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 Henry (1491-1547) was a devout Roman Catholic who had written a polemic against Luther called The Seven Sacraments. The pope was so impressed he honored him with the title “Defender of the Faith” (a title the English monarchs still take when they receive the crown).
But when Pope Clement VII denied Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon, he broke with Rome and declared him¬self head of the English Church.
Henry was tired of Catherine and her failure to produce a male heir. He was also deeply enamored with his paramour Anne Boleyn. He sought a divorce from Catherine because Catherine had been married for two months to his older brother Arthur. Catherine swore that her marriage to Arthur had not been consummated and appealed to her nephew Charles V, the most powerful man in Europe. Clement VII wanted to help Henry but could not risk offending Charles. After much political intrigue, Henry signed the Act of Supremacy in 1534, broke with Rome, and birthed the Church of England.
Henry changed very little in the Church of England. However, when his son Edward VI became king, real change and genuine Protestant doctrine was introduced in the Church. Edward was the last in the male line of the house of Tudor. He was the only son of Henry and his third wife Jane Seymour. Although only nine when he came to the throne, he favored the Reformation and worked to establish Protestantism in England.
Six years later Edward died and Mary began her reign. She abolished the innovations of her father and brother, restored the Mass, and reestablished the authority of the pope. She also executed over 300 Protestants, earning the name “Bloody Mary.”
When Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth became queen and restored Protestantism.
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