The initiator of the English Reformation was the king, which made the English Reformation a top-down movement. Since 14 ~ 15 century, the British began to devote themselves to the development of their own nation-state, especially the Tudor dynasty, which began in 1485. The most famous kings in this dynasty were Henry VIII (1509- 1547) and Elizabeth I (1558- 1603). Their reign was the Reformation of16th century, and the prelude of the English Reformation was opened by Henry VIII.

Historically, England has never been deeply involved in the whirlpool of European and papal politics like Germany, so it does not have strong moral indignation and national hatred for the corrupt Roman church like the Germans. This spirit of attaching importance to reality and reality makes the British not as keen on inner beliefs or experiences as the Germans. Therefore, Henry VIII began the religious reform, the main reason is not the simple belief, but the needs of real politics and national interests, and he was influenced by Protestantism, mainly Calvinism.

The fuse of the English Reformation was a divorce case of Henry VIII. Catherine, the aunt of Princess Aragon of Spain and Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, became the wife of Henry VIII and gave birth to six children, but only her daughter Mary grew up. Henry VIII was so sad for the heir to the throne that he asked the Pope to divorce Catherine. Under the pressure of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the Pope rejected Henry VIII's request for divorce. As a result, the angry Henry VIII began to confront the Vatican. At that time, under the influence of Luther's religious reform, anti-Pope sentiment was quite common in Europe. Henry VIII decided to take advantage of people's dissatisfaction with the church and strengthen his rule.

Finally, according to the textbook, the background of Henry VIII's religious reform is summarized as follows: the bourgeoisie demands to break through the shackles of feudal theology and demand religious reform; With the spread of the ideas of Renaissance and Religious Reform, anti-church sentiment in all walks of life is constantly rising; The increasingly powerful monarchy tried to get rid of the triple shackles of Roman religious power.

2. The content of Henry VIII's religious reform

1532, according to the request of Henry VIII, the National Assembly passed a series of decrees, stipulating that clergy should not pay the first year's tribute to the Holy See without the permission of the king, and citizens are prohibited from appealing to the Holy See for all cases. 1533, under the auspices of Kramer, the Archbishop of Canterbury appointed by the king himself, the court formally ruled that the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine was invalid and declared his legal marriage with Anne Brin. Angered by Henry VIII's arrogance, the Pope issued an imperial edict in 1533, ruling his divorce invalid and threatening to excommunicate him. Henry VIII, on the other hand, issued a series of decrees in a tit-for-tat manner against the Holy See, terminated all annual tribute to the Pope, and declared that the Anglican Church was an independent national church, subject only to the authority of the king. 1534, Congress passed the famous "Supreme Act", which clearly declared that the King of England was the supreme leader of the Church of England, marking the official break between the Church of England and the Holy See. With the support of Congress and nobles, Henry VIII finally realized the religious reform in the whole country.

Teachers should emphasize that Henry VIII's religious reform was mainly limited to church management. He established the king's supreme position in the church of England, punished a group of bishops and monks who denied the king's supreme authority and refused to recognize the legality of Henry's divorce. He nationalized the land and property of more than 370 monasteries, which dealt a devastating blow to monasteries in England. In this process, the wealth of some secular landlords and rural nobles increased greatly, so they became the most determined force to support the religious reform. It is emphasized that in terms of religious belief and theological thought, Henry VIII's religious reform has not changed substantially, and Britain has not become a Protestant country because of this, and Catholicism is still the orthodox belief of the Anglican Church.

Students are advised to read the history in textbooks and understand the relevant contents. 1553 Henry VIII and Catherine's daughter Mary succeeded to the throne. She has been a Catholic since she was a child. She hated the Reformation, rebuilt the dominance of Catholicism in Britain, brutally suppressed the Protestant forces, and sent hundreds of Protestants, including Kramer, who presided over the divorce judgment ceremony for her father, to the stake, thus gaining the reputation of "bloody Mary". She not only restored the mass ceremony and the priest's celibacy, but also persuaded Congress to vote to make Britain unconditionally loyal to the Pope again. 1558 Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Brin, succeeded to the throne. Although she was a Protestant since she was a child, she did not have deep religious beliefs. Her main interest is governing the country. She doesn't want to see her kingdom divided by sectarian strife. Therefore, she decided to adopt a moderate policy. Volcker, a Christian church historian, described: "Elizabeth's feelings are completely British." She is deeply concerned about the political and economic aspirations of the English-speaking people, which is also of great benefit to her. Her representativeness has reconciled many people with her government, and if only their religious beliefs are considered, they will be excluded. There is no doubt that she puts the interests of England first. " Elizabeth adopted a flexible and relaxed policy towards religion, reconciling Catholicism and Protestantism. The Thirty-nine Canon issued by 1563 typically embodies this British reconciliation, and it has also become a declaration of faith of the Church of England. The church is Protestant, but some creeds are ambiguous and can be accepted by Catholics. In addition, it also maintains the organization form of bishops and some Catholic ceremonies.

Elizabeth is a legendary queen in English history. She created an eclectic and inclusive atmosphere of the times and provided certain conditions for Catholicism and Protestantism to coexist peacefully in Britain. At this point, the Church of England was finally formed, and it developed into one of the three mainstream schools of Protestantism, also known as the Anglican Church or the Anglican Church. Comparing Luther's religious reform with Calvin's, some people commented: "The remarkable feature of English religious reform is that it did not produce such outstanding religious leaders as Luther, Calvin and Knox. In addition, before the reign of Elizabeth began, people did not show a clear awakening of religious consciousness. It is political and social reasons that promote the religious reform in Britain. For this reason, the Anglican Church lacks distinctive ideological characteristics, and all religious views are based on the principle of whether it is conducive to the development of England. Under Elizabeth's tolerant rule, English culture developed into a golden age, and a number of Renaissance cultural stars such as Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, Spencer and ben jones appeared.