Henry VIII

Henry VIII was the second king from the Tudor dynasty. We know little about his early life, but he did receive a good education. Henry VIII was not the first heir to the throne, but his older brother died, leaving Henry as the Prince of Wales.

Henry became king at age 18 in 1509, and shortly after married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. Because it was so important to have and heir to the throne, Henry VIII was anxious to have a son. Catherine miscarried several times before finally having two healthy daughters, but she never bore a son. Henry wanted to divorce Catherine, but Pope Clement VII did not grant his wishes. Henry ignored the Pope, and banished Catherine from his court. After banishing Catherine, Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, but she too did not please Henry with a son. In 1535, Henry declared himself the head of the church of England, this is today know as the Act of Supremacy.  Anne was executed by Henry in 1536, and he instead married Jane Seymour. Jane finally bore him a son, in 1537 but died later that year due to birth difficulties. Henry VIII died at age 55 in 1547, and was succeeded by his only son, Edward IV.

 

Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I, who took over after Queen Mary (Bloody Mary), returned the country to Protestantism for good. She was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty in England.

Elizabeth was a child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When Mary was ruler, Elizabeth found herself in danger because she was Protestant and Mary suspected her of plotting to take the throne. Elizabeth was imprisoned by her sister, and remained on house arrest until Mary’s death in 1558. Elizabeth became queen in 1559 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Though she had several suitors in life, she never married and earned the nickname “Virgin Queen”. She supported Protestantism and dismissed the Catholic goals of her sister Mary.

Due to death of good friends, Elizabeth had severe bouts of depression in 1602 and 1603. She died in March 1603 and was buried next to her sister Mary in Westminster Abbey.

The Elizabethan era brought great stability to England, and helped establish a new identity for the country. While other countries were going through internal struggles England suddenly rose to the top of the pack.

The Reformation

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door at Wittenburg in 1575, he did not know that it would start a whole movement. The Reformation started in Germany but included almost every major nation in Europe. Luther’s original protest against the Catholic church was, that they were selling indulgences. Over time, the church was told to enact reforms in many other areas as well. The printing press played an important part during this time to spread information quickly.

The five solae are Latin phrases that sum up the beliefs of the reformers. Sola means “alone” in English:

• Sola scriptura- Scripture alone
• Sola fide- Faith alone
• Sola gratia- grace alone
• Sola Christus-  through Christ alone
• Sola Deo Gloria  to God alone be the glory.

The Catholic church was not happy with the Reformation movement, so to bring a stop to it, they called the Council of Trent and organized a counter-reformation movement. This counter-reformation was not helping, the Reformation was spreading. Before long, other countries in Europe became part of the Reformation.

No one could stop the Reformation, and it changed the future of Europe as it developed.