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get144
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Was King Henry VIII to blame for the English Revolution?

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Posted by get144 on Tuesday November 4, 2008 at 9:14 AM and tagged with english revolution, history, king henry viii.

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  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    Henry VIII obviously contributed to the eventual English Revolution by breaking away from the Catholic Church and forming the Church of England. However, he was no the sole cause. Several monarchs followed Henry, including Mary, who tried to return England to Catholicism. She was so unsuccessful they received the nickname "Bloody Mary" for all the religious executions that took place. Her half-sister Elizabeth, had a more tolerant attitude and allowed both faiths to exist in her kingdom, as did James I. However, the Church of England failed to make many of the reforms Protestant, especially Puritans, wanted. In addition, Parliament demanded more and more power, something monarchs were reluctant to give up. So, by 1642,when Charles I was king, a combination of religious divisions and the struggle for power between Parliament and the Crown came to a head. This resulted in military conflict between the king and the Puritan Parliament. Eventually, Parliament won, abolished the monarchy only to restore it in 1660.

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Tuesday November 4, 2008 at 10:02 AM