Ely - Reformation

The English Reformation took place in 16th-century when the Church of England was forced by its monarchs to break away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church.

By 1520, Martin Luther's ideas were known and debated in England, but Protestants were a religious minority and heretics under the law. The English Reformation began as more of a political affair than a theological dispute. In 1527, Henry VIII requested an annulment of his marriage, but Pope Clement VII refused. In response, the Reformation Parliament (1529–1536) passed laws abolishing papal authority in England and declared Henry to be head of the Church of England. Final authority in doctrinal disputes now rested with the monarch.