Paper Summary:

This paper examines Henry VIII's motivation to undertake a religious reformation in England, moving away from the Catholic church and instituting Protestantism in England. It further argues that the schism was not caused only by Henry's desire to marry Anne Boleyn. Rather, many factors influenced Henry's break from Rome. Particular attention is given to the influence and power held by Cardinal Wolsey, who is viewed as the true instigator behind Henry's desertion of the Church. Various historians and their theories about the Henrician Protestant Reformation are quoted throughout the paper. The paper concludes by citing the legacy of Henry's children and their religious views.

From the Paper:

"To begin a coherent analysis of the division between Rome and England, it is first necessary to understand the environment in England as it pertained to the Tudor royal line. There is every indication that the Church in England was either misled, or ignored the urgency with which the Tudors viewed the continuation of the Tudor royal dynasty in England. In either case, whether the Church was misled, or whether the Church did not sense the urgency of the Tudor royal house in its continuation, it comes back to Cardinal Wolsey, who served as the link between the House of Tudor and the Church, and who, next to the king alone in England, and the Pope in Rome, was the most powerful man in the history of the schism. This is not to say that Henry's confessor, John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln, was not a powerful figure, nor that he was not complicit in the schism, which he was, because he conferred with Wolsey on a regular and consistent basis."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Haigh, Christopher. English Reformations: Religion, Politics and Society Under the Tudors. Oxford University Press, Inc., 1993.
• Lindsey, Karen. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived A Feminist Reignterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII. Reading, MA: Perseus Books, 1995. Questia. 26 Nov. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6981860>.
• Rex, Richard. "Henry VIII and His Church." History Review (1997): 33+. Questia. 26 Nov. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000546177>.
• Ridley, Jasper, and Ridley, Jasper Godwin. A Brief History of the Tudor Age. Carroll and Graff Publishers, 2002.
• Ryrie, Alec. The Gospel and Henry VIII: Evangelicals in the Early English Reformation. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Questia. 26 Nov. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=112007907>.

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