Protestantism spread throughout Europe, albeit in the form of different creeds: Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anabaptism, Zwinglianism and Anglicanism. In the history of European culture, the English Reformation occupies a special place. As an ambiguous and largely contradictory phenomenon, it is often assessed biased, with falling into some extremes, identified in the traditional "school" historiography. One of these extremes is the reduction of a complex socio-cultural process to the events of the life of King Henry VIII (divorce from Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn). The opposite point of view, according to which the Reformation in Great Britain is the greatest turning point in modern history, is characteristic primarily of British historians. For example, James Froude wrote: "I am convinced that the Reformation was the greatest event in the history of England, a powerful force that spread the Anglo-Saxons throughout the planet and left a trace of English genius and character in the life of mankind", and David Gum argued that "the English Reformation became a media between papism and radicalism. An objective assessment of the English Reformation lies somewhere between these extreme points, which, however, are not devoid of subjectivity and emotionality.

Describing the Reformation in England, we can say that, firstly, it was a movement more political than theological (as in the case of Luther), England, and, thirdly, it was not a popular, but an aristocratic reform carried out "from above". This explains the “half-heartedness” of this reform, its much less radical nature than on the continent. In particular, this can be seen by analyzing the most important document of the English Church - "39 Articles" (1571).

This document is a summary statement of the faith of the Church of England. The articles correspond to the moderate course of the reign of Elizabeth I, therefore they are characterized by doctrinal breadth and polyinterpretativeness. They are formulated quite extensively and vaguely, but their analysis allows us to quite clearly identify the main features of the Reformation in England.

The 39 Articles are part of the Book of Common Prayer, which also contains a summary of all the services and requirements of the Church of England. However, researchers point to a number of contradictions between the texts of the 39 Articles and other sections of the Book of Common Prayer. It is customary to talk about the greater traditionalism of the Book of Common Prayer and the Protestant radicalism of the 39 Articles. Perhaps this is due to specific historical realities: the articles were born in polemics not only with Catholics, but also with the extreme currents of the mainland Reformation, which reflected two cultural trends: unification in a pan-European manner and highlighting the culture of England as unique. From the point of view of a modern person, most of the articles are devoted to issues of little relevance to modern theology (celibacy of the clergy, the power of the Roman bishop, oath in court, etc.), but they do not at all touch upon fundamental issues related to systematic theology (for example, eschatology). These features of the document well reflect the specifics of the English Reformation as a whole - it was not a "theological reformation", like Luther's.

The English Reformation was less radical in character than the European one. And the point is not so much in the isolated, insular position of Great Britain (which made the contacts of Protestants more rare), but in the religiosity and traditional consciousness of the broad masses of the population. For the English Reformation, initiated "from above", the fact of possible opposition from the population in the event of a radical change in the cultural course was decisive. Therefore, the government found a certain middle course, reforming some of the external elements of the religious component (the marriage of priests, reducing the number of sacraments, the abolition of icon veneration, communion of the laity under two kinds, etc.), without touching upon fundamental doctrines that are not so obvious to the mass of subjects.

Particularly important in the aspect of the problem under consideration is the attitude towards the church. The 39 Articles emphasize that the Christian doctrine is based solely on Holy Scripture, that is, it consistently develops in this respect a thesis that is very important for Protestants in their struggle against the Catholic Church.

In essential terms, the Anglican Church is still preserved in the form that it had in the first years of the reign of Elizabeth.

The Anglican Reformation in general only strengthened the royal power, and Elizabeth used it in the widest possible way until the end of her life. The bishops were entirely dependent on the crown, the secular lords were mostly of new origin and behaved very submissively for the lands received from the former monastic estates.

Side by side with this royal reformation, a popular reformation took place in England. Already in the first half of the XVI century. there were individual Protestants who did not want to recognize royal supremacy in matters of faith and found that the Anglican Church was not sufficiently "cleansed" from Catholicism. Under Elizabeth, these people had already begun to form a special religious party of the Puritans. The Puritans declared the basis of religion to be the personal faith of each and denied the sacred monopoly of the clergy. They denied rituals and utensils, icons, sculptures - everything that contradicted the ideal of worldly asceticism. The Puritans rejected the hierarchical episcopal system. The organizational principles of the Puritan church, called Presbyterian, were built in such a way that at the head of the community was a presbyter (elder), chosen from among the most revered people. In essence, they were mostly Calvinists, but at the end of the reign of Elizabeth, sectarians appeared among the Puritans, who rebelled against any state church (Calvinist) and demanded the independence of individual religious communities, without any coercion belonging to one or another confession. Subsequently, they became known as the Independents.

The results of the reformation in England turned out to be very serious for its socio-political and religious structure. By distributing the lands confiscated from the monasteries to the new nobility and bourgeoisie, the king thereby created a support for himself in their person. Thus, a layer of people has formed in the country who are interested in continuing reforms and consolidating the existing situation. The new nobles wanted to keep the lands they had received, and therefore they all unanimously supported the accession of Elizabeth I, the king's daughter from Anne Boleyn, who took a course to preserve the changes that her father had made.

Another result of the reformation was the creation of a new, Anglican, church, which still exists today. The moderate nature of the reforms contributed to its preservation and even spread, while more radical movements were losing the number of their supporters.

The Reformation in England played a decisive role in the development of capitalism in the country. The fact is that the new religion proclaimed the need for material enrichment and the accumulation of economic resources as the main goal. This ideology fully corresponded to the aspirations of entrepreneurs and the bourgeoisie. From now on, their desire to increase their income received a dogmatic justification. The further deepening of reform ideas is evidenced by the fact of the spread of the Puritan current, which advocated the deepening of reforms.

