How far do you agree that the main reason that Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in England between 1536 and 1539 was that they were corrupt?
How far do you agree that the main reason that Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in England between 1536 and 1539 was that they were corrupt?
At the beginning of Henry VIII’s reign in 1509, there were over 800 monasteries in England, but by 1540 the majority of these ceased to exist and all that was left of most of them was a ruin. The monasteries were rich and powerful institutions which were loyal to the Pope. From 1536 to 1539, Henry VIII, and his advisor, Thomas Cromwell wanted to close down the monasteries. There were two real reasons why Henry VIII wanted to get rid of the monasteries, firstly because he wanted access to the wealth of the monastery and he wanted the treasures of the land owned by the Church. Secondly Henry VIII wanted to close down the monasteries because of religion, some monasteries still believed in Catholic ways and he wanted everything to be Protestant. However some people thought that the monasteries were closed down because they were corrupt.
Many people believed that the monasteries were corrupt during 1536 and 1539. Thomas Cromwell sent out some chosen inspectors to report on the state of the monasteries. Source F has a report on St. Edmund’s monastery, in Suffolk, it says “The Abbot delighted much in playing at dice and in that spent much money.” This suggests that the Abbot at St. Edmund’s monastery was gambling. Source F also says that the same Abbot was “For his own pleasure he has had lots of beautiful buildings built.” this suggests that the Abbot was spending the money on unnecessary things. This is backed up by Source C, from ‘The Tudor Years’ by John Lotherington where it mentions that “The public reason for the Dissolution of the Monasteries was corruption and waste of resources.” which proves that some of the monasteries were spending their money on unnecessary things like extra buildings.
However some of the Sources also suggest that the monasteries were not as corrupt as Henry said. John Lotherington, the author
At the beginning of Henry VIII’s reign in 1509, there were over 800 monasteries in England, but by 1540 the majority of these ceased to exist and all that was left of most of them was a ruin. The monasteries were rich and powerful institutions which were loyal to the Pope. From 1536 to 1539, Henry VIII, and his advisor, Thomas Cromwell wanted to close down the monasteries. There were two real reasons why Henry VIII wanted to get rid of the monasteries, firstly because he wanted access to the wealth of the monastery and he wanted the treasures of the land owned by the Church. Secondly Henry VIII wanted to close down the monasteries because of religion, some monasteries still believed in Catholic ways and he wanted everything to be Protestant. However some people thought that the monasteries were closed down because they were corrupt.
Many people believed that the monasteries were corrupt during 1536 and 1539. Thomas Cromwell sent out some chosen inspectors to report on the state of the monasteries. Source F has a report on St. Edmund’s monastery, in Suffolk, it says “The Abbot delighted much in playing at dice and in that spent much money.” This suggests that the Abbot at St. Edmund’s monastery was gambling. Source F also says that the same Abbot was “For his own pleasure he has had lots of beautiful buildings built.” this suggests that the Abbot was spending the money on unnecessary things. This is backed up by Source C, from ‘The Tudor Years’ by John Lotherington where it mentions that “The public reason for the Dissolution of the Monasteries was corruption and waste of resources.” which proves that some of the monasteries were spending their money on unnecessary things like extra buildings.
However some of the Sources also suggest that the monasteries were not as corrupt as Henry said. John Lotherington, the author