How does Henry VIII maintain power while breaking away from the Catholic Church and destroying monasteries and churches?

Henry VIII was able to maintain power while he was breaking away from the Chruch because there were not many threats to his power. He had total control over England and there was not many people who could challange his authority. The separation from the Church was because of his wives were unable to give him the son he always wanted. He had been married to Catherine of Aragon for twenty years, she had been unable to produce a son, and he wanted to divorce her and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope refused to grant Henry’s divorce, so he broke with the Catholic Church and started the Church of England. Henry then ordered the King’s Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the marriage.

Another reason for the break with the Church was that Henry needed money. He had spent a lot on wars with France, constructing buildings, forming England’s first real navy, and on his expensive lifestyle. Henry knew that the Church was very wealthy and owned a quarter of the land in England. By breaking from the Church he could obtain all of this land and money that the church was in possession of. The way Henry was able to keep his power during all of this was because he set up royal supremency that allowed him stay in power throughout his separation from the Roman Catholic Church.

"Henry VIII." Brittania History. Britannia.com, 2007. Web. 12 May 2010. (http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon41.html).


"The Six Wives of Henry VIII." PBS.org. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2003. Web. 11 May 2010. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/sixwives/portrait/power.html).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henry-VIII-kingofengland_1491-1547.jpg