List of sources used

1. History of Europe from ancient times to the present day: in 8 volumes / L.T. Milskaya, V.I. Rutenburg, M.A. Barg et al. - M: Nauka, 1993. - V. 3. From the Middle Ages to the New Age (end of the 15th - first half of the 17th century). 653 p.
2. Kareev N. I. Educational book on new history [Electronic resource]. –URL:http://rushist.com/index.php/tutorials/kareev-tutnewtime/479-reformation-in-england
3. New history of the countries of Europe and America. First period: Proc. according to special "History" / V. N. Vinogradov, N. M. Guseva and others; ed. E. E. Yurovskaya and I. M. Krivoguz. – M.: Higher school, 1998. 415 p.
4. North, J. History of the Church / James North. – M.: Protestant, 1993. 413 p.
5. Sokolov, V. Reformation in England / V. Sokolov. – M.: B.I., 1881. 548 p.

Report on the topic “Reformation in England” updated: February 21, 2019 by: Scientific Articles.Ru

The 16th century in the history of England is the century of the reign of the Tudor dynasty. They were on the English throne from 1485 to 1603. The most important historical processes that took place in Tudor England include the Reformation, the strengthening of royal power and the conquest of naval dominance by England. Despite the strengthening of the power of the English king in the 16th century, the regime of his rule can hardly be attributed to an absolute monarchy. The power of the king during this period was to a greater or lesser extent always limited by Parliament. The Reformation also contributed to the strengthening of royal power. It is associated with the name of Henry VIII. The refusal of the Pope to carry out the divorce of the English king Henry VIII and the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon became a formal reason for the start of the Reformation. In 1534, the English Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, according to which the English king and his successors were proclaimed head of the church. One of the prerequisites for the formation of England as a leading maritime power was the defeat in 1588 of the Spanish Invincible Armada.

Reformation and royalty in England in the 16th century.

The era of the Tudors (1485-1603) is characterized by three major processes: the Reformation, the strengthening of royal power and the conquest of maritime dominance.

background

After the end of the Hundred Years' War in 1453, England was engulfed in internal strife - the so-called War of the Scarlet and the White Rose. The York family and the Lancaster family fought for royal power with the support of the aristocratic clans loyal to them. The war ended in 1485, when Henry Tudor became king, uniting the Yorks and Lancasters by marriage. Henry pursued a consistent course to strengthen royal power ().

Events

The Reformation in England began at the will of the king (and not on the initiative from below), which is why it is called royal. The reformation of the church contributed to the strengthening of royal power. It took place simultaneously with the formation of absolutism.

The external reason for the beginning of the Reformation and the break with the Pope was a divorce Henry VIII Tudor with Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn, which the pope did not want to recognize.

1534- Parliament passed a law according to which the king and his successors become the head of the church in England. Three thousand monasteries were closed in the country. Church lands were secularized (declared to belong to the king). The service has been translated into English. The king received the right to appoint bishops and the highest church official - the Bishop of Canterbury. The reformed church was called Anglican.

1553-1558- Bloody Mary, daughter of a Spanish princess (Spain is a stronghold of Catholicism in Europe) pursues a policy of Counter-Reformation. Catholicism restored. In 1554 a commission was set up to deal with heresy. Opponents of Catholicism were burned at the stake.

When the ideas of the Reformation began to penetrate the country, the king at first rejected them, but later his position changed, and the Reformation in England began at his will; therefore it is called royal. The reason for the start of the reforms was the circumstances of the family life of the monarch. The king was married to the Spaniard Catherine of Aragon, but did not have a son from this marriage - the heir to the throne. He decided to divorce and remarry Anne Boleyn, an Englishwoman. The consent of the Pope was required for a divorce, but he refused, fearing the wrath of Catherine's powerful nephew, Emperor Charles V. Enraged, Henry VIII began to take action against the pope, deciding to use Luther's ideas. True, of them he took only that which could strengthen his power. The king decided to subjugate the English church and confiscate its vast possessions. Under his pressure, Parliament in 1534 passed the "Act of Supremacy" (that is, on the supremacy), proclaiming the monarch the supreme head of the English Church. The monasteries were closed, and their lands passed into the hands of the king and his entourage. All those who did not approve of the king's divorce and the new church policy were persecuted. The despot king spared no one. Even Thomas More, the famous humanist and Lord Chancellor of England, laid down his head on the chopping block.

Rice. 2. Anne Boleyn ()

The reformed church accepted Luther's idea of ​​"justification by faith" and rejected some of the Catholic sacraments, but otherwise remained close to the Catholic. The new faith, called Anglican, quickly took root in England, although many remained secretly Catholic; there were also supporters of a deeper reform of the church.

The choice of a new faith brought important political benefits to the country : England led the European Protestants. But this inevitably made her an enemy of Catholic Spain.

The new faith was severely tested during the reign of the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon - Mary Tudor (Bloody). She restored Catholicism in the country and severely cracked down on Protestants. But after her death, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I Tudor (1558-1603), ascended the throne, finally establishing the new faith. A supporter of the moderate Reformation, Elizabeth rejected the extremes of Catholicism and Calvinism and restored Anglicanism, seeking to avoid bloody religious strife.

Rice. 3. Elizabeth I ()

The long reign of Elizabeth I was marked by important successes in the development of the economy, the strengthening of the state, and a brilliant flourishing of culture. Elizabeth was smart and well educated, possessed acting skills, knew no equal in the diplomatic game. And if in other countries, under absolutism, representative bodies lost their significance, then the English Parliament, which consisted of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, retained its influence. The leading role in it was played by the House of Commons, which was dominated by representatives of the bourgeoisie and the new nobility. They needed the support of the royal power and supported it themselves until a certain time. Elizabeth in her actions relied on the nobility, but at the same time pursued a far-sighted policy of protectionism - patronage of the development of national production and trade. The production of goods, especially cloth, has noticeably increased in the country. In order to profitably sell them, to buy raw materials and necessary goods cheaply, the British sailed to all corners of the world. In order to reduce the risk of long-distance travel, they united in trading companies. Thus, the Moscow Company traded with Russia, the East India Company with South and Southeast Asia.

