Comparing Martin Luther And King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII married Catherine, who was a devote Catholic and they had one daughter named Mary, but Henry wanted a son. Anne Boylen was a lady in waiting to the Queen, when she and Henry became very good friends, wanting more Anne convinced Henry to reach out to the Pope and get a divorce so that Anne could then marry Henry and become Queen. The Pope said no and so Henry created the Church of England so that he could marry Anne. With Henry leaving the Catholic Church, this is when the Puritans began seeing the immoral and lax attitude the Nobility and the Church of England had towards the rules of the Bible and God.

Martin Luther’s Letter to the German nobility condemned many of the Catholic Churches practices that Martin Luther believed reflected a corrupt church and described his growing opposition to the pope. Martin Luther believed that the pope should not have any authority over the emperor unless it is for spiritual offices. He believed that the only time, out of religious situations, the pope should feel above the emperor is when he anoints and crowns him at the altar. Martin Luther also did not understand the point or agree with pilgrimages or supports the facts that priest were not allowed to marry. He believed that pilgrimages separated you from your family which you are suppose to protect, not leave and that by forbidding priest to marry you are going against God’s wishes. While Martin Luther does not agree with many of the Catholic Church’s practices, the purpose of this document is not to bring hate upon the pope and Catholic Church but rather bring light upon the early reformation and Luther’s new religious movement.

Desiring marriage to his mistress Anne Boleyn, and a subsequent male heir to the throne, King Henry VIII of England stood before the pope with a plea. He wanted to divorce his then wife Catherine of Aragon, who he had come to despise for failing to produce a male heir, and instead marry Anne. However, this request was met with adamant refusal by the pope, who deemed the divorce unholy as it was against the Catholic faith. Upon hearing that his request was denied, Henry became livid and, in with the Act of Supremacy, ordained himself the head of the Anglican Church. He then proceeded to divorce Catherine and take Anne as his new bride. But Henry’s actions against the Catholic Church did not stop there.

Martin Luther faced many criticisms within the church. It was noticed that the popes were too concerned with worldly affairs rather than focusing on their church responsibilities and duties. Some had children, which were breaking the vows. Some popes in addition, were poorly educated. Without this proper education, they wouldn’t have a reliable source of knowledge and could

The Church of England was created by Henry VIII in 1534 because he, like many people with authority, didn’t like others telling him what to believe. When the Pope didn’t let him divorce his first wife, he got mad and created a church much like the Catholic Church but with him as the head. It changed the way political, economic, religious and social ways were. Instead the pope

Henry did not support Luther and was given the title 'Defender of the Faith' by the Pope due to his strong support of the Catholic Church. Katherine of Aragon, the niece of Emperor Charles V, married Henry on non-consummation grounds when her husband, Henry's brother, passed away. England had faced a 'War of the Roses' in 1455-1487 where the fight for England's throne caused political chaos. Henry was faced with a similar problem as he had no son to pass his crown to after he died. At the same time, Henry was in love with Anne Boleyn and wanted the Pope to annul his marriage with Katherine.

After his brother's death Henry VIII not only gained the title of being next in line for the throne, but also a betrothal to his brother’s now widowed wife, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII remained only betrothed to one another until after the death of Henry’s father Henry VII. 1509 marked the death of Henry VII, this also became the year that Henry VIII, at the age of 17, and Catherine of Aragon were married and crowned at Westminster Abbey. At the beginning of Henry VIII’s ruling he supported the Catholic church and the papacy, he never went against their statements and he even had Thomas Wolsey, a catholic cardinal, help him with both his foreign and domestic policies from 1514-1529. Henry VIII had no problems with the papacy until he wanted to have an annulment between him and Catherine of Aragon approved by the

