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The '''Reformation Parliament''' was so-called because it was the [[Parliament of England|English Parliament]], commencing in 1529, that passed and enabled the major pieces of [[legislation]] leading to the [[English Reformation]].<ref>The names of these acts (and others) may be found at the [[List of Acts of Parliament of the English Parliament to 1600]].</ref> Unusually, 'English' is included in the usual name to distinguish it from the [[Scottish Reformation Parliament]]. |
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After the failure of [[Thomas Wolsey|Cardinal Wolsey]] to win the [[Blackfriars trial]], [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]] of [[England]] was frustrated. He was left without a male heir, and his wife, [[Catherine of Aragon]], was considered to be past child-bearing age. In 1529, Henry opened what would later become known as the English Reformation Parliament. It opened in the month of October and ran until December 1529 without forming a coherent plan on what to do. Because of this, Henry used it to discredit Wolsey. Soon after this Henry turned his attentions to the church itself. |
After the failure of [[Thomas Wolsey|Cardinal Wolsey]] to win the [[Blackfriars trial]], [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]] of [[England]] was frustrated. He was left without a male heir, and his wife, [[Catherine of Aragon]], was considered to be past child-bearing age. In 1529, Henry opened what would later become known as the English Reformation Parliament. It opened in the month of October and ran until December 1529 without forming a coherent plan on what to do. Because of this, Henry used it to discredit Wolsey. Soon after this Henry turned his attentions to the church itself. |
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Revision as of 15:12, 22 May 2010
The Reformation Parliament was so-called because it was the English Parliament, commencing in 1529, that passed and enabled the major pieces of legislation leading to the English Reformation.[1] Unusually, 'English' is included in the usual name to distinguish it from the Scottish Reformation Parliament.
After the failure of Cardinal Wolsey to win the Blackfriars trial, King Henry VIII of England was frustrated. He was left without a male heir, and his wife, Catherine of Aragon, was considered to be past child-bearing age. In 1529, Henry opened what would later become known as the English Reformation Parliament. It opened in the month of October and ran until December 1529 without forming a coherent plan on what to do. Because of this, Henry used it to discredit Wolsey. Soon after this Henry turned his attentions to the church itself.
Acts
The major pieces of legislation from the Reformation Parliament included:
1529 Clergy legal privilege removed
An Act passed to prevent the Clergy being subject to separate canonical courts. Instead they were now to be tried under the same circumstances as a commoner.
1530 Praemunire charges reinstated
The Parliament accepted the reinstatement of the charge named Praemunire where individuals could be convicted of a crime for appealing to any power outside of the realm for resolution of a situation within England. In particular, the law was aimed at those recognising the Pope's authority. The law gave leave that charges could be dropped if fines of £118,000 were paid.
1532 Rome deprived of a portion of Annates normally remitted
First Act of Annates (the Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates) is passed allowing only 5% of money normally remitted to Rome. Annates were monies (church taxes effectively) that were collected in England and sent to Rome. They were levied on any diocese by Rome as payment in return for the nomination and Papal authorization for the consecration of a Bishop. One third of the first year's revenues from the particular diocese went to Rome. The king passed legislation threatening to deprive the pope of these revenues. During this year even more intensive work was done to try to get Pope Clement to agree to the divorce Henry required. The Parliament threatened that if Henry did not get his annulment/divorce within a year, that all payments to Rome would be stopped. The anti-clerical Act titled Supplication Against the Ordinaries was also passed.
1533 All appeals to Rome, religious or otherwise forbidden
Annates threat carried out but not yet legalised by Parliament. Cromwell's Act in Restraint of Appeals was passed, preparing the way for further praemunire charges against leading Catholic clergy and nobles who disagreed with the King's wish to divorce.
1534 Act of Supremacy; Annates reserved to the English Crown
Second Act of Annates passed, called the Act in Absolute Restraint of Annates. The annates were, along with the supremacy over the church in England, reserved to the crown, and the British crown now took all revenue charged for the appointment of bishops. The Act of First Fruits and Tenths transferred the taxes on ecclesiastical income from the Pope to the Crown. The Peter's Pence Act outlawed landowners paying one penny to the Pope. The Treasons Act 1534 made it high treason punishable by death to deny Royal Supremacy. The first Act of Supremacy (among other things) began the process by which the dissolution of monasteries was to be undertaken throughout the British realm. It was consolidated by the second Act of Supremacy in 1559.
1536 Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act
The Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act began the process of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It quickly followed the receipt of a survey called Valor Ecclesiasticus, but applied only to religious houses with an income of less than two hundred pounds a year.
References
- ^ The names of these acts (and others) may be found at the List of Acts of Parliament of the English Parliament to 1600.
- Lehmberg, Stanford E, (1970). The Reformation Parliament 1529-1536. The Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521076552.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
See also
- Scottish Reformation Parliament, commencing 1560