In the field of foreign policy, Elizabeth tried to maneuver between the strongest powers of the then Europe - Spain and France. However, relations with Spain were quite tense, since the queen tacitly supported the smuggling trade of English merchants with the Spanish colonies and the actions of pirates who attacked Spanish ships. The Spaniards, in turn, organized Catholic riots and conspiracies in England, the loudest of which was a conspiracy involving the Scottish Queen Mary Stuart, who fled to England from the Reformation that began in Scotland. Since Mary was a relative and heiress of Elizabeth, her Catholic faith made her a dangerous tool in the hands of Spain. Mary was involved in a Catholic conspiracy, it was revealed, the Scottish queen was executed by court order.

The Spanish King Philip II was indignant and in 1588 struck back. The Spaniards assembled a huge fleet - the armada - consisting of 134 ships. The Spanish fleet was to land 18,000 troops in England. When the armada approached the coast of England, the Spanish admiral showed indecision and lost his chances of success, while the British acted successfully. And then the Spanish fleet was destroyed by violent storms. The enemies of Spain rejoiced, mockingly dubbing the defeated armada "invincible". England celebrated the victory. She defended her independence and was preparing to become a great maritime power.

Rice. 4. The defeat of the "Invincible Armada" ()

Bibliography

1. Bulychev K. Secrets of the New Age. - M., 2005

2. Vedyushkin V. A., Burin S. N. General History. History of the New Age. 7th grade. - M., 2010

3. Koenigsberger G. Europe of the Early Modern Age. 1500-1789 - M., 2006

4. Solovyov S. Course of New History. - M., 2003

Homework

1. What successes did the English economy achieve in the 16th century?

2. What are the reasons for the beginning of the Reformation in England

3. What were the main directions of domestic and foreign policy of Elizabeth I?

Introduction

The Beginning of the Reformation

1 Causes of the Reformation in England

2 Reformation under Henry VIII

Reformation under the last Tudors

1 Protestant Reformation under Edward VI

2 Catholic reaction under Mary Tudor

3 Compromise of Elizabeth I

Conclusion

Bibliography

1. Introduction

Relevance. The history of early modern Western Europe cannot be comprehended without referring to the vast set of problems associated with the Reformation, a religious movement that swept almost all of Europe in the 16th century. In the understanding of the reformers, the reorganization of the Catholic Church included a significant set of measures aimed at changing the doctrine and worship, church practice and the life of parishioners, relations between church and state, and the system of canon law.

In the late Middle Ages and early modern times, the church continued to play an important role in the life of society. Church institutions functioned on the basis of canon law, church courts regulated important aspects of people's daily lives (marriage and family law, testamentary approval, etc.), so the study of a specific area of ​​​​church law allows a deeper and more detailed understanding of the process of reforming the church.

In each country, the Reformation had local conditions and features determined by the course of the previous historical development. In England, such a feature was the dominance of government initiative during the reforms, which significantly influenced their course and the formation of the system of canon law.

The relevance of the topic is also due to the fact that, despite the many works in foreign historiography, not all aspects of the English Reformation have been studied in domestic historical science.

In addition, the Reformation led to the creation of many currents in Christianity, united under the common name "Protestantism".

The scientific relevance of the topic is due to its close connection with the problems of humanistic ideology, the worldview of late medieval society. The historical traditions of Protestantism to this day have a great influence on the political and cultural life of modern states where Christianity is professed, which makes the work even more significant.

One of the most moderate currents of Protestantism is Anglicanism, representing a kind of compromise between the Catholic and Protestant creeds. In this regard, the English Reformation has never been devoid of attention from researchers.

The object of this study is the English Reformation. The events in England were one of the most original moments of the pan-European Reformation. Their originality was determined by the previous course of the historical development of the country and was associated with the dominant role of royal power. The change in the relationship between church and state inevitably led to the reorganization of the old Catholic system of canon law and changed the impact of the reformed church on the life of society.

The chronological framework of my research covers the early royal reformation - the second half of the reign of Henry VIII and ends with the reign of Elizabeth I.

The territorial scope of the study is England.

Research methods:

.A systematic method that allows us to consider the reformation as a complex, evolutionary phenomenon.

.The comparative historical method makes it possible to identify general and particular processes in the development of English ecclesiastical law and trends in its development.

.Biographical method - the study of personality in the context of history.

Study of the topic: The topic of the Reformation in England has received wide coverage in various fields of humanitarian and social knowledge. The first works covering the events of the English Reformation were the works of various church historians belonging to the Catholic or Protestant camps: J. Barnet, J. Collier, L. Dodd, J. Stripe14. For these works of the XVII-XIX centuries. a confessional approach is characteristic, often a biased attitude towards Catholicism. To the works of the XVII-XIX centuries. the origins of the liberal (Whig) concept of the Reformation, very popular in the 19th century, go back. It was characterized by an overestimation of the Tudor period in the history of England: it was considered the most important milestone on the path of turning the country into a world power, a turning point in the transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age. The success of Protestantism was seen as a victory for progress. On the one hand, this aroused great interest in the problems of the Reformation, on the other hand, it led to an excessive emphasis on the Protestant nature of church reforms, an exaggeration of the "uniqueness and exclusivity" of the historical development of the English nation, and the transformation of the history of the Reformation into the history of Anglicanism. The thesis of the national exceptionalism of the British, of the desire for freedom as a feature of the national character, which determined the break with the papacy, was especially emphasized. A positive feature of the works of Whig historians (J. Russell, G. Gallam, T. B. Macaulay) is the development of the problem of establishing royal supremacy over the church.

