s and 1540s. (10)  The effects of the reforms on parish churches became more clear after 1538 when all churches had to have an English Bible and all lights were to be extinguished.  People could no longer worship saints and relics were banned.  Under Edward parishes were instructed to remove statues, stained glass windows and church plate. Church buildings were white washed. Many parishioners and clergy though hid statues, relics and paintings.  The dissolution of the 1547 had a huge impact on people as many priests made contributions to the local community and often provided education.  Religious changes under Edward had to be paid for by the local parishes – this put a financial burden on many parishes. Many valuable items were sold to finance the new requirements. 

4 Explain why some people resisted religious change in the 1530s and 1540s. (10)  Some people resisted religious changes to the church as they objected to the abbeys being torn down, the removal of precious items, banning of holy days and prayers to the Pope. An example of this is the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 -1537.  The first demonstration of discontent with the changes under Edward VI was the ‘ Rebellion’ or Western Rebellion in 1549. The rebels wanted to return to the practices under Henry VIII . They wanted mass to be in Latin, images to return to the church.  The majority of ordinary people were concerned about the effects on their parish church, shrine or and local services. They weren’t really concerned about the political aspects of the Reformation.  Some people didn’t trust or value the new religion as they had the old. This became clear in absenteeism and not leaving money to a local church.