Transformation of Religion in England.

[PoliticalChic]

1. Christianity, in the form of the Roman Catholic Church, was the glue that held European civilization together for a thousand years....but that doesn't mean that it wasn't altered in various ways over that time. The fact that it was under the auspices of humans, saddled with an indelible human nature, was the major reason for the changes.....and not always for the better.

a. One change: it grew in power, wealth, and influence.
Over the millennium, the church added to its responsibilities, meaning its control, via new offices such as rector or vicar, for which property and income are provided in respect of pastoral duties, and included involvement in all spheres of life....especially the political! And....the papacy offered indulgences as rewards for service, penitence, obedience....or cash. "Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Hist of the Church)," by R. W. Southern, p.133-169

b. Of course, indulgences led to the protests of Martin Luther....






2. In England, the Tudor kings, and queens, had the good fortune to rule England just as the island nation was inventing capitalism, or the market economy.
The Tudors ruled from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry VII. Henry defeated Richard III, and killed off the other possible claimants to the throne.

3. Henry used Parliament to finance the state through taxes, and most important for our story, he codified and imposed the king's justice throughout England and Wales.

a. Know who was in control of the courts, of justice, before Henry?
Right: the church.

4. Enter Henry VIII, 1509, with only one medieval institution left to deny the monarchy....the church's wealth and influence stood in the way of the king's unchallenged authority. Uh oh....






5. This is where the church's vulnerability comes in: human nature.
Rather than represent infallibility, fighting within the church itself was the worst possible 'public relations.'
During century 14, seven papacies abandoned Rome for France, the Avignon 'captivity.'
Avignon Papacy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fighting among popes, 1378 to 1417, didn't help matters.

Actual decadency in the church, at the highest levels, eroded the church's spiritual pretensions.

By the 16th century, the national clergy's loyalty was to their king, not the pope.







6. The stage was set even before the Tudors...." The Statute of Praemunire was an Act of the Parliament of England enacted in 1393, during the reign of Richard II. Its intention was to limit the powers of the papacy in England." Statute of Praemunire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry VII invoked the statute to establish Common Law over canon law, and Parliament's , that meant his, supremacy over the Pope's.






6. Under Henry VIII, the issue came to a 'head'...the king petitioned the pope to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Pope refused, and Henry instructed his Archbishop of Canterbury (Thomas Cranmer) to grant the divorce, and marriage to Anne Boleyn.

7. A note is necessary here: it is widely assumed that Clement VII refused Henry's request because it challenged papal authority on an incontestably ecclesiastical issue....partly true.

But what is often forgotten is that Catherine's nephew, Hapsburg Emperor Charles V, had the pope held under house arrest, and forced the reluctant pope to excommunicate Henry.

8. Now, Henry's move: he had Parliament pass the Act of Supremacy of 1534, naming Henry head of the Church of England, with England bowing to no other authority!




Remember that part about the Roman Catholic Church being the glue that held Europe together....?

 

[PoliticalChic]

9. Without an understanding of the events that preceded Henry VIII's ascendancy as the head of the English church, one misses this important element: at an earlier time, a papal ban on a king's actions would have driven said king to his knees, begging forgiveness.

Why?
Because excommunication would have released all vassals from vows of fealty!
"Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History: 1585-1828," by Walter A. McDougall, p.25




But by the early 16th century, due to events stated in the OP, the church had lost much of its authority, and, in the England of Henry VIII, both houses of Parliament were Tudor-appointed nobles and bishops, many of them greedy for either church properties or royal bribes.




10. And, large segments of the population, academics and merchants, were sympathetic to Martin Luther's ideas of reform. [See " Tudor England," by John Guy]

 

[PoliticalChic]

11. Of course, Henry himself was a factor, by way of his ruthless use of chancery courts which...

".... had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of lunatics and the guardianship of infants....the Court was an administrative body primarily concerned with conscientious law. Thus the Court of Chancery had a far greater remit than the common law courts, whose decisions it had the jurisdiction to overrule for much of its existence, and was far more flexible. Until the 19th century, the Court of Chancery could apply a far wider range of remedies than the common law courts, such as specific performance and injunctions,..." Court of Chancery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



While this may or may not have changed the balance of 'justice,' it documents the increase in England of the power of the monarchy over that to the church.


Henry used these courts to condemn opponents and even supporters who fell into disfavor. Think Sir Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, or Anne Boleyn.

 

[PoliticalChic]

12. Here is an irony of enormous proportions! The methods that Henry VIII used to pretty much, do whatever he wished, were based on an acquiescent Parliament.
But, in effect, that very action limited the eventuality for an absolute monarchy in England!!
Why?