Another major reason for the Reformation was because in part of King Henry VII (True, “The Protestant Reformation” slide 18). True states, “Catherine and Henry were unable to produce a son, and Catherine faced a great deal of hardship” (True, “The Protestant Reformation” slide 19). This was big enough to cause King Henry to try and leave his wife (MacCulloch, 135). According to Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of “The Reign of Henry VIII: Politics, Policy and Piety”, stated “By the summer of 1527 Henry VIII had decided to divorce his wife of eighteen years and to marry Anne Boleyn” (MacCulloch, 135). Although the king’s mind was set, he has some challenges to face before he could get what he wanted. This problem stemmed from the Church’s beliefs on marriage. According to True, “in a lengthy back-and-forth between the king and the Pope (which was led by Cardinal Wolsey), The Pope resisted Henry’s attempt to both annul his marriage and to divorce Catherine” (True, “The Protestant reformation” slide 21). This simple refusal led to a bigger reaction from King Henry VIII. True states, “....issuing the Act of Supremacy in 1534, which declared himself head of the church in England” (True, “The Protestant Reformation” slide 21). Over the next few years that caused a dramatic switch in terms of religion (True, “The Protestant

In 1533, Henry VIII became obsessed with Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII asked the pope to annul his almost 20 year marriage to Catherine de Aragon. When the pope refused, Henry VIII founded his own church. He named is Church of England and he proclaim himself to be the head of the new founded church. People started to move to America where they wanted freedom of religion (Khle, 2009).

Martin Luther and King Henry were both devout catholics and didn't necessarily want Christianity to undergo another great schism like what occured between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox. But both men wanted the church to undergo some kind of reform, however it was Henry who instituted the most direct religious reform in the form of the Church of England. Luther wanted the catholic church to reform to ease his mind. He hated the strange rituals that bishops and priests practised in order to absolve someone of their sins. He saw right through the priests and their money-grabbing schemes because he believed in salvation through faith and faith alone.

Henry the VIII was the second English Tudor king, after his father, Henry VII. He reigned over England from, 21st April 1509 until, 28th January 1547. During his childhood and his first marriage, Henry was a firm believer of the Catholic Church and of the Pope. However things changed and later in Henrys reign the English reformation came to England; the monasteries were closed and Henry separated himself from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry was definitely starting to look more and more like a protestant. There are many points that we can use to decipher whether or not Henry VIII was really Catholic or Protestant and in this essay these points will be discussed to draw a conclusion.

Martin Luther changes his attitude between 1517 to 1535 is because now he has more popularity that he has grown more confidence to debate the Catholic Church ideals. Martin was a German monk who believed in God and didn’t argue with the Catholic Church ideas. The main idea Martin disagreed with the Catholic Church for was when they started to sell indulgences to people, to raise money, and to buy art. Martins Luther voiced his concerns that were his 95 Theses. For example, he states that he “has so much boldness that [he has] dared to think of [writing] a letter to someone of [the Pope’s] sublimity…. [he] [grieves] over the wholly false impressions which people have conceived from [Indulgences]” (Document A). This demonstrates that Martin

“I will go even if I am too sick to stand on my feet. If Caesar calls me, God calls me… I must take care that the gospel is not brought into contempt by our fear to confess and seal our teaching with our blood.” Martin Luther a man who became tired of being controlled by the Catholic church and intrigued to find something new, began to change the world as we know it. The Catholic Church was the biggest part of almost all the lives in the early 1400-1500’s. The people prayed to the church and priest, gave money, and spent their time there.

Martin Luther was eager to change the Roman Catholic Church since his beliefs clashed with the church’s practices. He proclaimed that salvation of the soul will come about because of the genuine confidence in God, not simply great deeds. Martin Luther also firmly hated the demonstration of conceding and offering indulgences since he felt that forgiveness came from that person and God.

Martin Luther rejected several teachings and practices of the church. He believed that freedom from sin didn’t have to be bought. Luther proposed his discussion of the usefulness of the indulgences in his 95 theses in 1517. In 1520, he refused to retract his writings by the commands of Pope Leo X and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, at the Diet of Worms in 1521. He was excommunicated by the pope and condemned as an outlaw by the emperor.