Denying the King

The split between the English and the Roman Catholic Church is often misunderstood, and many people believe that Henry VIII chose to leave the church because the Pope would not grant him a divorce. This is factual, but the Pope’s lack of acquiescence to his demands did not help matters. It was just another nail in the coffin between the English nobility and the church. There were many differences that were not worked out, and church officials mistakenly believed they would be able to remain in control of the country as they had done in many other European nations.

One of the major issues between the people and the church was the amount of money they charged for almost every service the church provided, and it was this issue that helped them to accept Henry as the head of the church. Rather than giving their money to an institution based in another country, they were able to keep some of their money and the rest remained in England.