To what extent was the English Church in 1553 different from what it had been in 1532?
The English Church underwent significant changes to its doctrine, structure and
relationship with the state between 1532 and 1553. The catalyst for this change was
undoubtedly the Break with Rome, during Henry VIII’s tenure, which sparked a pivot
away from Catholicism. This movement towards Protestantism continued during the
reign of Edward VI, although this arguably represented a more decisive transformation,
particularly as Edward VI was much more of an ardent Protestant than his predecessor,
for whom the Reformation was a means to an end to solve the Great Matter. Despite
profound changes to the Church during this period, it was not entirely unrecognisable
from its 1532 form. Thus, it is the view of this essay that describing the Church as
wholly different in 1553 would be a vast oversimplification of the state of the Church, as
the extent of change was substantial, but not a complete overhaul.
One area of the English Church which saw moderate change in the years 1532 to 1553
was the doctrine. On the one hand, it can be argued that under Henry VIII, changes to
the doctrine showed there was a swing to Protestantism. For example, the publication of
the ‘Great Bible’ in April 1539 - the first authorised edition of the Bible in English -
demonstrates that the doctrine was turning away from Catholicism, as the Bible had
previously only been published in Latin. However, it can also be said that this change
did not represent a full rejection of Catholicism in the doctrine; the 1543 Act for the
Advancement of True Religion restricted access to the English Bible to upper-class men
and noblewomen in private, therefore the extent to which the common man saw
doctrinal change was limited. Additionally, the 1539 Act of Six Articles reaffirmed
traditional Catholic doctrines, such as transubstantiation and confession, showing that
under Henry VIII, the citrine had not been altered much from its pre-Reformation form,
likely due to the fact that Henry VIII was undoubtedly conservative in his religious views.
This inconsistent nature of reforms to the doctrine can also be seen in the reign of
Edward VI. For instance, there was still internal division amongst key Protestant reform
to the doctrine, as it removed all traces of Catholicism and confirmed consubstantiation
over transubstantiation. Although the July 1547 Royal Injunctions permitted Bible
reading in English for all, thereby increasing accessibility to the Protestant doctrine, it is
more convincing to argue that any theological change was largely symbolic, as the
laymen mostly noticed the visible changes to the Church, rather than doctrinal
differences. Thus, it is erroneous to suggest that the English Church in 1532 was
markedly different to how it became in 1553 in terms of the doctrine, as arguably these
changes did not have much of a practical impact on society.
Alongside contrinal changes, there were notable changes to the structure of the Church
between 1532 to 1553. Arguably the largest structural shift took place under Henry VIII,
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level English Literature 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is
prohibited.
The English Church underwent significant changes to its doctrine, structure and
relationship with the state between 1532 and 1553. The catalyst for this change was
undoubtedly the Break with Rome, during Henry VIII’s tenure, which sparked a pivot
away from Catholicism. This movement towards Protestantism continued during the
reign of Edward VI, although this arguably represented a more decisive transformation,
particularly as Edward VI was much more of an ardent Protestant than his predecessor,
for whom the Reformation was a means to an end to solve the Great Matter. Despite
profound changes to the Church during this period, it was not entirely unrecognisable
from its 1532 form. Thus, it is the view of this essay that describing the Church as
wholly different in 1553 would be a vast oversimplification of the state of the Church, as
the extent of change was substantial, but not a complete overhaul.
One area of the English Church which saw moderate change in the years 1532 to 1553
was the doctrine. On the one hand, it can be argued that under Henry VIII, changes to
the doctrine showed there was a swing to Protestantism. For example, the publication of
the ‘Great Bible’ in April 1539 - the first authorised edition of the Bible in English -
demonstrates that the doctrine was turning away from Catholicism, as the Bible had
previously only been published in Latin. However, it can also be said that this change
did not represent a full rejection of Catholicism in the doctrine; the 1543 Act for the
Advancement of True Religion restricted access to the English Bible to upper-class men
and noblewomen in private, therefore the extent to which the common man saw
doctrinal change was limited. Additionally, the 1539 Act of Six Articles reaffirmed
traditional Catholic doctrines, such as transubstantiation and confession, showing that
under Henry VIII, the citrine had not been altered much from its pre-Reformation form,
likely due to the fact that Henry VIII was undoubtedly conservative in his religious views.
This inconsistent nature of reforms to the doctrine can also be seen in the reign of
Edward VI. For instance, there was still internal division amongst key Protestant reform
to the doctrine, as it removed all traces of Catholicism and confirmed consubstantiation
over transubstantiation. Although the July 1547 Royal Injunctions permitted Bible
reading in English for all, thereby increasing accessibility to the Protestant doctrine, it is
more convincing to argue that any theological change was largely symbolic, as the
laymen mostly noticed the visible changes to the Church, rather than doctrinal
differences. Thus, it is erroneous to suggest that the English Church in 1532 was
markedly different to how it became in 1553 in terms of the doctrine, as arguably these
changes did not have much of a practical impact on society.
Alongside contrinal changes, there were notable changes to the structure of the Church
between 1532 to 1553. Arguably the largest structural shift took place under Henry VIII,
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level English Literature 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is
prohibited.
