Reformation and the Tudors
Puritans were “the hotter sort of Protestant” who emerged amongst English-speaking peoples in the aftermath of the Continental Reformation initiated by the German monk, Martin Luther (1483-1546), and the French lawyer, John Calvin (1509-64). The Reformation in many parts of Europe involved a clear-cut transformation of existing ecclesiastical structures and practices of worship but the situation in England was more complex. Henry VIII (r. 1509-47) initially broke with the Church of Rome for political rather than religious reasons: he desired to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon and the Pope refused to grant approval. Consequently Henry VIII, with the assistance of his …
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