How did Cromwell deal with the Opposition to the Break with Rome?
Legal Arguments with the Pope and Acts put in place
The Treason Act 1534- execution for anyone who refuses to swear the oath of succession or refuses to see henry as the supreme head- also men could even die for uttering words only - for treason the punishment involved being drawn, hung, cut down alive and beheaded.
March 1533 The Act of the Restraint of Appeals- cannot appeal to Rome- so pope has no real authority and prevented Catherine to appeal to pope in rome.
The Act of the Submission of the Clergy 1532- henry dictates canon laws passed by the clergy
Dissolution of the monasteries- dealing with religious opposition- so Catholics lose money and it goes to henry
The Act of Supremacy 1534- declares henry the head of the church. the act also gave the king the right to collect first fruits and tenths, a tax which had previously been paid to the clergy in rome. Also, it made it treasonable to call the monarch a heretic or a schismatic
The Act to Remove the Annates, 1532-bill to remove the payments that the Church in Rome receives from England.
Execution and Trial
Carthusian monks- the strictest orders of monks- the charterhouse in London=Carthusian house. when 5 monks refused to swear an oath recognising the right of Anne's children to succeed, they were dragged through the streets of London, hung with the thickest rope and whilst still alive, had their insides cut out of them and they still refused to speak. They were executed on May/June 1535.
Fall of Anne Boleyn 1536- 7 January- Catherine of Aragon dies- so marriage between henry and Catherine had been ended- but it did not make henry and Anne's marriage valid in the view of Christendom. Both henry and Anne thought that Anne's child would be a male heir- but to their disappointment, Elizabeth was born in 1533. After this Anne miscarried a deformed child on 29 January 1536- if it had been a boy then marriage between Anne and henry may have survived, but the miscarriage caused henry to re-evaluate the Tudor dynasty again. Cromwell was expected on to find a solution- he had supported Anne to become queen and he had provided evidence for Anne's removal. Anne was accused of discussing the death of the king, adultery with members of the court and incest with her brother. So she was arrested on charges of treason 6 may 1536 and 19 may was executed.
Robert Aske and Lord Darcy put on trial and executed due to pilgrimage of grace. REVISE
Bishop John Fisher- became the chief supporter of Catherine of Aragon and said he would be prepared to die rather than see their marriage dissolved. In 1532, Fisher spoke openly against the divorce and shortly after the secret marriage of Henry and Anne in Jan 1533, Fisher was arrested. In 1534, a Bill of Attainder was put against Fisher for his support of Elizabeth Barton. But it was the refusal to swear the oath of succession which led to his arrest for treason. As a result of the Act of Attainder, Fisher was hung, drawn and quartered. He was beheaded in June 1535-partly because n May 1535, Pope Paul III created Bishop John Fisher a Cardinal. This infuriated Henry VIII and he ordered him to be executed on 22nd June
Public Executions- bringing shame on person and family - shows the power of Henry and to hopefully decrease the amount of opposition. The use of trials is to show legitimacy and that there is a procedure and they have been judged to be against the king. Elizabeth Barton=a good example
Thomas More-appointed chancellor in 1529- henry said he wouldn't involve him in negotiations with the pope- but the parliament became more against the church- left more stuck in the middle. So, after the say of the Submission of the Clergy in 1532- More resigned. In 1533- More was invited to attend coronation of Anne Boleyn but he declined- henry was furious+Cromwell sought to bring him down. More was called to take the oath and refused-in 1535 he was tried for treason and when Richard Richard visited More in the cell he heard him openly speak against the oath- he was then executed on 6 july.
Making Examples and Protests.
Pilgrimage of Grace- uprising in the north; upset of Cromwell's dealing, dissolution of monasteries, taxing etc. Henry ignores the petition of grievances and tells everyone to give up and leave- aske goes home- members like Bigod cause more trouble and aske gets executed. Although, Henry does set up a northen parliament- he accepted that the north was not being well represented. REVISE
Carthusian Monks
Elizabeth Barton- In 1532, Elizabeth Barton had a visions that if Henry divorced Catherine he would shortly die afterwards. Initially, no action was taken, but then she was put on trial for treason. However, at the trial she says she made them up- shows she is completely against Henry's supremacy and makes people believe she is manipulative and is politically motivated against the King. In 1534 she was hung.
