New
New
Year 8

The beliefs of the Church of England 1534-1558

I can explain how the beliefs of the Church of England changed based on who was the monarch at the time.

New
New
Year 8

The beliefs of the Church of England 1534-1558

I can explain how the beliefs of the Church of England changed based on who was the monarch at the time.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Henry kept some ideas of Catholicism, like transubstantiation, and executed people who deviated from it.
  2. The closure of monasteries in England was known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
  3. The Dissolution of Monasteries and religious changes led to a rebellion in 1536 known as the 'Pilgrimage of Grace'.
  4. Henry's son, Edward VI, made England more Protestant and introduced the Book of Common Prayer.
  5. Henry's daughter, Mary I, was Catholic and restored Catholicism in England.

Keywords

  • Monastery - a building occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows

  • Dissolution - the act or process of bringing to an end an official organisation

  • Uprising - an act of resistance or rebellion

Common misconception

People decide for themselves what religious beliefs they hold.

For much of English history, people had to believe what the monarch told them to believe, else they would be killed. This insistence upon belief became more relaxed only in the relatively recent past.

For a homework task, students could conduct a study of their local monastery. Students could find out if/when it was destroyed, but also how it functioned before the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Which keyword describes representatives from across the country who advise the king, approve taxes and make laws?
Correct Answer: Parliament, parliament
Q2.
Which keyword describes the highest in rank or authority?
Correct Answer: supreme, Supreme
Q3.
Put the 'Thomases' in order of when they helped Henry VIII with his 'Great Matter'.
1 - Thomas Wolsey
2 - Sir Thomas More
3 - Thomas Cromwell
Q4.
Why was Thomas Cromwell so important to Henry VIII in securing his divorce?
Correct answer: He was very good at manipulating Parliament into voting for acts Henry wanted.
He solved many of the legal cases that had piled up under Wolsey.
Correct answer: He led the charge against the Catholic Church and pushed through the annulment.
He used theological ideas and Scripture to argue for the annulment.
Q5.
By mid-1532, what had the goal of the Reformation Parliament become?
to introduce acts that pressured the pope to grant the annulment
to remove the power of the pope and the Church and transfer it to Thomas More
Correct answer: to remove the power of the pope and the Church and transfer it to the king
to introduce acts that pressured Thomas Cromwell to grant the annulment
Q6.
Who did the Act of Succession in March 1534 declare illegitimate?
Edward
Correct answer: Mary
Elizabeth

6 Questions

Q1.
Which keyword describes a building occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows?
Correct Answer: monastery, Monastery
Q2.
Complete the sentence: During the English Reformation, Henry kept some ideas of Catholicism, like during the Eucharist.
consubstantiation
Correct answer: transubstantiation
symbolic Eucharist
Q3.
Complete the sentence: Henry VIII's son, Edward VI, made England more compared to his father.
Correct Answer: Protestant, protestant
Q4.
During the Lincolnshire Rising, how many protestors occupied Lincoln Cathedral demanding that they be allowed to remain Catholic?
5000
50 000
Correct answer: 40 000
4000
Q5.
Put the uprisings in response to Henry VIII's religious reforms in chronological order.
1 - the Lincolnshire Rising
2 - the Pilgrimage of Grace
3 - the Cumberland Rising
Q6.
Which religion did England follow from July 1553?
Protestant
Correct answer: Catholic
Islam
Buddhism

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.