as the ‘supreme head on earth of the Church of England’. Furthermore, he passed an Oath of Supremacy which insisted that all his subjects recognise him as the head of the Church. The Henrican Reformation (the religious reforms made by Henry VIII) meant that England was officially no longer Catholic.
Henry’s daughter Elizabeth became queen in 1558 and continued to make reforms. Elizabeth I established the Anglican Church. This was a mixture of Protestant and Catholic beliefs and traditions. Many of the Catholic vestments returned yet the vernacular services and married clergy also remained part of the Anglican Church. Elizabeth also passed laws to ensure that England would remain Protestant. The Act of Supremacy of 1559 made her the Governor rather than the Head of the Church of England, thus allowing Catholics privately still to regard the Pope as head of the Catholic Church. Her rule lasted for 45 years and during that time England became firmly Protestant.
Fig 7.13 Elizabeth I ruled for 45 years and established the Anglican Church.
D. The Counter-Reformation
During the Reformation, there were many Catholics who remained part of the Catholic Church but who also wanted reforms. Therefore, reforms within the Church were carried out as well as measures to control the spread of Protestantism. This is known as the Counter-Reformation.
These reforms included: 1. New orders within the Church
Many new religious orders (organisations or societies of priests, monks or nuns) were established to promote the Catholic Church’s teachings among Europe’s populations. The most important one was the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits as they became known. They were founded by St Ignatius de Loyola. He was an ex-soldier and he organised the order along military lines. All members are expected to follow rules without question and the leader is referred to as the general.
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Fig 7.12 Henry VIII was Catholic until he was refused a divorce by Pope Clement.
Fig 7.14 St Ignatius de Loyola, ex-soldier and founder of the Jesuits.