Tory historians, conservatives (D. Hume, Mitford) considered the Reformation in the context of strengthening the absolute monarchy. The radical direction is represented by W. Cobbett, who focused on secularization and the abolition of the poor laws and emphasized that the reasons for the Reformation were the economic interests of the king and the nobility. Historians-positivists (G. T. Buckle, D. R. Green) sought to show the Reformation as part of an integral historical process, to create a unified picture of the history of England.

At the beginning of the XX century. a sociological school took shape, focusing on the connection between the Reformation and the economic component of society. Its most important figure is M. Weber, author of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

The purpose of this work is to study the Reformation in England as a historical process.

From this follow the following tasks:

.Identification of the causes of the birth of the Reformation in England

.Studying the stages of the reformation: under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I.

.Identification of the influence of the reform movement on the future fate of the church.

.Analysis of the results of the Reformation.

reformation england church

2. The beginning of the reformation

1 Causes of the Reformation in England

The reasons that gave rise to the reformation in England developed over a long period of time, as in all European states that survived the reformation of the church. But in some aspects they were typical only for England itself. You should refer to the list of immediate causes:

.Firstly, the Lollards, whose task was to spread the teachings of John Wyclif (he openly came up with ideas to reform Western Christianity, boldly opposed the payment of taxes to the papal treasury. Wyclif argued that, in case of need, the state has the right to deprive the Church of its possessions, and the encroachment of the pope on secular power is contrary to the foundations of Christianity), failed to exterminate to the end. On the contrary, their teachings were passed from house to house among the lowest classes of the population of England and became a religious underground movement of the 15th century. The Lollards' emphasis on the authority of Scripture and on the need for personal communion with Christ was reinforced by political changes in England in the first quarter of the 16th century.

.Thirdly, the intellectual factor should not be ignored either. Biblical humanists or Oxford reformers such as John Colet (c. 1466-1519), deacon of St. Paul's Church, began to study the Bible translated by Erasmus of Rotterdam in the early 16th century and explained the meaning of the Bible to their people. These humanists were extremely critical of the shortcomings they saw in the Roman Church and tried to initiate reforms. William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) and Max Coverdale, who later made the Scriptures available to the English people in their own language, were also reformers. Tyndale published two editions (three thousand copies each) of his English translation of the New Testament at Worms in 1525. This translation from the Greek New Testament by Erasmus of Rotterdam was the first printed New Testament and was distributed in England by merchants. Although Tyndale was martyred near Brussels in 1536, his cause continued to live and helped bring about religious reform in England. Miles Cawsrdale published the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English in 1535. A student of the Reformation is always amazed that the success of the Reformation in the state is closely connected with the translation of the Bible into the language of the people living there.

.Fourthly, Luther's writings and ideas were also circulated in England, which also spoke of the abuses of the Roman Church. The main provisions were written by him in the work "The Babylonian Captivity". Henry VIII reacted very negatively to this work and in response to it he writes his work "In Defense of the Seven Sacraments". For her, the Pope awards him the title "Defender of the Faith." Luther's books were publicly burned, although this act did not stop the spread of his ideas, which were no less studied, and through these ideas people came to Protestant views.

.Also the immediate, direct cause that led to the Reformation was Henry VIII's desire to have a legitimate male heir. Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon, daughter of the founders of the Spanish state, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Henry VIII lived with her in marriage for 24 years, after the marriage there was a daughter, Mary. Henry VIII was never distinguished by marital fidelity, only he had 6 official marriages. Henry VIII wished to marry his new "passion" Anne Boleyn. But first he had to divorce Catherine of Aragon and, in order to marry, he had to bring the Roman Church in England under his control. Henry's actions were the direct and personal cause of the Reformation.

2 Reformation under Henry VIII

Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 to 1547. By the standards of the 16th century, King Henry VIII was a very tall man. He was distinguished not only by his height, but also by his very strong build - broad-shouldered, with muscular arms and legs. “He was very handsome - tall and slender,” a contemporary wrote about the twenty-two-year-old king, “and when he moved, the earth trembled under him.” In his actions, political and personal motives were combined in a very bizarre and at first glance contradictory way. Henry VIII was portrayed either as a king-zhuir, who did little public affairs and was constantly in a whirlwind of court entertainment (special attention is usually paid to his scandalous personal life), then as a cruel and treacherous tyrant, then as an extremely prudent sober politician, indifferent to women who arranged marriages only for political reasons and kept a magnificent courtyard solely out of necessity, for reasons of prestige. In fact, in an amazing way, he combined the features of a noble knight and a tyrant, but a sober calculation, aimed at strengthening his own power, prevailed.

His father was Henry VII, who dedicated himself to uniting the major royal families of Europe into one family through strategic marriages. His daughter Margaret married James of Scotland. His son Arthur married the Spanish princess Catharina of Aragon. When Arthur died, the impoverished king, not wanting to lose Catharina's dowry, persuaded Pope Julius II to grant a dispensation, and Catharina was able to marry Henry, Arthur's younger brother, in 1503. Heinrich and Katharina had one child. This child later became Queen Mary Tudor.

When it turned out that Henry could not have a son from this marriage, he became concerned, as he believed that England would need a male ruler after his death to look after the dominions during the period of colonization. He also believed that perhaps God was punishing him for marrying his brother's widow. Having entered into a relationship with the pretty Anne Boleyn (Catherine's lady-in-waiting), Henry ordered his adviser, Cardinal Wolsey, to begin negotiations with Pope Clement VII, so that he would be allowed to be freed from Catherine. Clement VII was unable to comply with this request because in 1527 he was under the influence of Catharina's nephew, the powerful Charles V, King of Spain and Emperor of Germany. Henry accused Wolsey of conspiracy when he failed to get a divorce, but Wolsey died before Henry could execute him.

