Church History · 1534

Henry VIII and the Church of England

When the pope would not annul Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Parliament declared the king Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1534. The Anglican church and its Book of Common Prayer of 1549 grew from that break.

Read it in the Bible: Leviticus 20:21 Deuteronomy 25:5-6 Matthew 16:18 Ephesians 5:23

In November 1534 the English Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring King Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church of England. England was cut off from the authority of the pope in Rome. The break happened because Pope Clement VII would not annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry himself stayed mostly Catholic in belief, but the door was open. Under his son and daughter, the Church of England became Protestant, and in 1549 it received its first Book of Common Prayer.

Why Did Henry VIII Break With Rome?

Henry married Catherine of Aragon in 1509. She had first been married to his older brother Arthur, who died young. To marry her, Henry needed special permission from Pope Julius II, which he got. They were married for about 20 years, but of their children only a daughter, Mary, survived. Henry desperately wanted a son to keep the Tudor family on the throne.

By the late 1520s he was in love with Anne Boleyn and wanted his marriage declared invalid. He pointed to a verse in Leviticus.

If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless. Leviticus 20:21

Henry said his lack of sons proved God was punishing the marriage. Catherine said her marriage to Arthur had never been completed, so the verse did not apply. There was also a big political problem. Catherine's nephew was Emperor Charles V, whose armies controlled Rome after 1527. The pope was not about to anger him.

What Was the Act of Supremacy?

Henry and his chief minister Thomas Cromwell used Parliament to cut the ties step by step. In 1533 the Act in Restraint of Appeals stopped English cases from being appealed to Rome. That same year Henry secretly married Anne, and the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared his first marriage void. Anne gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I that September.

Then in 1534 the Act of Supremacy named the king the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England. People could be required to swear an oath accepting it. Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher refused and were executed in 1535. The Catholic Church honors both as saints.

There is real irony here. In 1521 Pope Leo X had given Henry the title Defender of the Faith for writing a book against Martin Luther. British monarchs still use that title today.

Was Henry VIII a Protestant?

Not really. Henry closed the monasteries between 1536 and 1540 and took their land and wealth. He allowed an English Bible in every church in 1538. But in 1539 his Six Articles kept Catholic teachings like the Mass and priestly celibacy, and he punished Protestants as well as those loyal to the pope. He wanted a Catholic church without the pope, with himself in charge.

How Did the Church of England Become Protestant?

When Henry died in 1547, his young son Edward VI became king, and his advisers were Protestant. Archbishop Cranmer wrote the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549. It put the whole worship service in English for the first time, with beautiful prayers still used around the world. A more Protestant version came in 1552.

Then Edward died, and his half sister Mary I brought England back to Rome from 1553 to 1558. Around 280 Protestants were burned, including Cranmer. When Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, she restored the Church of England with herself as Supreme Governor. The Thirty Nine Articles, finished in 1571, set out its beliefs. This middle way, Protestant in doctrine but keeping bishops and much traditional worship, became what we call Anglicanism.

What Is the Anglican Church Today?

The Church of England is the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which has tens of millions of members in more than 160 countries. In America its branch became the Episcopal Church after the Revolution. Methodists also came out of the Church of England through John Wesley, who was an Anglican priest all his life.

Anglicans range widely, from high church worship that looks very Catholic to low church evangelicals who look a lot like Baptists with nicer robes. Today some of the largest Anglican churches are in Africa, especially Nigeria and Uganda.

Why It Matters for You Today

The Church of England began with a king's personal problem, but God used it anyway. The English Bible, the Book of Common Prayer and centuries of hymns, preaching and missionaries came out of that church. Human motives are often mixed. God's purposes are not.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

Kings come and go. Jesus is still the head of His church, and He keeps building it.

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Questions People Ask

Why did Henry VIII start the Church of England?

Henry broke with Rome because Pope Clement VII would not annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. In 1534 Parliament named him Supreme Head of the Church of England.

What did the Act of Supremacy do?

The Act of Supremacy of 1534 declared the English king the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England. It ended the authority of the pope in England. Elizabeth I passed a new version in 1559 calling herself Supreme Governor.

Was Henry VIII Catholic or Protestant?

Henry remained largely Catholic in belief. He kept the Mass and other Catholic teachings in his Six Articles of 1539, even while rejecting the pope. The Church of England became Protestant under his son Edward VI and daughter Elizabeth I.

When was the Book of Common Prayer first published?

The first Book of Common Prayer, written mainly by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, was published in 1549 under King Edward VI. It put Anglican worship fully into English.

Sources

← Luther's Complete German Bible Coverdale, Matthew's and the Great Bible →

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