The first moves in the reformation process started for the simple reason that Henry VIII had decided that not only was his marriage to Catherine of Aragon illegal but she had not provided a male heir. They stopped living together in 1524 and in 1527 he initiated an inquiry into the validity of his marriage. Cardinal Wolsey was expected to liaise with the pope to provide the divorce however this proved difficult as at the time the pope was prisoner of Charles V, Catherine’s nephew, due to Rome’s recent sacking. This left Henry in an awkward position, Cardinal Campeggio was sent to try the case in England however the case was adjourned to Rome, and this could take months or even years. Henry was getting desperate for a male heir, by this time Henry had already found another women, Anne Boleyn. By 1530 Henry had begun to pressurise the clergy but it was not until 1532 when Anne Boleyn announced her pregnancy that Henry was forced to make the split. For the first time ever Parliament was used to pass acts that greatly limited the control of the church. In 1532 several laws were passed aimed at restricting the church’s control, ‘The Submission of the Clergy’ allowed Henry to review and reject any clerical legislation and canon law.
Parts of these acts often did not relate to the Henry’s divorce problem suggesting that Henry had seen the benefits a break with Rome would bring. However one act allowed the consecration of Thomas Cranmer who would later become useful within the divorce issue. Another act passed in 1533 a prevented passing the appeals to Rome, this was extremely useful to Henry as it allowed Henry’s marriage to be declared void and Henry to quickly marry Anne Boleyn using the newly appointed Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. It is clear from this careful plan of statutes passed through parliament that Henry was not directly aiming for a break with Rome it was just an added side-effect of his long-winded divorce from Catherine.
Another factor that greatly contributed to the break with Rome was the protestant faction gathered around Anne Boleyn who were often involved with negotiating the divorce. For instance, Edward Foxe, George Boleyn, Thomas Audley, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cramner, all who were closely involved with Henry’s divorce and therefore also most likely promoted there protestant ideas. It is highly disputed that if Henry had been marrying a catholic then the break with Rome may never have been performed.
Henry passed the act of supremacy in 1534 declaring Henry supreme head of the English church. Henry had shown from an early stage that he was unhappy with the control of the church and therefore was predictable that a schism may take place. A. F. Pollard believed it was not a question of if but when Henry would break with Rome. The greatest conflict with the church arose of Henry’s divorce, although Henry tried to act tolerably for several years he was eventually forced to take action. Whether this was due to his desire for a divorce, his love for Anne, his want for a male heir or the pressuring protestant factions is unclear. However the reformist group surrounding Henry undoubtedly played a significant part in the break with Rome. This enabled Henry to push acts though parliament as well as the anti-clerical view in England.
However it is a well-established belief that Henry did not create a true break with Rome and this was left until the reign of his son Edward IV. Henry never wished to create a break with Rome but was forced too due to his desire for a divorce. Henry was put in a position in which his desire for more power and need for a divorce strained him to agree with his reformist peers. Henry was born a Roman Catholic and died a Roman Catholic; the ‘perceived’ break with Rome did not change that.