Since it was clear that the pope would not allow a divorce, Henry decided to get it from the English clergy, who could relent under parliamentary pressure. The Tudor Parliament was made up of representatives of the people, but it was accountable to the king, not to the people. Thus the Reformation in England was initiated by the secular power of the King and Parliament. The Reformed Parliament did away with papal control and monasticism. At the insistence of the king, Parliament adopted a number of statutes, the general meaning of which was the creation in the country of a national church independent of Rome.

In 1529, Parliament "prohibited members of the clergy from holding several benefices at the same time, or from living outside their place of service."

The statute of 1532 stated: "If the pope imposes an interdict or excommunication on the country, the king, the subjects, this should not be taken into account."

Thomas Cromwell became Henry's chief advisor. In 1532 the Protestant Thomas Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury. He immediately annulled the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon and legalized his marriage to Anne Boleyn. In the autumn of 1533, Anna had a daughter, Elizabeth Tudor

The Statute of Parliament of 1533 stated: “There are many inconveniences arising from appeals to the See of Rome in matters of wills, marriages and divorces, which cause the king and his subjects much anxiety, difficulties and expenses. In addition, Rome is so far away that the investigation is dragged out and justice suffers. Therefore, it was decided that "all such matters should be finally decided within the kingdom."

The parliament of 1534 made an important addition in the matter of appeals to Rome. If, according to the statute of 1533, appeals to the pope on certain issues were prohibited, now “any appeals and appeals ... to Rome are prohibited. In the event of an unfair decision in the court of the archbishop, the dissatisfied may appeal to the Royal Majesty.

Developing opposition to Rome, the Parliament of 1534 destroyed all influence of the pope on the appointment of archbishops and bishops of England. He decreed that “candidates for the sees of archbishops and bishops should not present themselves to the pope and should not wait for a bull from the pope; all such bulls and such representations must be stopped forever.

All these pieces of legislation dealt a mortal blow to papal authority in England. The Pope was no longer the highest judge in the country. He ceased to be a fief lord of the English Church, as he was throughout the Catholic world, since the English prelates - the former vassals of the pope - were appointed without his consent. The pope could not strike England with his curses, because interdicts and excommunications were ordered to be ignored. Papal jurisdiction in the country was abolished.

Along with measures aimed at destroying the legal privileges of the papacy, the Parliament adopted statutes to free England from financial dependence on Rome: the “Act to Limit the Payment of Annats” (1532), “The Act to Abolish Papal Dispensations and the Payment of St. Peter’s Penny” ( 1534).

The apogee of the activity of the “Parliament of the Reformation” was the publication in 1534 of the “Act of Supremacy” (supremacy), which declared the king the supreme head of the Anglican. The “Act of Supremacy” was approved by Parliament in November 1534. The act specifically stated: “the king (his heirs and successors) must be accepted, recognized, honored by the only supreme head of England ... and must own all titles, honors, dignity, privileges, jurisdiction, and revenues proper to and belonging to the dignity of the Supreme Head of the Church.” The power of the English king was declared imperial - excluding subordination to anyone, including the head of the Catholic Church.

The break with Rome was to determine the attitude towards monasticism and monasteries. Moreover, of all the land wealth in Catholic Europe, 1/3 belonged to the church, and of all the land held by the clergy, 2/3 were the property of monasteries. From the end of 1535 to 1540. In England, there was a process of secularization of monasteries. It included the so-called visitation (a tour of all church institutions and drawing up reports on their condition), consideration of the report of visitors at parliament sessions, and the adoption of a law on the liquidation of monasteries. The dissolution of the monasteries proceeded sequentially, starting with the small ones. At the same time, resistance to the procedure was interpreted as political unreliability, which could result in prosecution for high treason. Monasteries passed into the possession of the king. In 1540, the parliament passed a statute that assigned all church estates to the king and his heirs. As a result of secularization, 645 monasteries were confiscated. Since as a result of secularization, a huge amount of real and movable property turned out to be in the hands of the king. The secularization of the monasteries enriched the treasury. The king gave part of the land as a reward to his associates, the court aristocracy, and part was leased. Secularization caused a new wave of "enclosures" that went on in the country from the end of the 15th century. The monastic peasants filled up the army of the dispossessed, the paupers. The monasteries were strongholds of the papacy, so their secularization contributed to the destruction of papal influence. The liquidation of monasteries destroyed the material, legal, moral influence of the clergy on the masses. Finally, secularization cleared the way for the further course of the Reformation.

Having created a national church led by himself, having taken property from the church, thus turning the church into a part of the state apparatus, Henry VIII could stop. He did not need a reform of dogmatics and was even harmful. But no matter how much the king wanted to break with Catholicism, he had to look for features of differences to justify the ongoing separation from the papacy. In May 1536, by order of the king, the Reformation Committee was established, headed by T. Cranmer, which formulated the first Anglican creed - the Ten Articles. Then three more variants of religion appeared: “Instruction to a good Christian”, or “Bishop's book”, “Six-article statute “Bishop's book”, “Six-article statute King's book”. By the end of the reign of Henry VIII, the Anglican Church had taken an intermediate position between the Catholic and the Lutheran. It rejected extremes in the veneration of saints and icons, prohibited indulgences, reduced the number of holidays, made minor changes in worship and rituals, and called Holy Scripture as a source of faith. Hence, one of the first tasks of the Reformation was the translation of the Bible into English. From that time on, the Bible becomes available to the English.

