Why did Henry VIII break with Rome?

Why did Henry VIII break with Rome?

• Answer:

  Henry VIII was a king from the Tudor era. He is mainly known for having 6 wives. He also started the Church of England and broke with the Roman Catholic Church. We are going to take a closer look at why Henry broke with Rome and how significant money was when breaking with Rome. Henry had just fought in a war against France. He had splashed the cash on all the latest weapons. This cost Henry a lot of money and Henry needed money soon. The Church was incredibly rich at that time. To Henry it made sense to take over the church and take its money. The pope was also taking all the taxes people would give in tithes and offerings. Henry 'needed' the money so he could spend it on the war. Henry was married to Catherine of Aragon at this time but she had failed to give him a son. Henry wanted a son to take over power from him when he died. Henry thought God was punishing him for marrying his brother's widow. He also loved Anne Boleyn and was sure she would give him a son. Before he could even think about marring Anne he would have to divorce Catherine. If he did he would need permission from the Pope. The Holy Roman Empire controlled the Pope and his decisions. The leader of the Holy Roman Empire was related to Catherine of Aragon and did not want to let the family down by letting his relative get divorced. This obviously did not please Henry. If Henry wanted to divorce Catherine than he would have to do something about this situation. If he took over the church he could get a divorce whenever he wanted. The monks and nuns where not living very holy lives. They were greedy and sinful. They were stealing money and wine. This was a big problem that needed thinking about. Henry knew that if the monasteries remained open that he would be 'the king who let down England'. This would not be good as he thought of himself as the most powerful king. He could not intervene with the monasteries as they were under the church's protection. If Henry took over the Catholic church than he could solve the problem. This is another reason why he broke with the church. Henry longed for power. That was all he ever wanted. The church was also the most powerful thing there was at that time. It could make decisions for you and you could not change that decision. Henry longed for that amount of power. If he took over the church he could have that amount of power and use that power whenever he wanted to.