The study of Henry VIII and the reformation in England continues to fascinate scholars and historians alike. Recent attention has even been given by Hollywood in the production of “The Other Boleyn Girl,” a major motion picture depicting the lives of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Obviously Hollywood isn’t a suitable source for a scholarly inspection of such a historical event, but the existence of this film does highlight the interest modern society has on the topic. This paper will examine the personal, political, and theological aspects of Henry VIII and the beginning of the English Reformation, and it will also explore the importance of
Henry VIII as one of the reformation’s principal figures.
Prince Henry VIII and His Character Development
Born June 28, 1491 at Greenwich Palace, Henry VIII was the second son and third child of King Henry VII by Elizabeth of York. His brothers were, Arthur (the Crown Prince) and Edmund, Duke of Somerset. His father also had several daughters. Only Henry VIII and his sisters Margaret and Mary survived. Margaret later became Queen of Scotland, while Mary became Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk. Henry VII was a “calculating, austere man who preferred to resolve conflicts by financial settlement.” According to Miles F. Shore,
The upbringing of royal children had a number of special features. Surrounded by adults whose livelihood and chances for lucrative gifts lay in ingratiating themselves with the King, royal children were subjected to a combination of extravagant adulation and brutal discipline that provided excellent preparation for the crown, for it fostered the grandiose sense of uniqueness which would become the psychological concomitant of royal status.
Henry V...
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... separate from Roman Catholicism in favor of their own church. Among these were the wider reformation movements in Europe, and the consolidation of power and the Divine right of the King under English Crown. However, a primary concern for Henry VIII was his need and desire for a male heir. Henry VIII had many character flaws and deficiencies. Through these movements and Henry VIII’s flaws, the English Reformation was born. Through his marriages and his queens, he sought to solidify the Tudor line on the throne. In the end, Henry VIII achieved his goals. His separation from the Roman Catholic Church allowed his multiple marriages, finally leading to the son he wanted. In the process, his reformation movement allowed the creation of a new church. To England, Henry VIII was Christ’s representative, the head of the Church of England, the supreme monarch, the King.
First power, amongst the royal family the mother, Eleanor is the Queen; the father is King Henry, the youngest son John, middle son Geoffrey, and oldest son Richard. In the play not one, but all of these characters have power in some kind of way. King Henry spent his life conquering many regions and wants to continue to conquer by passing king down to one of his three sons. A quote from the play that shows the greed that having power can create Henry asked, “Isn’t being chancellor power enough?” Geoffrey replies, “It’s not the power I feel deprived of. It’s the mention I miss.” Geoffrey does not think he will receive enough respect if he is just the chancellor and his younger brother John is king. When he comes to Richard, the oldest brother he thinks he should be king because of his army he has behind him, but this is where futility comes into play. It is not always about war and killing people to prove your powerful, but in Richards’s ways that is the only way. Richard says, “I am a constant soldier, a sometime poet, and I will be king.” This quote describes the type of person Richard wants to be, he wants to have all the power to rein over the castle and do it through war. Each of the family members is jealous of one another especially the children of the king and queen, it is pretty much a sibling rivalry between them. Having power can be a good thing or bad thing, in this situation the king and queens children have a different view on having power and what they would do if crowned
After many failed attempts to obtain a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII took momentous steps that led to "The Reformation," a significant occurrence in the history of religion. Prior to the reformation, all of England's inhabitants including King Henry VIII prescribed to Catholicism. In fact, King Henry VIII was such a strong supporter that he was given the title "Defender of the Faith" by the pope for his efforts in protecting Catholicism against the Protestants. However, all these changed upon the pope's denial of Henry's request for a divorce.
Thomas Cromwell was born in 1485 as most historians have come to believe; but are not completely certain; in Putney, Surrey to Walter and Catherine. Cromwell had two sisters who both married well, the eldest Catherine married a lawyer, and Elizabeth married a well do sheep farmer. His father Walter tried his hand at various odd jobs, a brewer, blacksmith, and fuller. Walter was also known for his temper and drunkenness. Thomas however did not have the benefits of his sisters. He left his unhappy home at age
Owing to the denial from the Pope created one of the most radically conceived events in English History (Banting, 2002). Consequently, Henry enlisted the help of Cardinal Wolsey to convince the Pope to consider Henry’s annulment. Wolsey went unsuccessful, causing Henry to break away from Rome. Henry had Parliament pass the Act of Supremacy in 1534. This Act allowed him to take on the role as the head of the Church of England (Kivlen, 1927). He created a new title for himself “Protector and Supreme Head of the Church and Clergy of England” (Delderfield, 1978). Henry was no Protestant; he just wanted a Catholic church without the Pope (Mullett, 2003). The Church of England remained Catholic, but gradually strayed away becoming more different from the Church of Rome, in doctrine. In 1539 Henry issued the Six Articles, which insisted on the
When the king opened the gates of the city to your soldiers, treating them as if they had indeed been Gods, we tried to follow his example, but soon those men began to act as if our Palaces where their own to do with as they please. It became clear that they thought that all they had to do was to stretch out their hands and there would be food or drink. They also took an intense liking for women.”