Reginald Pole- it was the executions of the Carthusians and Fisher and More which decided Pole to come out into the open and to become Henry's greatest enemy- was now seen as leader of the opposition to Henry VIII. Ambassador Eustace Chapuys told Pole to marry Princess Mary and draw on his family's base of support in Wales. In 1536 Pole wrote Defence of the Unity of the Church. Pole argued that the leadership of Europe resided in the Pope, to whom all things spiritual and temporal must be referred and showed fisher and more in a good light. 1536- made cardinal and pope told him to support pilgrimage of grace and he raised money towards it. Henry was angry-but pole was abroad- but he couldnt be put on trial due to this. pole's brother was put on trial and executed in 1539 and his mother, Margaret Pole was executed with a blunt axe 1541.Showed power of henry.
Persuasions in Court
Oath of Succession in 1534- everyone in court has to swear oath- recognisition of mary as illegititmate. After a treason act is passed- so then they have to swear an oath for it.
Praemunires- people seen to be getting support from foregin place like the pope in the Vatican- late 1530s henry charged 15 churchmen with praemunire- the convocation met in 1531- henry would withdraw the charge of praemunire if the clergy would provide him with £100,000 and agree to his title being changed to the supreme head of the church- the clergy weakened by wolsey's fall agreed. Also bishop john fisher was accused of praemnire and the poep made him cardinal in 1535- henry thought that he was working with the pope. REVISE
Thomas More=humanist- thinks there should be changes made to the church but he disagrees with supremacy- leads parliament before Cromwell- very popular and didnt take oath of succession.
1536 an act called the ‘Act Extinguishing the Authority of the Bishop in Rome’ tied all previous acts together but added one other law – anyone who defended the former powers of the Pope would have their property confiscated
Cromwel had a main aim to reduce the powers of the Catholic Church as he wanted to increase the power of the state, parliament and the King which also increased his own and influence and control.
The supplication against the Ordinaries 1532- peteition passed by the House of Commons in 1532- grievances against the clergy.
First Act of Succession 1534- made henry and catherines marriage invalid, decleared mary to be illegtitimate and secured the succession for the children of henry and anne.
The COURT FACTION- managed by Cromwell, supported by Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cranmer. The ARAGONSESE FACTION- those who supported Catherine, such as Thomas More and John Fisher- who sought to protect the Catholic Faith.
Cramner produced the Collectanea Statis Capiosa, which sought to prove that English bishops had the right to pronounce on Henry's divorce without reference with to Rome.
Some historians have argued that after henry had a serious jousting accident he had turned into a tyrant.
Henry had been courting Jane before Anne's death on the 19th may 1536- this began in February 1536. The day after Anne's execution, 20th may 1536, Henry was betrothed to Jane and married her ten days later.
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Why did People not Oppose the Reformation?
Fear- fearful of Cromwell and power and prestige of the crown.
many anticipated that the changes would not last
Many expected Henry to remain catholic
motivated by self interest- many clergy went along with the reformation because it offered them better career prospects. many lay people gained land and goods following the dissolution of the monasteries- some put their own welfare and career before their beliefs- some changed sides
Some people welcomed the religious reformation.
many of the fundamental aspects of ordinary people's religious lives remained unchanged during the 1530s- they still went to the same church on Sunday and participated in the same Mass.
Injunctions- The First Royal Injunction for Clergy in 1536- was to enforce the government's doctrinal and anti-papal position, raise the standards of the clergy, remove superstitious images. a second set of injunctions in 1538- required parishes to have an English bible.
Church visitations- 1535- as well as in monastic houses - assessing the wealth and condition of the church- the product of these visitations was the Valor Ecclesiasticus was used to justify the dissolution of the smaller monasteries. Through the dissolution Henry removed the last religious group that did not owe direct obedience to him.
Printed Propaganda-the government undertook an intensive full scale propaganda campaign- using the printing press In 1532- Henry printed propaganda- which gave a short version of the law in Leviticus that he argued required him to seek an annulement of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon