Authority in Tudor Era England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Authority in Tudor Era England - Essay Example However, it is worth mentioning that the events that followed point out that the Henrician Reformation was not successful in itself i.e. when taken on its own. The events that followed Henry VIII’s death did cause the Protestant Reformation to be a success in England. The circumstances and public opinion helped ensure that. However, from the point of view of the Reformation that Henry VIII sought to bring about, or did bring about, it is clear to see that it was not a success. Although there were many features that are considered to be factors to the English Reformation, the emergence of common law and feelings of nationalism, as well as the weakening of feudalism, along with the creation of the printed press that resulted in an increased flow of information and thought in the academia, however, it was basically the government policy, that of Henry VIII to be exact, that was the leading cause of this Reformation, with some claiming the entire cause of the Reformation to be Hen ry VIII’s particular needs (Newcombe 1). Henry VIII, who had married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, did not have a male heir. He now sought to marry Anne Boleyn, his present wife’s maid of honor. ... Caught between a desire to marry Anne Boleyn, and keeping his faith intact, Henry VIII was further influenced by those in his Court, who took this as an opportunity to further goad the King into declaring the Crown’s break from Papal authority. Anne Boleyn and those who sided with her ensured that the King was slowly enticed into breaking away from the Papal authority. Henry VIII, for his own reasons, was swayed by the counsel he was provided. Using praemunire, an edict that forbade allegiance to foreign rulers, Henry VIII moved against the clergy of England who supported the non-annulment of his marriage to Catherine. He proclaimed that all allegiance was owed to him and that he had spiritual jurisdiction as well. Henry VIII proclaimed that only those clergy who agreed to this would be pardoned, the others to be prosecuted under praemunire. However, this alone cannot be termed as the lone precursor to the Henrician Reformation. Other factors also fostered and furthered the Re formation. One such factor was the invention of the printing press. With the inventing of the printing press, the distribution of the Bible was made much easier, what is more the Bible was distributed amongst the masses, or smuggled. This, along with German reformer Martin Luther’s views regarding the sacrament of the altar being subservient to the preaching of the word, entailed that now people were no longer dependant on the interpretation of the Bible by the clergy alone. This also sought to cause harm to the Papal authority. Slowly, with the influence of Anne Boleyn, these ideas were transported into the English towns and village, although it is pertinent to note that the people did not support them at first. As