Although it is often argued that rulers such as Joseph II, Catherin II, and Frederick II were motivated to instate enlightened principles; oftentimes, these rulers were slaves to the ideals of despotism, where the preeminent goal was to obtain more power. Indeed it may be a legitimate claimed that these rulers realized the greatness of Enlightenment ideas; however, since most of their reigns were spent preserving dominance over their people, it is safe to say that these individuals may have been more dedicated to serving their own self-interests.
Henry VIII was born in Greenwich, England on June 28, 1491. At the age of just two years old Henry was named Constable of Dover Castle, and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. When he was three years old he was created the Duke of York. As a child Henry VIII was an all around well mannered, respectful child. His parents were Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and he was their second son. His siblings consisted of Arthur (1486-1502), Margaret (1489-1541), and Mary (1496-1533). He was an extremely studious student. He studied French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin, along with music, theology and math. Henry VIII’s education in his childhood was provided by his grandmother, Margaret Beaufort. He had many other tutors, which included John Skelton (rhetoric and literature teacher), Bernard Andre (Latin teacher), and Giles d’Ewes (French teacher) .
When one thinks of Henry the eighth the first thing that comes up is fat, wife-killer, meat eater, old, mean and overall horrendous. But almost no one refers to him as misunderstood, manipulated or young man who was not meant to be King of England. This is how Suzannah Lipscomb portrays Henry VIII in her book, 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII, King Henry faces many tribulations in 1536 that shaped the rest of his reign; from his marriages, injuries, heirs, to his influence in the European spectrum.
King Henry VIII’s reign before he met Anne Boleyn must be assessed in order to understand why he severed his ties with the Roman Catholic Church, and subsequently instated the Act of
In William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear’, there are several issues that answer the questions about our duty to our fathers and our kings, as well as, whether there are ever circumstances when we should disobey them in order to do our duty to them. Our duty to our fathers and our kings is not only to love and obey them, show them respect and honor them, but it is also to humble them, keep them honest when necessary, keep them safe and protect them. You cannot have the praise without the discipline of being a good father or a good king. To be praised and worshiped as many kings and sometimes fathers are by their children, can breed a sense of entitlement that can be damaging to their character.
At the start of the sixteenth century, the Reformation had put an ungracious end to the dependent unification that had prevailed under the Roman Catholic Church. In response to the growing sense of corruption in the church, the reformation began. Many people began opposing views of how Christian practices were expressed, which led to the formation and spread of Protestantism. While the Pope is head of the Catholic Church, Protestantism is a general term that refers to Christianity that is not subject to papal authority. (1.)
Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I may have been the English Reformation’s greatest benefactors, all because of self interest. Henry VIII was not originally Protestant, but after the pope denied him of his divorce, Henry VIII took things into his own hands. Due to the power kings had in the Middle Ages, Henry VIII was able to control Parliament and force it to do whatever he wanted. So in 1534, Henry VIII forced Parliament to pass a law he made known as the Act of Supremacy. The Act of Supremacy stated that the king ought to be the head of the Church of England. This law gave the king complete power over the Church of England, instead of the pope. However, the type of church and state relationship did not change. Rather all the Act of Supremacy did was take power from the pope and give it to the king. Surprisingly, the Catholics did not retaliate against this strong change. The pope had always been the head of the church, but now the king had taken his position. This serves as an example of nationalism. The Catholics did not think about how removing the pope could harm their religion in any way. However, instead the people blindly followed Henry VIII because he was the leader of the nation and they assumed he was right. Also, by imposing other laws that punished Protestants, Henry VIII did not give the people much of a choice. Fortunately, for Henry VII, nationalis...
...nd his morality. His practicality ties him to the throne. A part of him still depends on approval, on the “worldly symbols” he was never truly able to relinquish.
During the Reformation in Europe, many changes were brought about. Among these changes included people such as Erasmus, Martin Luther, the peasants of Swabia, and King Henry VIII. These people brought about some of the most important changes in European history. Without these individuals Europe would be a completely different country than what it is today.
With the king and queen being royalty to their subjects in the kingdom their wealth had given them everything