1. Why was the Royal Supremacy a turning point in State-Church relations?

2. Learning objective – to be able to explain the impact of the Act of Supremacy of 1536.
I can describe the different features of the Act of Supremacy.
Grade D
I can explain the impact of the Act of Supremacy.
Grade B
I can explain and analyse the impact and importance of the Act of Supremacy.
Grade A/A*

10. The key acts passed by the Reformation Parliament before the Act of Supremacy in 1534
The Act of Restraint of Annates of 1532 gave the King power to appoint bishops.
Dispensations Act of 1532 stopped all payments to Rome.
Act of the Submission of the Clergy of 1532 put the monarch in control of the Convocation.
The Act of Restraint of Appeal of 1533 prevented anyone from appealing to the Pope in religious matters.
The Act of Succession of 1534 made Anne Boleyn’s marriage to Henry valid and a treasonable act to criticise the marriage.

11. The Act of Supremacy of 1534
By 1534, Henry VIII was, in effect, Head of the Church and this was confirmed in law by the Act of Supremacy.
The Act of Supremacy reinforced royal power and allowed Henry VIII to demand obedience to him alone and not the Pope.
This was augmented by the Treason Act which made it a capital crime to criticise the monarch over what he had done to the Church.
This also place Parliament at the centre of establishing royal power.

12. Cromwell appointed as Vicegerent - 1535
Thomas Cromwell was at the centre of establishing Royal Supremacy and the work of the Reformation Parliament.
In establishing his power after the Act of Supremacy, Henry VIII appointed Cromwell as Vicegerent in 1535.
This position, which meant ‘Head Vicar’ and gave Cromwell wide ranging powers to force Henry VIII’s will over the Church despite not being a clergyman.
Their first act was to abolish the benefit of the clergy and sanctuary.

13. Dissolution of the Monasteries – 1536-40
As vicegerent, Cromwell investigated the monasteries and through Parliament passed laws to close the monasteries.
All monastic property was passed over to Henry VIII.
Henry VIII sold much of this land to merchants and businessmen – who made up a new rising gentry class.

14. The Act of the Ten Articles - 1536
This was the first attempt to define the new doctrine of the English Church.
Mostly in line with Catholic practices it did reduce the sacraments in line with Protestant beliefs.
However, in the later years of Henry’s reign, religious reform was halted and this began with the Act of Six Articles in 1539 which reinforced Catholic belief.
This continued with the publication of the King’s Book in 1543.

15. The Church under Edward VI
The Church saw a decisive swing towards Protestantism under Edward VI.
The centrepiece of this was the Act of Uniformity of 1549 which made compulsory the Book of Common Prayer in all acts of worship.
A second Prayer Book in 1552 took the country further into Protestantism which was supported by changing church decorations and the Forty-Two Articles.

16. The Church under Mary
The Church saw a decisive swing back to Catholicism under Mary.
The Papal Supremacy was restored.
However, she was unable to restore former monastic lands back to the church as the new landowners refused to comply and Mary was not strong enough to enforce her wishes.
Another barrier to Catholic restoration was Protestant protest which demonstrated the hold that Protestantism had in some areas of the country.

17. Cut out the cause cards and place them in a significance pyramid and stick them on a piece of card. Write two sentence explanations for each cause.

18. Complete the note making framework
Key features of the Royal Supremacy
Impact on Parliament
Impact on the monarch
Impact on the Church

19. What impact did the Act of Supremacy have on the following aspects of Tudor policy?
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The later religious policy of Henry VIII
The religious policy of Edward VI
The religious policy of Mary