2. The King of England, Henry VIII  During the initial stages of his reign, Henry VIII was a staunch advocate for the papacy  He wrote Defence of the Seven Sacraments in opposition to Luther’s claims  First married to Catherine of Aragon, Aunt to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

3. Where things got difficult...  After 18 years of marriage to Catherine, the couple was unable to produce a male heir. Their only child was Mary.  Henry’s affections had also moved elsewhere.

4. Why Henry can’t get a divorce:  The marriage was a political tie with the Spanish  She was his brothers widow  Pope Clement VII will not allow the annulment of the marriage (on the grounds of her being his brothers wife)

5. The Creation of the Church of England  Angry at the delays, Henry VIII went to Parliament and passed laws weakening the power of the Catholic Church  Act of Supremacy of 1534 made the King the “Protector and Only Supreme Head of the church and clergy in England”  The Church of England was formed, maintaining many of the trappings and institutions of the Church in Rome  Henry could now marry his mistress Anne Boleyn

6. Sir Thomas More  The new oath meant that all people in England had to swear an oath to the King as leader of the Church of England.  Thomas More (author of Utopia) refused to swear allegiance and would not recognize Henry’s marriage to Anne.  He was executed for treason

7. The legacy...  Henry VIII would bear three children over the course of his six marriages.  Mary (Catherine of Aragon)  Elizabeth (Anne Boleyn)  Edward (Jane Seymour)  All of his children would at one time inherit the crown.

8. King Edward IV  Reign: 1547-1553  Became King at age 9  Ruled through regents  Reign marked by the full establishment of Protestantism in England  The Archbishop of Canterbury introduced the Book of Common Prayer during Edward’s reign  A sickly child, Edward died at 15

9. Queen Mary I  Reign: 1553-1558  A strict Catholic, Mary overturned most reforms made during Edward’s reign and returned England to Catholicism  Mary had hundreds of Protestant dissenters burned at the stake – giving her the nickname Bloody Mary  Mary was married to Phillip II of Spain and was unable to produce an heir to the throne

10. Queen Elizabeth I  Reign: 1558-1603  Returned England to Protestantism through the Act of Supremacy of 1559 and the Act of Uniformity of 1559  Elizabeth was Supreme Governor of the Church of England  The Religious Settlement held throughout her reign and Elizabeth, having never produced an heir, selected the Protestant King of Scotland as heir to her throne