King Henry VIII: Controversial Contribution to the Reformation - Research Paper Example

This study focuses on this part of Henry’s history, providing an overview of the religious controversy and its determinants through primary and secondary sources. The study explores King Henry’s controversial break from the papacy, taking the thesis that Henry’s chauvinistic and political determination defined his non-theological role in the Reformation. Henry VIII embarked on his reign as a devote Catholic, accepting the authority of the Pope as the head of the church and even defending the papacy against the early reformers.

However, the consonance did not last long as happenings resulted in Henry VIII being ex-communicated from the church and, in turn, the king assumed the leadership of the Church of England. The exact details revolve around Henry’s desire for a male heir, a want he went to great lengths to secure. Henry had been married to Catherine, his elder brother’s widow and their children together had died in infancy except for Mary. Henry desperately needed a male heir since he feared that a female heir would jeopardize the hold of the Tudors on the English monarchy (Leon 1527-1529).

Hence, Henry set off to try and divorce from Queen Catherine, which set him off on a collision path with the church. After several unsuccessful attempts to have the Pope allow him to divorce Catherine, King Henry went ahead and married Anne Boleyn, triggering his excommunication from the Church of Rome. Parliamentary legislation backed Henry’s decision to break away from Rome and through his supportive appointments Henry King became the head of the Church of England. The period after this saw the growth of the Reformation movement in England and rise in Protestantism.

Notable occurrences in King Henry’s leadership of the Church of England included the banning of monasteries across England and heightened intolerance towards pro-Rome parties who were coldly executed. Other ways through which Henry impacted the Reformation was through the introduction of the English Bible, banning of pilgrimages and shrines. Records show that not all citizens of England supported Henry’s Reformation. Majority of the commoners were not happy with the monarchy as the head of the