HIS109Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Thomas Wolsey, John Wycliffe, Ecclesiastical Court
Ibraheem Aziz Oct 21/2015
HIS109Y – L0101 Lec 11
The Reformation in England
• “peial ta Peter’s pee paid Eglish itizes
• John Wycliffe (d. 1384) brought forward reform ideas such as a vernacular Bible, clerical
celibacy ending
• Henry VII used church as a symbol of national unity and was a pious Christian
• English monasticism was seen as powerful, rich
o By 1530s, 12 000 monks and nuns in England
o Monastic communities in England were very powerful and wealthy
o Effect on discipline of Church was negative – led to luxurious living
o Places of immoral behaviour and laziness created a negative perception of the Church
• J. Colet (d. 1519) preached against sins, instituted reform in Church – got into trouble
• Cardinal Wolsey (d. 1529) also wanted to improve Church image even being sinful himself
• Rise of Martin Luther attacked monasticism intellectually and a sense of challenge/alternative
inspired reformers in the Lutheran Revolt
• Anti-clericalism manifested in the works of Lutheranism
• Mercantile class rose in England and became wealthy
o Mort main (dead hand) of Church was bought up by poor individuals – created anger
• Need for social institutions and supports grew as the population increased
o Money collected by Church was not used for these purposes
• People began to critique Church more
• Illegitimate son of Cardinal Wolsey was an annoyance as he received large amounts of money
from nepotism
• Ecclesiastical courts infuriated people with property and the large distance from Rome created
conflicts
• French Popes during the Thirt Years’ War made them seem as enemies
• Gentry greatly disliked the use of canon law and taxes collected by priests
• Case of Richard Honey and the burial of his dead child resulted in his arrest – he was strangled in
his jail cell after
o He had been murdered by the Church
• Lutheranism took place in secret to begin with – meetings in secret and in universities/taverns
took place
o Two religions operating in the same country was a new idea – religion had to be
supported by the state
• Henry VIII (d. 1547) was against Lutherans and wrote a book against Lutheran – Assertion of the
Seven Sacraments
o Gaied the title Defeder of the Faith fro the Pope of his tie
o Henry VIII was not the oldest son of his father – his older brother never consummated
his marriage and Henry VIII married Catherie of Arago his dead rother’s ido
▪ The child was Mary I (d. 1558)
o I 57, Her VIII did’t hae a legitiate ale heir – the Tudors had just recently
gained the throne from Richard III during the War of the Roses
o Her VIII did’t eliee i the Pope’s authorit – had to get an annulment of his
marriage from Catherine
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