King Henry VIII Anglicanism

Anglicanism during the Reign of Henry VIII

King Henry VIII has been known for many things including his many notorious marriages, trysts and most importantly his break from the roman church, placing himself as the head of the church in England. His role in the rise of Anglicanism in England, though started off as a means for personal gain, ended up changing the face of religion in England forever. Centuries have been witness to the power of the Catholic Church in Rome, the pope’s power over the sovereigns of Christendom, restricted their rule in their own country. Judging from the way King Henry VIII, integrated Anglicanism into his life and country, Anglicanism first emerged as a set of beliefs by reformists
He did not anticipate having to leave the church in order for him to be granted his divorce, however since the circumstances put him in a position to choose between the church and his personal desires, this made many more changes in the everyday life of people living in England. The Pope had supreme power at this time, and in order to receive the divorce that Henry desired, he had to put many new Acts in place, attempting to rid the Pope of his supreme power (Pendleton, C). In order to gain independence from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope himself, Henry VIII pushed the point forward that the Church itself was very corrupted. He continued to press on many policies into place, attempting in any way to remove the power of the Pope. Also, the parliament had a big hand in helping the changes take place, as they were all very well aware of Henry VIII 's power and were fearful as to displease him. They also worked as hard as the King, to get what he wanted done. By putting many new Acts in place, Henry VIII eventually established what he had intended and successfully revoked the supreme power the Pope had in England. The Act in Restraint of Appeals was the official break with England 's break with Rome (Pendleton, C). This Act meant that England did not need any outside source to make decisions; they were independent and could do this on their own. This left Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of England as he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church (Pendleton, C). Evidently, as Henry VIII became the Supreme Head, he did not need to seek the permission of the Pope or anyone else to do as he pleases. This not only gave him free way to get a divorce from Queen Catherine, but also as he gained independence from the catholic church, all the privileges that the church had revoked would be returned to King Henry