Thread by @Cal_Crucis

Henry8 was self-conscious about preserving the Tudor dynasty, which had ended a century-long civil war. He was fairly pious & believed his lack of a son was a curse for violating Leviticus (marrying his brother's widow, which the pope allowed). Divorce was synonym for annulment.

https://twitter.com/repealthe20th/status/1668984607918751745

However Catherine's uncle was Charles5, who had just sieged/arrested the Pope (Clement7). Pope's recommendation was for Henry to simply take Anne as a concubine, adopting one of his bastards. But Henry saw this as a recipe for chaos. Here enter Evangelicals.

The men of the "Little Germany" circle began to circulate Luther's works. They were also Renaissance men & congenial to the recently defeated conciliarist movement. It was not the pope's absolute right to determine political or canonical matters.

Additionally, there was a wider frustration with clerical corruption in England. This was not anti-Catholic, but a desire for moral reform. Monastics owned 20-25% of the land in England & were exempt from taxes, & did not always behave well.

'Praemunire' already existed on statute books to take church-land, in past struggles between king & pope/church (ie Thomas a Beckett). Henry8 warmed to the idea that as a godly king, like David, he had a right to protect the sanctity of his realm. Thus the Reformation parliament.

Henry8, however, was never a Protestant (literature refers to his theology as 'Conservative', like Stephen Gardner), remaining Roman Catholic, but refusing the ecclesiastical idea that the pope was the head of the English church. Thus the 'separation' began, in a canonical sense.

However, Evangelicals had already begun to spread (dovetailing with the remnants of Lollardy in the East). There was an increasingly vocal cry to not only canonically separate, but to cleanse the teaching of the church. Following this, Henry8 acknowledged the 10 Articles.

But Henry8's concern to maintain the realm (& see-saw between France & HRE) frustrated these efforts. The Pilgrimage of Grace was ruthlessly put down & Henry would execute Papalists as traitors. But he also resisted a Lutheran alliance, putting to death Evangelicals as heretics.

The 6 Articles was then the official compromise, which reestablished Catholic doctrine, but maintained canonical separation. However, with Henry8's death, the Evangelicals hidden in the wings came to power with Edward6 & Lord-Protector Somerset, who were both Evangelical.

With Edward6 & Archbishop Cranmer, the English Church adopted Reformation theology (in 42 articles & the first Book of Common Prayer). But heavy-handed reforms & the death of the young king saw the revival of Catholicism in Mary Tudor, Stephen Gardner, & Reginald Pole.

However, even though Mary's reign easily overcame a Prot putsch (with Lady Jane Gray), she could not reestablish the old ways. Pole (who was almost pope) was not averse to Luther's sola fide, & many of the gentry who benefited from monastic land did not want to return it.

Thus Mary burnt about 400 Evangelicals, & reestablished connection with Rome, but did not wholly repudiate her father's authority over the church. Her reign sent many Evangelicals abroad into exile, many of whom preserved the unique English form of Reformation.

With Mary's untimely death saw the rise of Elizabeth1, who restored the Edwardian standard in 1559. The Evangelicals from abroad were awarded bishoprics, though some had adopted new methods from Geneva. With Elizabeth, the Church of England was able to reach an equilibrium.

In short: Evangelicals had both guided (& suffered) Henry8's reign, but ultimately succeeded through persistence & suffering. Henry8 did not create the Church of England, anymore than Constantine created Nicaean Christianity, they were influential means for broader changes.

Addendum: institutionally the Church of England was canonically modified (eg Canterbury & York were unified as a single national church), but much of it remained untouched (to the ire of some precisionists). Thus it was a "reform", not the invention of something new.

However, part of this reform was forming, exactly, what continuity was. John Foxe's Memorial saw connection between early English Christianity through Lollardy against Roman intrusions. Accuracy notwithstanding, even a puritan like Foxe saw a history lineage across time. fin