I am studying Henry VIII's early religious beliefs at university. I was wondering if anyone could advise me for where to look for information on religious building projects, his preferred saints etc, up to about 1525. I appreciate any help that is offered.
I know very little about Henry VIII's faith in the detail that you have described, but you may be aware that he published a pamphlet against Martin Luther's theses in 1519 and defending the pope's supremacy, for which the pope granted him the title of Fidei Defensor, or Defender of the Faith (later revoked after his break with Rome). He also joined Pope Julius II's Holy League against France in 1511. Henry was a very orthodox Catholic, and even after his break with Rome, many of his practices remained Catholic in spirit if not in name. For most of his childhood, he was raised for the Church, and had his brother not died, he may very well have become pope himself. It was only after he died and Edward VI came to power that the Protestant nobles began seeking to implement their reforms and ideas into the Church of England and the Anglican Church really formed.
ReplyDeleteI know I probably have not offered much in the way that you don't already know, but I think the main thing to keep in mind is that to the end of his life, Henry VIII was (or would have called himself) a devoted Catholic, and often manipulated his beliefs and twisted them to suit his purposes, but always in a way to satisfy his conscience.