The Protestant Reformation: A Boon for the Tudors
Changing religions or denominations is a serious gamble for any monarch. Many times, though not always, it ends with someone's head rolling. The pharaoh Akhenaten comes to mind. After ascending to the throne in the 13th century B.C., he quickly changed the state religion, started large architectural projects, and radically reshaped Egypt. But, unlike Henry VIII and the Tudor dynasty, Akhenaten was unsuccessful. His modifications ended shortly after his death, and even how he died is unknown. Aten died with Akhenaten, but the English Protestant Reformation only grew stronger and, with it, the Tudors.
Starting with Henry VIII and continuing through Elizabeth I, the Tudor dynasty gained power from the Protestant Reformation for two reasons. First, they gained land from the closure of Catholic monasteries and churches. Second, they consolidated religious power by becoming the head of the Anglican church. Through these two methods, Elizabeth I ended her reign wealthier and more powerful than her grandfather, who started the dynasty.
Henry VII started his reign in 1485 by defeating Richard III. This ended the long War of the Roses, but England was not out of trouble yet. It was weak, poor, and behind the continent in most ways. He would spend his kingship trying to solidify the crown and increase the coffers. While he was successful, it was not until his son and granddaughter that English power was solidified.
By the year 1509, Henry VIII had taken the throne. He would first align with the Catholic church at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. This would change due to his inability to divorce Catherine of Aragon. Henry wanted to divorce her since she could not bear him a son, but the Pope said no, and Henry quickly broke ties with the Catholic Church. While Henry did this for personal reasons, it did have national and global consequences.
One of the first acts, the Act of Supremacy, taken after the split, made Henry VIII the head of the English Church. Before, the English people's allegiance was split between the king and the pope. Now, their political and religious allegiance rested within the borders of England. This act strengthened the crown considerably because the average person tended to side with the pope since he held the keys to heaven. Protestants did not believe in this doctrine; thus, their allegiance was solely to the king.
Besides being the head of the English Church, Henry VIII also took possession of monasteries and churches. This drastically increased the amount of crown land and money, again strengthening the monarchy. After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, Edward VI gained the crown. Unlike his father, he was raised a Protestant and desired to change England’s laws to reflect its new religious orientation. Edward VI and his half-sister Elizabeth I would solidify England as a Protestant nation, once again strengthening the crown by dismantling ties to the continent and Catholicism. By the end of the Tudor dynasty in 1603, the English crown sat solidly on the monarch's head, so much so that the transition between Elizabeth I and James VI of Scotland, now James I of England, went smoothly.
Thus, the Tudors could boast that their reign and the acceptance and implementation of the Protestant Reformation raised England from that of a poor, weak, and backward nation to the rival of Spain. This also saw the British Empire's emergence and England's global reign.