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English Reformation Parliament
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English Reformation Parliament
The English Reformation Parliament, which sat from 3 November 1529 to 14 April 1536, established the legal basis for the English Reformation, passing major pieces of legislation leading to the break with Rome and increasing the authority of the Church of England. Under the direction of King Henry VIII of England, the Reformation Parliament was the first in English history to deal with major religious legislation, much of it orchestrated by, among others, the Boleyn family and Thomas Cromwell. This legislation transferred many aspects of English life away from the control of the Catholic Church to control under The Crown. This action both set a precedent for future monarchs to utilize parliamentary statutes affecting the Church of England; strengthened the role of the English Parliament; and provided a significant transference of wealth from the Catholic Church to the English Crown.
By the mid-1520s, King Henry VIII was in desperate need of a male heir. His wife, Catherine of Aragon, was increasingly considered to be past child-bearing age, and in Henry’s mind, having a female on the throne (i.e, his only legitimate heir, later Mary I of England) would destabilize the country. Henry then concluded that a divorce was needed in order for him to marry Anne Boleyn and sent Cardinal Wolsey to negotiate with Pope Clement VII.
Wolsey was unable to convince Clement to grant a divorce. Frustrated with Wolsey and the English clergy as a whole, Henry then turned to combating the influence and the benefits that the Catholic clergy enjoyed in England, hoping that pressure on the Church would influence the Pope to support his cause. However, England was not powerful and important enough in Europe at this time for the Pope to pay it much attention.
Henry then consulted with his advisors including Thomas Cromwell to address the influence of canonical law in England. Cromwell orchestrated much of the legislation and ran propaganda campaigns throughout England to win over the laity. Henry called Parliament to session in 1529.
The major pieces of legislation from the Reformation Parliament included:
An Act was passed to prevent the clergy from being subject to separate canonical courts. Instead, they were now to be tried in the same way as everybody else in England was and not be looked upon favourably by the courts.
In October 1530 Cromwell surprised even his mentor Wolsey by taking praemunire action against the English clergy, essentially accusing them of appealing to a power outside of the realm (i.e., the Pope) - not for a specific reason but rather the entire principle of papal authority over English law. The clergy were therefore charged with treason. Once the clergy acknowledged Henry as the head of the Church of England, charges were dropped.
The session of 1532 saw plan and purpose that had not been evident in earlier sessions.
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English Reformation Parliament
The English Reformation Parliament, which sat from 3 November 1529 to 14 April 1536, established the legal basis for the English Reformation, passing major pieces of legislation leading to the break with Rome and increasing the authority of the Church of England. Under the direction of King Henry VIII of England, the Reformation Parliament was the first in English history to deal with major religious legislation, much of it orchestrated by, among others, the Boleyn family and Thomas Cromwell. This legislation transferred many aspects of English life away from the control of the Catholic Church to control under The Crown. This action both set a precedent for future monarchs to utilize parliamentary statutes affecting the Church of England; strengthened the role of the English Parliament; and provided a significant transference of wealth from the Catholic Church to the English Crown.
By the mid-1520s, King Henry VIII was in desperate need of a male heir. His wife, Catherine of Aragon, was increasingly considered to be past child-bearing age, and in Henry’s mind, having a female on the throne (i.e, his only legitimate heir, later Mary I of England) would destabilize the country. Henry then concluded that a divorce was needed in order for him to marry Anne Boleyn and sent Cardinal Wolsey to negotiate with Pope Clement VII.
Wolsey was unable to convince Clement to grant a divorce. Frustrated with Wolsey and the English clergy as a whole, Henry then turned to combating the influence and the benefits that the Catholic clergy enjoyed in England, hoping that pressure on the Church would influence the Pope to support his cause. However, England was not powerful and important enough in Europe at this time for the Pope to pay it much attention.
Henry then consulted with his advisors including Thomas Cromwell to address the influence of canonical law in England. Cromwell orchestrated much of the legislation and ran propaganda campaigns throughout England to win over the laity. Henry called Parliament to session in 1529.
The major pieces of legislation from the Reformation Parliament included:
An Act was passed to prevent the clergy from being subject to separate canonical courts. Instead, they were now to be tried in the same way as everybody else in England was and not be looked upon favourably by the courts.
In October 1530 Cromwell surprised even his mentor Wolsey by taking praemunire action against the English clergy, essentially accusing them of appealing to a power outside of the realm (i.e., the Pope) - not for a specific reason but rather the entire principle of papal authority over English law. The clergy were therefore charged with treason. Once the clergy acknowledged Henry as the head of the Church of England, charges were dropped.
The session of 1532 saw plan and purpose that had not been evident in earlier sessions.
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