In general, the religious issue was not resolved at the first stage of the reformation. Only political and economic transformations were carried out.

1 Protestant Reformation under Edward VI

After the death of Henry VIII, the future of England was in the weak hands of a nine-year-old boy, small for his age. King Edward VI grew up as an intelligent and lively child. White skin, reddish hair and a graceful physique. Prince Edward was a very handsome child. In early childhood, Edward was sometimes sick, and besides this, he did not cause any concerns to his father. He mastered Latin and the basics of Greek, and when it came time to take the reins of government, he knew French well, fenced with his peers in the castle courtyard and went hunting on horseback. From the point of view of religious education, this was a real child of the Reformation. The prince did not know any other religion than that adopted at Henry's court, where services were held in English. So he grew up unencumbered by the nostalgia for the old church and masses in Latin, the nostalgia that haunted his parents' generation. Of course, Edward was to become a nominal ruler. In his will, Henry determined a regency council of sixteen "those close to my heart", which included all the chief ministers of his government. This council was to guide the young king until he came of age. Two of the sixteen named, Edward Seymour, who shortly after Henry's death became Duke of Somerset, and William Paget, immediately took over the regency business. Edward Seymour was Edward's closest female relative, and it was only natural that he became his guardian. Moreover, Edward himself approved that he would be his regent.

It was Edward who would carry out a religious reform, as a result of which a new religion and worship was approved.

From 1548 to 1551 a series of documents (Statutes of Parliament, Orders of the King, Epistles of the Archbishop of Canterbury) and The Book of Common Prayer were issued, which completed the liturgical reform. These events brought the Anglican Church closer to Lutheranism. When the reform of worship and rites was completed, the question arose of a systematic exposition of the dogmas of the English Reformed Church.

In 1551, Archbishop Cranmer was ordered by the king to draw up a creed that would be distributed throughout the country. The new creed of the English faith was written, considered by the Privy Council (the nearest royal state structure), a meeting of the highest ranks of the church, and in 1553 under the title "42 articles" was sent to the dioceses "for strict adherence to it in sermons and teaching". The main provisions of the "42 Articles" were Protestant: the Catholic teaching on purgatory, on indulgences, on the veneration of icons, relics, on turning to saints was rejected; only 2 sacraments were left instead of 7 in Catholicism - baptism and communion; communion was to be administered under both kinds and for the laity; clergy marriages were allowed; Divine services were to be conducted in a language understandable to the people.

But still, all the measures taken and the transformations were carried out on very fragile, vacillating ground. When Edward VI reached the age of 15, it became clear that his reign would not be long. After his death, in the absence of direct heirs, the throne was to pass into the hands of Mary (daughter of Catherine of Aragon), passionately devoted to Catholicism, who spent her whole bitter life in prayer.

At this time, the Duke of Northumberland conceived the idea of ​​setting in motion such a political intrigue, which was to both consolidate the Reformation in England and transfer the royal power to his house. The Duke of Northumberland announced the marriage of his son Guildford even before the announcement of the changes in the succession to the throne.<#"justify">After the death of Mary, Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, ascended the English throne. When she came to the throne she was twenty-six years old. As for her appearance, her hair was very red. Many at court called her an incomparable beauty, which was not true, but she had sufficient attractiveness and, of course, won in comparison with Mary.

She received an excellent education, but did not skimp on scolding and was sometimes very rude when talking. In many ways, she inherited the rabid character of her father. Some extolled her to the skies, while others unrestrainedly blackened her.

After the accession of the new queen to the throne, some courtiers were directly tempted to continue the same system of government that had existed until now. The saddened widower Philip II, king of Spain, hurried to offer her his hand as soon as the well-known, decency-set period for such a search had passed. He was no longer ashamed of the origin of Elizabeth - he was guided only by political motives. But he did not meet with sympathy from Elizabeth, who, although she was very peculiar in her religious views, could not in any way lean towards Catholicism. At the same time, she was by no means reconciled with all manifestations of Protestantism. So, for example, married clergy was disgusting to her, and she felt much more disposition towards rituals, towards the appearance of worship in general, than all the reformers of the time of Edward VI. When, at her entrance to London, she was informed about the prisoners who were languishing in captivity and awaiting release from her, and among the prisoners they allegorically mentioned “the four evangelists,” Elizabeth very subtly and cautiously remarked that she still must first investigate whether these four prisoners themselves want to be freed"? But she also could not remain a Catholic, because already by the fact of her birth she was, as it were, a living contradiction to papism.

Her father married her mother against the will of the pope, and even if she forgot about this circumstance, she should have been reminded of it by that impudent message with which Pope Paul IV answered her notice of accession to power. However, she did not let herself be confused, did not suffer any constraint in her actions, did not succumb to the temptation of revenge and did not return directly (as one of the parties advised her) to the religious orders of Edward VI, but managed to correctly guess the mood of the people, choosing in this relation to some middle way. She saw that in England there was a very zealous Catholic party and a very zealous Protestant party. Both of them are comparatively small. The vast majority of people (at least in influential circles) stood mainly for the independence of the country from the pope, and in the rest, as far as rituals were concerned from the dogmatic side, they were ready to make concessions, almost unwilling to demonstrate the opposite in relation to the old, so called Catholic-based religion.

Elizabeth and her government once again changed the entire English church structure. The English Church was restored, that is, independent of the Pope of Rome, which had the English King (Queen) as its supreme head. In this church, however, the bishops remained, now subordinate to the king. According to its dogma, the Anglican Church differed little from the Catholic Church. The extreme vagueness of the new catechism made it possible to interpret it in different ways. Rejecting the humiliating dogmas of the old Church, cruel laws against heretics and destroying the spiritual courts, she almost did not move away from the system of the Church that was under Henry VIII, and gradually began to bring her closer to the general provisions of Protestantism in the form in which it had already managed to establish itself on mainland.

