1. Courtney Keen 8z1
Why did Henry VIII break away from the Catholic
Church?
Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church in 1534. Many people were
shocked by this event. It is not likely that Henry made this decision for religious
reasons. In his younger years he had always been a loyal Catholic. The pope
had even rewarded Henry with the title Defender of the Faith. Henry took the
decision to leave the Catholic Church because he needed a male heir. He also
wanted to gain power and money.
Henry actually needed to break away from the Catholic Church because he
could not produce a male heir with Catherine of Aragon. Several of their babies
had died, and Henry’s only legitimate child was a girl called Mary. Henry had
become convinced that he was cursed for marrying his brother’s widow. He
thought that the pope should agree to an annulment. He was also keen to
divorce Catherine because he had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn.
He also wanted more power. He was not happy that the pope could decide
whether he could get divorced from Catherine of Aragon, or could refuse to
legitimise Henry’s illegitimate son, Henry Fizroy.
Henry realised that if he broke away from the Catholic Church he could collect
a lot of money. He could do this by ceasing the catholic monasteries and
properties. This was then sold for a profit to other land owners and merchants
– the profit would go directly to Henry. Also gold and silver ornaments were
melted down and sold to others- also the money going to Henry.
Henry also wanted to make some changes to the Church. The Protestants
complained that the Catholic Church was wicked. They wanted Henry to start a
new Church of England and they wanted to remove the power the pope had
over people. Henry decided to improve his own church by making his services
in English and provided a copy of the English bible in every church. This
enabled ordinary people to understand the teachings of the church.
In conclusion, the main reason Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church
was to cease political, financial and religious power as well as getting a
legitimate air to the throne.
Wednesday 9th November 2011