Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage, especially pre-Reformation roots, of the Church of England and other churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Catholicism claims to restore liturgical and devotional expressions of church life that reflect the ancient practices of the early and medieval church.

The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic heritage of Anglicanism already existed. Particularly influential in the history of Anglo-Catholicism were the Caroline Divines of the 17th century, the Jacobite Nonjuring schism of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the Oxford Movement, which began at the University of Oxford in 1833 and ushered in a period of Anglican history known as the "Catholic Revival".

The historic Anglican formularies, developed under the influence of Thomas Cranmer, include the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and The Books of Homilies, both of which reflect the Reformed theology of the Protestant Reformation in England. The Book of Common Prayer was shaped by Cranmer as well and this became the standard liturgical text of Anglicanism for the coming centuries.

Following the passing of the Act of Supremacy and Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England continued to adhere to most traditional Catholic teachings and did not initially make any other major alterations to doctrine. In 1536, the Ten Articles were published and constitute the first official Anglican articles of faith. The articles for the most part concurred with the teachings of the church in England as they had been prior to the English Reformation and defended, among other things, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacrament of Confession, the honouring and invocation of Christian saints, and prayer for the dead. Belief in purgatory, was made non-essential.

In 1537, this was followed by the Institution of the Christian Man, also called The Bishops' Book, a combined effort by numerous Anglican clergy and theologians which—though not strongly Protestant in its inclinations—showed a slight move towards Reformed positions. The Bishops' Book was unpopular with conservative sections of the church and quickly grew to be disliked by Henry VIII as well.

In 1539, the Six Articles moved away from all Reformed ideas and strongly affirmed Catholic positions regarding matters such as transubstantiation and Mass for the dead. The King's Book, the official article of religion written by Henry in 1543, likewise expressed Catholic sacramental theology and encouraged prayer for the dead.

A major shift in the development of Anglican doctrine came in the reign of Henry's son, Edward VI, who repealed the Six Articles and under whose rule the Church of England became more identifiably Protestant. Though the church's practices and approach to the sacraments became strongly influenced by those of continental reformers, it nevertheless retained episcopal church structure. The Church of England was then briefly reunited with the Roman Catholic Church under Mary I, before separating again under Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan Religious Settlement was an attempt to end the religious divisions among Christians in England, and is often seen as an important event in Anglican history, ultimately laying the foundations for the concept of "via media" in Anglicanism.

The nature of early Anglicanism was to be of great importance to the Anglo-Catholics of the 19th century, who would argue that their beliefs and practices were common during this period and were inoffensive to the earliest members of the Church of England.