“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. All for the want of a horseshoe nail.” – proverb In the above-quoted proverb, it is one small thing – the lack of a horseshoe nail – that snowballs into final destruction for the kingdom. The really fascinating thing about the formation of the Anglican Church is how so small a thing as the romantic life of one man – albeit a king – affected the socio-religious conditions of a country. Henry VIII’s real motive behind breaking off from Rome and starting his own style of religion was to create a legal authority in England that would allow him to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry his lover, Anne Boleyn. It was Anne Boleyn’s pregnancy that gave an urgency to matters, and drove Henry to hasten events in a rush to legitimize the child, the future Queen Elizabeth. Because of this, he pushed legislation that acknowledged him as the head of the Church of England, otherwise known as the Anglican Ecclesia.
Because of this one man’s desire for divorce and his inability to accept “no” for an answer, the Reformation was pushed ahead, there was a distinct break from Rome, and there was a decisive subordination of Church to state. Henry VIII created and led the Anglican movement, converted all of England to his brand new religion, subordinated Church to state, and changed the direction of religion. All for want of a divorce. I find it fascinating to see how so small a thing can change the direction of an entire country, both religiously and socially..
The Essay on Why Did Henry VIII Create The Church Of England?
In this essay I am going to try and find out why King Henry VIII created the Church of England. In 1532 he broke with papal authority and announced himself head of the church in England, in 1533 the Church of England was created and in 1535 monasteries were closed. There are many arguments to do with economics, power, popularity, religion and finally succession and his personal life. Henry did not ...