By agreement with her first and closest adviser and with the consent of parliament, although she abolished the high-profile title of "Supreme Head of the Church", she nevertheless retained the most significant rights of leadership, in the sense of control and leadership of transformations in the church environment. Both higher and lower clergy had to recognize these rights and secure them with an oath. Then, the 42 paragraphs of Cranmer's "Confession of Faith" were revised, but moderately and in the form of "39 paragraphs" were approved by a meeting of the clergy in London in 1562, and in 1571 passed by Parliament as a law binding on all. At the same time, both the brilliance and the solemnity of worship, and the vestments of the priests, and the most significant positions from the hierarchical system were preserved.

The Thirty-nine Articles emphasize the supreme authority of Scripture, as does the entire Protestant movement. However, Anglicans retained close ties to their Catholic heritage, reasserting the importance of tradition. They did not claim equality of authority between Scripture and tradition, as the Catholics did, but still followed tradition as closely as possible. In addition, they argued that when Scripture is silent on an issue, the church has the power to establish a binding tradition on that issue. After the church exercises its authority and establishes a tradition, every believer and every local parish must follow it. Change can only come from the church as a whole. That is, more emphasis was placed on the common tradition than on the conscience and freedom of man. The Church of England predominantly remained liturgical. Those who focused on traditional rituals became known as the "high church," and those whose services began to be celebrated in an evangelical manner became known as the "lower church."

Thus, Elizabeth founded the Anglican Church - akin to Protestantism in its doctrine and independence from the pope and, at the same time, akin to Catholicism in rites and internal structure. In England, of course, there were even then a sufficient number of people who did not agree with this system (non-conformists), there were even more ardent supporters of Calvinism and Presbyterianism, independents (independents) - in a word, all those elements who later were designated by one common name - the Puritans. But they did not dare to raise their heads during the reign of Elizabeth and had to wait for the onset of other times more favorable for their propaganda.

4. Conclusion

Studying the history of modern times, it is impossible not to turn to the complex of problems associated with the reformation. The Reformation - as a religious movement swept through many countries of the world, and in each country there were only small differences, which cannot be said about England. The English Reformation differed from all others in that it was dictated from above, since English absolutism could afford such a phenomenon. Naturally, the reformation took place not only at the behest of the king, but there were enough problems associated with the church: this was the spread of the ideas of Wyclif, Luther, and the intellectual factor, indignation at the behavior of Rome. We see how the reorganization of the church changed under different kings (queens). The Reformation was started by Henry VIII, who in many respects did not decide the future fate of the church after the break with Rome, but only limited himself to calling himself the head of the church and began the secularization of the monastic lands. Protestantism took shape already under his son Edward VI, he also completed secularization. As for the policy of Mary Tudor towards the church, we see that she returned everything to the old order, the persecution of Protestants began, the role of Catholics increased. Namely, the Anglican Church was designed by Elizabeth I, the church became Protestant, although its tenets differed little from Catholicism.

The Church established in England by the Reformation became known as the Anglican Church. It was a national church and occupied a middle position between the Catholic and Protestant churches. The 39 Articles also recognized the Protestant dogmas about justification by faith, about Scripture as the only source of faith, and the Catholic dogma about the saving power of the Church (with some reservations). The king became the head of the Anglican Church, and the church itself became part of the state apparatus of the feudal-absolutist monarchy. “The king has supreme power in the church over all classes and persons; but he does not have the right to preach the word of God and perform the sacraments,” says the “39 Articles”. The service was performed in English. The teaching of the Catholic Church about indulgences, about the veneration of icons and relics was rejected, the number of holidays in honor of the saints was reduced. However, the sacraments of baptism and communion were recognized, the episcopate was preserved, as well as the liturgy and a number of other rites characteristic of the Catholic Church. The tithe was still levied, which began to flow in favor of the king and became an important means of generalizing the king and the new owners of the monastic lands. The crown, transferring the monastic lands to secular owners, simultaneously transferred to them the right to the tithe, previously collected by the monasteries. Thus appeared in England a layer of secular persons who received tithes.

5. References:

.Act of Supremacy of 1534: [electronic resource]. - URL: #"justify">2. Gribanov B. Elizabeth I, Queen of England. M.: Terra, 2003. - 192 p.

.Gurevich A.Ya. The Medieval World: The Culture of the Silent Majority. - M.: Art, 1990. - 395 p.

.Eger O. World History. - St. Petersburg: Edition of A.F. Marx, 1997. - 690 p.

.Ivonin Yu.E. Comparative analysis of the early Reformation in England and France//Voprosy istorii, 1973. No. 11. - 118 p.

.Ivonin Yu.E, Ivonina L.I. Rulers of the destinies of Europe: emperors, kings, ministers of the 16th - 18th centuries. - Smolensk: Rusich, 2004. - 464 p.

.Kamenetsky B.A. Formation of absolutist ideology in England of the 16th century and its features//Voprosy istorii, 1969. No. 8. - 118 p.

.Kearns E. Earl. The roads of Christianity. - M.: Protestant, 1992. - 279 p.

.Carolli E. Bloody Maria. - M.: AST, 2001. - 351 p.

.Lindsay K. Divorced, Beheaded, Survivors: The Wives of King Henry VIII. - M.: Kron - Press, 1996. - 336 p.

.Omelchenko O. General history of state and law: [electronic resource]. - M.: Ton - Ostrozhye, 2000. - URL: #"justify">. Sokolov V. Reformation in England. - M.: Printing house of L.O. Snigerev, 1881. - 546 p.

