Early modern Britain 1509–1745, Year 7: more practice

Catherine of Aragon

提示She was a Spanish princess who had first been married to Henry's older brother.

为什么Catherine bore several children but only Mary lived. Henry feared a king without a male heir might lead to a return of civil war, and he had fallen for Anne Boleyn.

Clement VII

提示He was under the influence of Catherine's powerful nephew, the Emperor Charles V.

为什么Clement VII was effectively a prisoner of Charles V's army after the sack of Rome in 1527, so he dared not offend Catherine's family.

Thomas Cranmer

提示He was Henry's choice for archbishop, appointed in 1533.

为什么Cranmer's court ruled the marriage void in May 1533, which let Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn stand without the Pope's approval.

Defender of the Faith

提示The title praised him for defending the Catholic Church.

为什么Ironically Henry later broke with the same Pope, but English monarchs still use a version of the title today.

No, he kept most traditional Catholic beliefs and services

提示Think about what actually changed: the person at the top, not the Mass.

为什么Henry replaced the Pope with himself as head, but the 1539 Act of Six Articles confirmed many Catholic beliefs. Real Protestant change came under his son Edward VI.

Thomas Cromwell

提示He was Henry's chief minister, a lawyer who drove the Dissolution.

为什么The survey, the Valor Ecclesiasticus, showed how rich the Church was. Cromwell then sent commissioners to inspect the monasteries.

smaller

提示Think about which would be easiest to close without a big fight.

为什么The first Act covered houses with a small income; the larger ones followed, and by 1540 all had been closed, surrendered or taken over by the Crown.

The Pilgrimage of Grace

提示Its marchers called themselves pilgrims.

为什么Tens of thousands marched in Yorkshire and the north. Henry promised talks, then executed the leaders, including Robert Aske, in 1537.

That monks and nuns were corrupt and had broken their vows

提示The public reason was about behaviour, not about money.

为什么Their reports claimed idleness and immorality. Historians note the commissioners were gathering evidence for the king, so the reports may be biased; the Crown also wanted the wealth.

An infirmary

提示It comes from a word meaning weak or ill.

为什么Monastic infirmaries gave rest and care to the sick, the old and travellers. After 1540 this help had to be replaced by parishes and later the Poor Laws.