Because if all that he did was made legal through the acts of Parliament....a future less compliant Parliament could take any royal prerogatives away!




13. But....back to the fate of the English church: Henry, as "owner" of the church, quickly began to liquidate their assets. He closed down hospitals, schools and alm houses, as well as other church establishments...

a. There was some push-back:
"The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in Yorkshire in the autumn of 1536 in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the policies of the King's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It has been termed "the most serious of all Tudor rebellions"
Pilgrimage of Grace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[PoliticalChic]

14. Buddhism describes the interconnectedness of all things as a spider web, 'Indra’s net,' on which every knot on the net is tied a pearl. Everything that exists or has existed is one of the pearls, and every pearl is tied to every other pearl. And, on the surface of every pearl is the reflection of every other jewel on the net!



And so it was with religion, the monarchy, and the new invention of the time....capitalism: all tied together on that universal, eternal 'net' of interrelationship.



a. As a response to "The Pilgrimage of Grace," Henry VIII declared all monasteries traitorous havens, and, as the church's revenues were triple that of the crown, he toyed with the idea of annexing them to the royal estate.....




15. ...but he needed quick cash due to wars and the flamboyant life style of the court....so he sold monastic lands and properties. The sales were at real market prices....and that in itself was telling about the balance between religiosity and capitalism: few buyers had qualms about gobblilng up land once donated to the service of God, an indication of how holy 'the very idea of [private] propery' had become.
"Land and Politics in the England of Henry VIII: The West Riding of Yorkshire, 1530-46," by R. B. Smith, p. 254-255


a. By 1603, three-fourths of the church's holdings had passed into the hands of gentry and farmers, accelerating the trend toward a free market in land.
"The English Reformation," by A. G. Dic



1607.....England 'seeded' colonies on the North American continent...the 'seeds' grew the free market or 'capitalist' society that had been created in the prior century.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch, not the first monarch as the sentence suggests.

The empowerment of Common Law placed the King over the Pope only in the lands of the King.

The Pope, although in duress by Catherine’s nephew, the Emperor, was willing to grant a divorce provided Catherine was willing to accept it and go willingly into a convent. Her reaction was, “Nope, I am the King’s true and loving” doxy.

Indeed, the Catholic Church laid the foundation and the building of Western Christendom, glued the civilization of Europe and the Americas.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch, not the first monarch as the sentence suggests.

The empowerment of Common Law placed the King over the Pope only in the lands of the King.

The Pope, although in duress by Catherine’s nephew, the Emperor, was willing to grant a divorce provided Catherine was willing to accept it and go willingly into a convent. Her reaction was, “Nope, I am the King’s true and loving” doxy.

Indeed, the Catholic Church laid the foundation and the building of Western Christendom, glued the civilization of Europe and the Americas.

Seems you live to be relevant.....to post even if you you have to pretend to misunderstand.





"Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch, not the first monarch as the sentence suggests."

It says no such thing.


"2. In England, the Tudor kings, and queens, had the good fortune to rule England just as the island nation was inventing capitalism, or the market economy.
The Tudors ruled from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry VII. Henry defeated Richard III, and killed off the other possible claimants to the throne."



Are you always an idiot, or just when I'm around?


Come again when you can't stay quite so long.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The above is why we know you did not attend Columbia, much less graduate.

Your sentence about Henry VII was poorly constructed, and then you ignored the corrections below that would make your paper much better when you turn it in tomorrow at Long Island CC.

Work on them, please.

Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch, not the first monarch as the sentence suggests.

The empowerment of Common Law placed the King over the Pope only in the lands of the King.

The Pope, although in duress by Catherine’s nephew, the Emperor, was willing to grant a divorce provided Catherine was willing to accept it and go willingly into a convent. Her reaction was, “Nope, I am the King’s true and loving” doxy.

Indeed, the Catholic Church laid the foundation and the building of Western Christendom, glued the civilization of Europe and the Americas.

 

[guno]

The above is why we know you did not attend Columbia, much less attend.

Your sentence about Henry VII was poorly constructed, and then you ignored the corrections below that would make your paper much better when you turn it in tomorrow at Long Island CC.

Work on them, please.

Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch, not the first monarch as the sentence suggests.

The empowerment of Common Law placed the King over the Pope only in the lands of the King.

The Pope, although in duress by Catherine’s nephew, the Emperor, was willing to grant a divorce provided Catherine was willing to accept it and go willingly into a convent. Her reaction was, “Nope, I am the King’s true and loving” doxy.

Indeed, the Catholic Church laid the foundation and the building of Western Christendom, glued the civilization of Europe and the Americas.

