Anglican Church It is commonly believed that the country of England was a solely Catholic nation until Henry VIII's abrupt break from Catholicism so that they might marry Anne Boleyn. The king was already married and under Catholic law, the only way to end a marriage was through the death of a spouse or through annulment. Henry attempted to annul his first marriage, but the presence of a daughter Mary, showed that his claims that the marriage went unconsummated proved to be completely false. The Catholic Church refused to grant Henry a divorce and vowed to excommunicate him from the church if he went through with it (Dixon 1878,-page 3). In retaliation, King Henry of England decided that, rather than have to obey a religious person in a position of power, he would break off from the Catholic Church entirely and place himself at the head of his new religion. Doing so would ensure that no question of religion or ethics could be answered in a way as would displease him. Although the royals may have still practiced Catholicism, at least in name, there were many people in the country who began to participate in the Protestant religion. This was particularly true in the neighboring island of Ireland where debates over religious differences led to infighting and a great deal...
The Anglican Church, also known as the Church of England actually has its founding as far back as the era of St. Patrick.Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
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