Why did Henry VIII ‘great matter’ matter?

1. Why did Henry VIII ‘great matter’ matter?

2. Learning objective – to be able to explain why and how Henry VIII broke with Rome and made himself Head of the Church of England. I can explain how Henry created the Church of England and prioritise key events. Level 4/5 I can explain in detail how Henry VIII created the Church of England and which were the most important events. Level 6 I can describe the key events that led to Henry VIII divorcing Catherine of Aragon. Level 3/4

3. Starter What does this tweet tells us about the character of Henry VIII? Is this accurate?

4. Henry VIII Became King of England in 1509. Married Catherine of Aragon in 1509. Was a very popular king in the early part of his reign. The Pope thought he was such a good Catholic he granted Henry the title ‘Defender of the Faith’.

5. Catherine of Aragon Very popular in England. A Spanish princess, once married to Henry ‘s older brother. By the mid-1520’s, Henry thought she was too old and boring. Ruled very effectively when Henry was absent in 1513.

6. Anne Boleyn Unpopular with the people who saw her as a wicked marriage-breaker. Hugely fashionable and seen as beautiful by the standards of the day. Some thought she was a witch due to the fact she had an extra finger and a mark on her neck.

7. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey Was placed in charge of obtaining a divorce from the Pope for Henry VIII. A son of an Ipswich butcher, who rose to the rank of Henry VIII First Minister. Wolsey failed to obtain a divorce and was sacked by Henry VIII. Wolsey died in 1530 on his way to London for his trial.

8. Thomas Cranmer Took over negotiations on behalf of Henry VIII for the divorce from Wolsey in 1530. Appointed as the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533. Was a key figure in Henry VIII becoming Head of the English Church.

9. Why did Henry VIII want to divorce Catherine of Aragon? • Henry VIII was getting bored of Catherine of Aragon. • Henry VIII read a passage of the Bible which made him question his marriage to Catherine. • Catherine of Aragon had not produced a living son for him.

10. Naughty Henry …….. Catherine became more religious and was not interested in going to parties. She was also ageing badly and putting on weight. During the early 1520’s Henry started a series of affairs as he was getting bored of Catherine. Henry’s affairs included one with Bessie Blount, who produced a living son, called Henry.

11. A Biblical Tale Catherine had once been married to Henry’s older brother, Arthur. The Pope had given special permission for Henry to marry his brother’s widow. With Henry getting bored of his marriage, he was reading the Bible where in Leviticus it stated that a man should never marry his brother’s widow and if he does they will be childless. This gave Henry the religious backed he needed to argue for a divorce.

12. Who follows Henry VIII? Henry desperately needed a son to continue the Tudor dynasty. By 1527, he and Catherine had one daughter but no sons. Henry now saw Catherine as too old to have any more children and had now fallen in love with a much younger woman – Anne Boleyn. Henry felt that Anne was more likely to give him the son he wanted.

13. Henry VIII quest for a divorce – 1527-33 At first, Henry tried to argue that his marriage was illegal. However, this was not the case. The only chance Henry had a getting a divorce was asking the Pope. The Pope refused as he was being threatened by Spanish troops. Henry hated the Pope having this control over him. The stalemate between the Pope and Henry VIII lasted between 1527-33.

14. Henry VIII becomes Head of the Church – 1533-4 Matters became more urgent in 1533 when Anne Boleyn became pregnant. Henry lost his patience with the negotiations with the Pope. As Head of the Church of England, Henry gave himself a divorce and married Anne Boleyn. Backed up by Cranmer and Parliament, Henry ignored the Pope and made himself Head of the Church of England.

15. The Break with Rome Henry VIII as Head of the Church of England was confirmed in 1534 with Act of Supremacy. England was no longer a Catholic country. It had changed to a Protestant country. All church services and Bible readings were now in English and churches were decorated differently. This change was called the ‘break with Rome’ as it broke away from control from the Pope.

16. Main task Read the worksheet carefully. Use a pencil and a ruler to draw your chart. Think carefully where you place each card. Make sure you are able to explain your decisions.

17. Choose your plenary • Design a logo that summarises this lesson. • Write a tweet from each of the accounts of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon and Thomas Wolsey stating what they think of the events surrounding the Break with Rome. • Design a word cloud summarising today’s lesson.