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The Reformation

Henrician Reforms, Part 2

Once the divorce was final and the Church's assets had been seized, there was a bit of a pause, for Henry was not really interested in religious reform. Nevertheless, if England wasn't exactly Protestant, it was not Catholic either, and Protestant preachers spread the Lutheran message.

How little down the Lutheran road Henry was willing to travel can be seen in the act of Parliament in 1539. These were six statements of faith and practice that were soundly conservative in tone, and were not at all what the Lutheran preachers had hoped to see. It was enough for Henry, however. He was emperor within his own kingdom, and that was enough.

After Thomas Cromwell was executed in 1540, Henry took a more direct hand in Church matters, and reform came to a standstill until his death in 1547. Everyone understood that nothing further would happen under the old king, so activity shifted to the heir.

Henry had one son, Edward. The boy was being raised as a Protestant, so it was clear that reforms would follow upon his accession. Henry was no supporter of this, but he feared that if he turned Edward over to the conservatives, the ones who wanted a return to Rome, then the crown would lose supremacy in the name of papalism. So, he let the boy be.