Church of England

The role of the church in England as we see it today has changed significantly since it began. A big question is when did the Church of England actually form. As far as this website is concerned I am taking the birth of the Church of England as taking place in the 16th century - Henry VIII and Act of Supremacy, 1534.

The 1554 repeal allowing Mary I, a staunch Catholic, to be Queen and then the 2nd act in 1558 when Elizabeth I came to the throne formally instituted the Reformed Protestant Church of England.

I think that it is too simplistic to attribute the formation of the Church of England to the actions of Henry VIII. It is hard to ignore his quest for a male heir and the divorce from Catherine of Aragon but the English Monarchy had a turbulant history with Rome between the 11th to 16th centuries and possibly before that.

At the time of the Norman Conquest the church had become well established in England and that was a Catholic one.

The "early" church in England

Augustine of Canterbury was the 1st Archbishop of Canterbury.

Jeremy Morris mentions the two Cathedrals (Canterbury and York) but is not clear what the relationship between the two were. While Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury did come over from Rome as Gregory's missionary the sucessive archbishops of Canterbury and York were vying for authority. Jeremy doesn't mention the roles of the monarch at the time but there were power stuggles going on between church and the monarchy. William II had disputes with Archbishop Lanfranc.

What Jeremy Morris said about the Parish Church:

"It is important to remember, too, that in most situations the parish church was the one stone structure enduring through the centuries. Local communities poured their money into the building and adornment of churches. Especially in the wealthier regions, churches were extended, rebuilt, complicated through the addition of chantry chapels, and decorated ever more elaborately with wall paintings and stained glass. Sometimes this was because greater space was needed; but often it must have been because the building itself was a standing testimony to the faith and wealth of its benefactors."

Henry VIII - Reign: 21 April 1509 – 28 January 1547

Henry VIII is probably the most pivotal figure in the formation of The Church of England.

Thomas Cromwell

Henry VIII's Lord Great Chamberlain

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Thomas Cranmer

Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I

Thomas Wolsey

Lord Chancellor, the king's chief adviser (formally, as his successor and disciple Thomas Cromwell was not).

Thomas More succeeded Wolsey as Lord Chancellor?????

Edward VI

Henry's long awaited son and heir, Edward

Bloody Mary

Mary I

Elizabeth

James I

Charles I

Puritans

Charles II

James II 1688 Glorious Revolution

William and Mary

Queen Anne

Church of England

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