.Spitz W. Lewis. History of the Reformation. Revival and Reformation movement: [electronic resource]. - M.: Lutheran Heritage Foundation, 2003. - URL: http://krotov.info/lib_sec/18_s/piz/0.htm (05/30/2013).

History test Royal power and the Reformation in England. The struggle for dominance on the seas Grade 7 with answers. The test is presented in two versions, each with 5 tasks.

Option 1

1.

The Reformation in England was carried out "from above" - ​​by the will of the king.

1) true
2) wrong

2. The head of the Anglican Church is

1) Archbishop of Canterbury
2) King of England
3) Pope

3. Match the names of rulers with events related to their reign.

Rulers

A) Henry VIII
B) Elizabeth I
B) Mary Tudor

Events

1) the death of the "Invincible Armada"
2) an attempt at a counter-reformation
3) closing of monasteries

4.

Puritans, Calvinists

1) Puritans denied the teachings of J. Calvin
2) Puritans were followers of Calvinism
3) Calvinists were hostile to the Puritans

5.

At the end of the XVI century. England became a strong maritime power. The Reformation helped to strengthen the royal power. Elizabeth I felt so strong that she never convened Parliament.

1) in fact, Elizabeth repeatedly convened Parliament
2) in fact, the Reformation weakened the royal power
3) in fact, England was not able to achieve dominance on the seas

Option 2

1. Is the following statement true?

The Anglican Church retained many vestiges of Catholicism.

1) true
2) wrong

2. In 1588, the "Invincible Armada" sailed to the shores of England. She

1) defeated the English fleet under the command of F. Drake
2) fell into a storm and was smashed against the rocks
3) was defeated by the English squadron, commanded by Queen Elizabeth I herself

3. Establish a correspondence between the names of rulers and events, phenomena related to their reign.

Rulers

A) Elizabeth I
B) Mary Tudor
B) Henry VIII

Events, phenomena

1) executions of English Protestants
2) the beginning of the English Reformation
3) the rise of English absolutism

Write the chosen numbers under the corresponding letters.

4. Establish connections between concepts.

Puritans, Anglican Church

1) Puritans were faithful to the teachings of the Anglican Church
2) the Puritans denied many of the institutions of the Anglican Church
3) the Anglican Church saw the Puritans as its allies

5. Read the text and find the error in the description.

By the end of the XVI century. England never became a mighty maritime power. But she managed to achieve significant success in the economy. The Reformation strengthened the royal power, absolutism was established in the country.

1) in fact, England became a strong maritime power
2) in fact, absolutism did not develop in England
3) in fact, successes in foreign policy were combined with an economic crisis

Answers to the history test Royal power and the Reformation in England. Fight for supremacy on the seas Grade 7
Option 1
1-1
2-2
3-312
4-2
5-1
Option 2
1-1
2-2
3-312
4-2
5-1

History of the new time. Crib Alekseev Viktor Sergeevich

12. REFORMATION IN ENGLAND

12. REFORMATION IN ENGLAND

The immediate cause for the beginning of the Reformation in England was the refusal of the Pope to allow Henry VIII to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. And the reason for this was that she was the aunt of the German emperor Charles V. Since the pope did not want to aggravate relations with him at that moment, it is quite natural that he rejected the request of the English king. In response to the refusal of the pope, Henry VIII issued in 1534 an act of supremacy (which means "supremacy" in Latin). The king was declared the head of the English church, as a result of which all Catholic dogmas and rites were preserved, but the king took the place of the pope. The episcopate became the backbone of the absolute monarchy. In 1536 and 1539 monasteries were closed and monastic property was confiscated: buildings, gold and silver utensils and, most importantly, vast monastic lands.

Sheep breeding and cloth production have long been the main occupations of the British and an important source of income for the royal treasury. The English called the cloth "the most precious product of the kingdom." Wool prices have been on the rise. Sheep grazing required extensive pastures. Therefore, landowners seized communal wastelands and pastures, forbade peasants to graze cattle there. Dissatisfied with this, they tried in various ways to take away the allotments from the peasants: they drove the peasants from the land by force, destroyed their houses, demolished entire villages. The forcible removal of peasants from the land was called fencing.

Having seized peasant lands, the nobles bred huge herds of sheep on them. To cultivate the fields and care for livestock, they hired agricultural workers - farm laborers. The "new nobles" abandoned their knightly armor and sat down at the account books. Some of them started weaving, leather and other enterprises. Tens of thousands of people, driven from the earth, joined the ranks of vagabonds and beggars. The government issued cruel laws against them, providing for whipping, branding with a red-hot iron, and even the death penalty as punishment. Most of these people joined the ranks of the reform movement in England.

England achieved great success during the reign of the smart, cautious, well-educated Elizabeth I. Under her, the English church, independent of Rome, finally took shape, which was called the Anglican. In 1559, when she ascended the throne, the organizational structure of the Church of England was established in forms that have largely survived to this day. During these 30 years, many changes have taken place, but the English have always been of the opinion that their church is not new, but the same church that has existed in England for more than a thousand years; its reform was carried out to return to the model of the church presented in the New Testament. In support of this continuity, the English refer to their doctrine, priesthood and liturgy.

But, despite this, nevertheless, as a result of the reformation movement in England, a number of serious changes were made. The parishioners received the Bible in English, and the clergy began to teach them to treat it as the highest authority in matters of faith and life. The service was now conducted in the local language. The Church of England insisted on the independence of national churches in internal affairs, on the right of churches to act at their own discretion in relation to rites and liturgical practice. The pope's jurisdictional claim to English territory was rejected. Nevertheless, because of the dual nature of its Reformation, the Church of England claims to be both Catholic and Protestant.

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author Zuev Yaroslav Viktorovich

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From the book Chronology of Russian History. Russia and the world author Anisimov Evgeny Viktorovich

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author

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