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The Reformation

Early Stages

People in England heard about Martin Luther, of course, and there was a good deal of sympathy for his arguments. The humanist movement was well received under the young Henry VIII, who himself had classical training. Henry did not, however, support Luther ran criticism of the mass or the sacraments, and he certainly held no truck with the notion of the priesthood of all believers. In fact, Henry gained a certain modest celebrity by writing a little work on the seven sacraments that was a reply to Luther. Ironically, for this work the pope awarded the English king the title of Defender of the Faith, a title which Henry kept even after his break with Rome.

So, the reformers had to watch their step as carefully as any place else. One of the early reformers was William Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English. He had to leave England in order to get the work published (1524). The 1520s were a heady time for reformers everywhere, and Lutheran ideas spread through illicit printing presses and secret meetings.

Still, the ingredient that seemed to be a prerequisite for reform on the Continent—the support of a prince—was missing in England. Until 1527. In that year, Henry decided at last that he would divorce Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn.