In What Ways Has Roman Catholicism Been an Example of Religious Tradition in England?

The Roman Catholic Church was widely unchallenged in England until 1533. It was at this point that the annulment of King Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon was denied. Henry VIII proceeded to sever all ties with Rome and in doing so turned his back on the many centuries of tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, an action which would, over the following 3 centuries, cause much unrest and political upheaval. It is at this point then that the dissent from the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church in England began.

Since the 6th century the Church of England has been Roman Catholic, therefore it was held in high regard and the English people’s aversion to change led to an unfavourable look at the dissent caused by the beginning of the Protestant movement. It is easy to view the Church of England as a single body that changed as one to follow the new direction. However, as the Protestants gained strength and support the Church of England became divided with some still recognising the authority of the pope and others following the distinctly more Protestant path, this demonstrates the first example of both tradition and dissent in the Church of England.   After the 1533 split from Rome, some of the Roman Catholic traditions were rejected, for example, monasteries were abolished and a Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer was appointed. Despite the dissent implied here however the traditional doctrine and religious practice remained largely unchanged. It was not until after the death of Henry VIII in 1547 that the dissent truly took hold as Cranmer used the opportunity of a Protestant King to push his more radical Protestant ideas.

Cranmer’s new order of service was introduced in 1549 and was distinctly Protestant it was then revised in 1552 to be more heavily Protestant. Up until the death of Edward VI in 1553 the dissent from traditional Roman Catholicism had been gaining strength, however when Mary I took the throne she took the Church...