Henry VIII

Henry VIII was king of England from 1509 to 1547. His pursuit of an annulment from Catherine of Aragon helped drive England’s break with papal authority and the establishment of the Church of England.

Act of Supremacy 1534: An English statute declaring the monarch supreme head of the Church of England. It formally made Henry the church’s supreme governor after the break with Rome.
Anne Boleyn: Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 and Henry VIII’s second wife. Her marriage to Henry followed the break with Rome; her daughter became Elizabeth I.
Edward VI: King of England from 1547 to 1553 and Henry VIII’s son by Jane Seymour. His Protestant reign carried religious reforms beyond Henry’s more limited settlement.
Martin Luther: A German theologian whose criticisms of indulgences helped launch the Protestant Reformation. Luther challenged Catholic doctrine, while Henry’s break centered initially on royal authority and his marriage.
Dissolution of the Monasteries: The closure of England’s monasteries and transfer of their property to the Crown and its recipients. It turned royal authority over the church into a vast redistribution of wealth.
Jane Seymour: Queen of England from 1536 to 1537 and Henry VIII’s third wife. She bore Henry’s only legitimate son to survive infancy, Edward VI.
Mary I of England: Queen of England from 1553 to 1558 and Henry VIII’s daughter by Catherine of Aragon. She restored papal authority in England, briefly reversing Henry’s religious break.
Papal States: A territory in central Italy ruled by the pope until its annexation in 1870. The pope’s political sovereignty contrasted with Henry’s effort to make the English crown supreme in church affairs.
Thomas Cromwell: An English statesman who served Henry VIII and helped implement religious and administrative reforms. He organized the legal and administrative changes that extended the king’s control.
Catherine Howard: Queen of England from 1540 to 1542 and Henry VIII’s fifth wife. Her execution for treason reflected the lethal dangers of the royal court.

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