Oh she went to Columbia alright, this columbia Home - Columbia Bible College

 

[JakeStarkey]

The above is why we know you did not attend Columbia, much less attend.

Your sentence about Henry VII was poorly constructed, and then you ignored the corrections below that would make your paper much better when you turn it in tomorrow at Long Island CC.

Work on them, please.

Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch, not the first monarch as the sentence suggests.

The empowerment of Common Law placed the King over the Pope only in the lands of the King.

The Pope, although in duress by Catherine’s nephew, the Emperor, was willing to grant a divorce provided Catherine was willing to accept it and go willingly into a convent. Her reaction was, “Nope, I am the King’s true and loving” doxy.

Indeed, the Catholic Church laid the foundation and the building of Western Christendom, glued the civilization of Europe and the Americas.

Oh she went to Columbia alright, this columbia Home - Columbia Bible College

 

[PoliticalChic]

The two little dogs, trying to nip at my ankles.....

...shows you recognize your betters.



Just curious.....how do you decide which of you picks up the check?

 

[guno]

The two little dogs, trying to nip at my ankles.....

...shows you recognize your betters.



Just curious.....how do you decide which of you picks up the check?

why don't you post on the history of your cultural background?

 

[JakeStarkey]

PC of Columbia Bible fails yet again.

Do take my points into consideration before you turn your paper in tomorrow

 

[JimBowie1958]

The two little dogs, trying to nip at my ankles.....

...shows you recognize your betters.



Just curious.....how do you decide which of you picks up the check?

How did you get those two fleas on your back side?

An ideological nit wit (Guano) and a liar (Jake the Fake) trying to tag team you on a fairly low popularity thread.

The fact is that Henry the VIII was a regicidal maniac, egotistical tyrant who pillaged a quarter of England, slaughtering tens of thousands of its inhabitants in order to make himself feel secure.

A libtard before his time.

 

[Avatar4321]

I disagree that the catholic church was the glue that united Europe. Europe was never united.

 

[Moonglow]

The Europeans were lost until the ancient learning of pre Christian info was relearned from Islamic scholars....The Church sought to censor anything that went against the dogmatic ecclesiastical theory of the Roman Catholic Church.
The only thing that held the Western Roman Catholic Church together was the Holy Roman Empire..Which was controlled by those that could reconquer the old Western Roman Empire.
The thing that allowed the Europeans to break out of the dark ages was trade with Eastern nations and sea voyages that discovered new territories they could exploit.

 

[Moonglow]

The two little dogs, trying to nip at my ankles.....

...shows you recognize your betters.



Just curious.....how do you decide which of you picks up the check?

How did you get those two fleas on your back side?

An ideological nit wit (Guano) and a liar (Jake the Fake) trying to tag team you on a fairly low popularity thread.

The fact is that Henry the VIII was a regicidal maniac, egotistical tyrant who pillaged a quarter of England, slaughtering tens of thousands of its inhabitants in order to make himself feel secure.

A libtard before his time.

A liberal protestant, that battled Catholic control....Later thousands would die from Henry's children in religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. Wars that lasted 2 hundred years..

 

[JimBowie1958]

I disagree that the catholic church was the glue that united Europe. Europe was never united.

I'm guessing she meant on a cultural level, Europe seemed to get a sense of being a larger unit of nations due to Catholicism.

 

[JimBowie1958]

The two little dogs, trying to nip at my ankles.....

...shows you recognize your betters.



Just curious.....how do you decide which of you picks up the check?

How did you get those two fleas on your back side?

An ideological nit wit (Guano) and a liar (Jake the Fake) trying to tag team you on a fairly low popularity thread.

The fact is that Henry the VIII was a regicidal maniac, egotistical tyrant who pillaged a quarter of England, slaughtering tens of thousands of its inhabitants in order to make himself feel secure.

A libtard before his time.

A liberal protestant, that battled Catholic control....Later thousands would die from Henry's children in religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. Wars that lasted 2 hundred years..

Actually Henry VII was quite conservative for his time on religious matters, though he was very innovative with his use of the monastery laws.

 

[Moonglow]

How did you get those two fleas on your back side?

An ideological nit wit (Guano) and a liar (Jake the Fake) trying to tag team you on a fairly low popularity thread.

The fact is that Henry the VIII was a regicidal maniac, egotistical tyrant who pillaged a quarter of England, slaughtering tens of thousands of its inhabitants in order to make himself feel secure.

A libtard before his time.

A liberal protestant, that battled Catholic control....Later thousands would die from Henry's children in religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. Wars that lasted 2 hundred years..

Actually Henry VII was quite conservative for his time on religious matters, though he was very innovative with his use of the monastery laws.

Yes, but his lust cause the rift between him and the Church...