Henry VIII and the King's Great Matter
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why Henry VIII became dissatisfied with the Roman Catholic Church.
Key learning points
- Henry VIII trying to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragon was known as the 'King's Great Matter'.
- Henry wished to marry Anne Boleyn because he needed a son for an heir.
- The Church did not want to give Henry an annulment.
- The failure of Wolsey to secure an annulment led to his fall from power.
Keywords
Heir - a person who expects to inherit the property or position of another when that person dies
Annulment - to declare something invalid
Common misconception
Kings have the power to do whatever they want in their own countries.
For a great deal of English history, the power of the kings has been restricted by English laws and religious laws issued by the pope in Rome.
Teacher tip
A class debate can be organised regarding whether or not the failure of Wolsey to secure an annulment should have led to his downfall. Give students a side to argue for and provide them with evidence to support that opinion, then allow students to hear each others' arguments and respond to them.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which keyword describes someone who tries to change and improve something, such as a religion?
Q2.Which keyword describes a Christian who believes that the pope has authority over the Church?
Q3.Which of the following words describes the idea that the bread and wine used in the Eucharist became the body and blood of Christ, whilst also remaining bread and wine?
Q4.Which invention allowed Luther to spread his ideas to a wide audience?
Q5.Match the reform ideas to the correct person.
Martin Luther
John Calvin
Huldrych Zwingli
Q6.Complete the sentence: Although there were several different versions of Protestantism in Europe at this time, version of Protestantism became the dominant one.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What keyword describes a person who expects to inherit the property or position of another when that person dies?
Q2.Which keyword means to declare something invalid?
Q3.Complete the sentence: Henry VIII trying to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragon was known as the ' '.
Q4.Why did Henry VIII want to divorce Catherine of Aragon?
Q5.Why was Pope Clement VII not in a position to grant Henry VIII a divorce in 1527?
Q6.The failure of whom in securing Henry VIII's divorce led to their fall from power?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Henry VIII and the King's Great Matter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Henry VIII and the King's Great Matter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Henry VIII and the Reformation: how unusual was the English Reformation? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.