the stored grain would have been eaten by rats or poisoned by their urine. If a peasant
failed to pay, they were told by the Church, that it would lead to their souls going to Hell
after they had died.
This is one reason why the Church was so wealthy. One of the reasons Henry VIII
wanted to reform the Church was get hold of the Catholic Church's money. People were
too scared not to pay the Church despite the difficulties it meant for them.
You also had to pay for baptisms ,if you were not baptized you could not go to Heaven
when you died, there were no couples living together in Medieval times because the
Church taught that this equaled sin and you had to be buried on holy land if your soul was
to get to heaven. Whichever way you looked, the Church received money.
The Church also did not have to pay taxes. This saved them a vast sum of money and
made it far wealthier than any king of England at this time. The sheer wealth of the
Church is best shown in its buildings: cathedrals, churches and monasteries.
In England, peasants lived in cruck houses. These were filthy, usually no more than
two rooms, a mixture of mud, straw and manure. Many Churches built then have lasted
for centuries, is an indication of how well they were built and the money the Church had
to invest in these building.
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII was born June 28th 1491.He was the sixth child, the last of the four
surviving infancy, of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Originally his older brother
author took the throne after their father, however Author was very sick and in 1502 he
died. Henry did not take the throne until 1509 after his fathers’ death. Along with the
throne Henry also inherited the widowed wife of his brother Catherine of Aragon. Henry,
only 17 years old, protested that the marriage was unlawful however Catherine claimed to
have never had relations with her young husband. Henry was wed on June 11 and days
later the two were crowned King and Queen of England.
King Henry took immediate control, only two days after his coronation he arrested his
father’s two most unpopular ministers. Execution became his primary tactic for dealing
with those who stood in this way.
Henry was a strong Christian his court was a center of scholarly and artistic
innovation. He was an accomplished musician, author and poet. He was also an avid
gambler, and was skilled in many sports such as jousting and hunting.
In 1516 Queen Catherine gave Henry his first child, Princess Mary of England. HE was
unsatisfied; King Henry longed for a male heir, and was becoming impatient of his wife
and very uninterested. Henry had affairs with a few mistresses more famous affairs were
held with Bessie Blunt and Mary Boleyn. Blunt gave birth to Henry’s first son Henry Fitz
Roy. He was named Duke of Richmond. Mean while his wife could not bore anymore
children.
Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII
Anne Boleyn's birthdate is unknown; even the year is widely debated. General opinion
now favors 1501 or 1502, though some historians persuasively argue for 1507. She was
probably born at Blickling Hall in Norfolk. Her father was Sir Thomas Boleyn, a minor
courtier with a talent for foreign languages; he was of London merchant stock and eager
to advance in the world. Like most men, he chose to marry well. His bride was Elizabeth
Howard, daughter of the second duke of Norfolk and sister of the third duke.
Anne had two surviving siblings, Mary and George. Their birthdates are also
unknown, as is the order of their births. We only know that all three Boleyn siblings were
close in age.
In 1514, Henry VIII married his youngest sister, Mary, to the aged king of France.
Anne accompanied the Tudor princess as a very young lady-
in-waiting and she remained in France after the French king
died and Mary Tudor returned home. Anne gained the
subsequent honor of being educated under the watchful eye of
the new French queen Claude. This education had a uniquely
French emphasis upon fashion and flirtation, though more
intellectual skills were not neglected. Anne became an
accomplished musician, singer and dancer.
In 1521 or early 1522, Anne returned home. When she first caught Henry VIII's eye is
unknown. He was originally attracted to her sister, Mary who came to court before Anne.
She was the king's mistress in the early 1520s. Mary left court with only a dull marriage,
and possibly the king's son, as her reward. Anne learned much from her sister's example.
Anne's first years at court were spent in service to Henry Veii’s first wife, Catherine. She
became quite popular among the younger men. She was not considered a great beauty;
her sister occupied that position in the family. Any praise she received focused on her
style, her wit and charm; she was quick-tempered and spirited. Her most remarkable
physical attributes were her large dark eyes and long black hair.
The king's attraction was focused upon her sharp and teasing manner. When Anne
avoided Henry's company, he sent her from court. The king hoped that a few months in
the country would persuade her of his charms. It did not work. Anne was already playing
a far more serious game than the king. Henry was headstrong and for several years, he
remained faithful to his feelings for Anne . Henry had discovered the invalidity of his
marriage to his wife to Catharine. Now it was possible to annul his marriage and secure
Anne's hand in marriage.
As the struggle for an annulment proceeded The king was not too outlandish at first
because he had no desire to prejudice the pope against his case by flaunting a new love.
But as the delays mounted, and rumors of his new love spread, Henry realized there was
no purpose in hiding the truth. By 1530, Anne was openly honored by the king at court.
She sat with the king at banquets and hunts while Catharine was ignored.
The Pope would not grant Henry his annulment from his marriage. He was angry and
growing more and more impatient. Anne was pregnant with their first child, Elizabeth I,
which he assumed was the son he had longed for. Catherine had many on her side
including her nephew, Emperor Charles V whose armies threatened the Pope. In 1533
Henry secretly
wed Anne. Against the Church Henry had his marriage unofficially declared invalid by
the Archbishop of Canterbury.
King Henry went against the Church and the Pope England was excommunicated
from the Church. In 1534 Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy which gave the king
the powers of government and the pope. He was head of the new Church of England.
Conclusion
King Henry, who originally wanted the large sum of money collected by the church,
began to prosper. He sold monasteries, which where large building or clusters of
buildings where prayers were held in rooms built especially for that purpose, to
merchants who sold it to farmers and peasants. However the Church of England was very
weak, it broke after Henry’s rule was over, and was reformed under the rule of Queen
Elizabeth. Not long after the excommunication from the Roman Empire, King Henry had
Anne executed. He was angry over his failing rule and hatred he received from
Catherine’s supporters, more over, Anne could not produce a male heir or any more
children at all. He called her a witch and accused her of adultery. She was executed in
May 1536.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_England_and_Wales#Medieval_era
http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/boleyn.html#Biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII_of_England#Early_years:_1491-1509
England’s Break with the Catholic Church