Reformation In England: The Origin Of The English Reformation

Reformation means “The act of reforming or the state of being reformed”. The root of reformation is the Latin word reformare, which means to form again or to change. This is why this specific event is called the English Reformation, as it changed the way the church was run throughout England.

The Reformation was a series of events in the 16th century, where England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and the authority of the pope. England saw the decline of feudalism, the rise of nationalism & common law and the downfall of the Roman Catholic Church, with the Pope as the leader. However, England would change back and forth between catholicism and protestantism.

Earlier on, most people in England shared the same religious beliefs, and religion meant everything to them. By the end of the Reformation - Europe was divided religiously. While this happened, the monarchs filled the leading positions in their respective countries, now that the church’s power was weakened. The Reformation also led to a period of anti-Semitism. While they usually did not agree on much - the Catholics and Protestants – they both placed restrictions and Jews. Witch-hunts also increased. This resulted in thousands of executions, the majority being women.

The Tudor´s

The English Reformation started in the reign of Henry VIII Tudor. He wanted to

The Act of Supremacy in 1534 confirmed England’s break away from The Catholic Church and Rome. This led to the Act of Suppression in 1536. In the beginning, only the small monasteries with low incomes were closed. Their land and money now belonged to the Crown. The Second Suppression Act of 1539 allowed the dissolution of the greater monasteries. These buildings were confiscated and sold to families, who agreed to Henry VIII´s break away from the Roman church. By mid 1500´s, monasteries were being dismantled at a rate of approximately fifty a