Using all the sources, and your own knowledge, assess the extent to which Henry VIII was committed to Protestantism.

A big factor for the move to Protestantism was the benefit it brought for the crown. When the church was controlled by the state and not the Pope, the monarch had more power than ever before. Henry became the highest law in the land through the Act in Restraint of Appeals, so appeals to Rome no longer had an effect on Henry’s decisions. With payments to Rome stopped by the First and Second Act of Annates, the money originally for the Pope went to Henry instead, giving him much welcomed financial gains. Henry was also pushed to Protestantism by his own ego – once he decided on something his objectives much be achieved, and when the Pope hesitated over the divorce Henry had to take matters into his own hands to satisfy his ego.

Another factor to push for change was the state of the pre-Reformation church. Anti-clericalism and anti-Papalism had been growing as people became more aware of abuses committed by some clergy. These included reserving posts for relatives, taking multiple posts and having illegitimate children. The abuses led to some inadequate clergy which opposition groups like Lollards and Humanists highlighted. They believed that churches need reforming to reduce the simony, nepotism, absenteeism and ignorance. European reformers lie Luther were also influencing the educated classes in England and anti-Papalism also grew. People with a strong sense of national identity resented the foreign power of the Pope having control I England, and Henry was able to exploit this to transfer the power to himself and changing to an Erastian church. Henry may have realized the need for reform in some areas, so even though anti-clericalism was not as widespread as traditional historians have thought, he still used the anti-clerical feelings to steadily remove the power and privileges of the clergy.

Some evidence to show Henry was not really committed to the Protestant belief can be found in source 1 and 2. Source 1 is and extract from Tyndale’s Obedience of a Christian Man. Tyndale was a Lutheran and Henry’s reaction to the book is described in Cromwell's letter in source 2. Cromwell says Henry ‘dislike the book’ and the extract in source one can clearly show why. It says ‘if ruler command us to do evil then we much disobey’. The main incentive for Henry’s reforms was the prospect of gaining more power and when Tyndale, a devout Protestant, suggested disobedience to the monarch Henry was quick to brand it ‘rebellious lies’. The further shows that Henry was not really committed to the Protestant beliefs and really the benefits to the monarchy Protestantism brought.

Evident to support how Henry was Catholic at heart can be found later in his reign. He replace the Ten Articles with the Six Articles which was much more Catholic. He also revised the Bishop’s Book with the King’s Book he wrote himself which is perhaps the best way to found out what he truly thought. It was more Catholic that the Bishops Book and also despite the publication of the Great Bible, he passed a law restricting access to the English Bible to the upper classes only, which is against the Protestant belief of ‘priesthood for all believers’.

Despite the evidence for Henry being Catholic at heard, a big argument for his commitment for Protestantism lies in his legacy. Henry may have left a church of religious confusion which was Protestant in name but very Catholic in doctrine, he had his children Elizabeth and more significantly Edward brought up as Protestants. Edward was the heir to the throne and by ensuring he had a Protestant upbringing Henry made sure that Protestantism would live on after his death. He did leave in his will a mixed Privy Council, but as the Catholic Howard family had fallen from favor with the execution of this fifth wife Catherin Howard, the conservative faction of the council had significantly diminished I power and thence this was strong evidence for Henry’s belief in Protestantism as his left his only male heir in the care of Protestant nobles.

It can therefore be said that Henry’s true religion might not have a decisive from anyone other than himself. He had hung Catholics for treason and burnt Protestants for heresy. He passed many reforming laws and then reversed some of the doctrine in later years. He took both Catholic and Protestant wives and his actions seemed to correspond with the religion of his wife at the time. Some historians have drawn from this that Henry was an opportunist, reforming and changing his mind as time went on and taking opportunities to give himself more power as they appeared. Certainly he did not leave a definite religion when he dies, and he did seem to have taken doctrine from both Protestantism and Catholicism which were beneficial to the monarch and put them together, but he did have unmistakably Catholic beliefs in Mass and transubstantiation. Overall I would conclude that Henry was only committed to Protestantism to a certain extent as long as it was beneficial to him, but he was in no way fully committed.