Marriage and the English Reformation

The English break from Rome in 1529 was precipitated by the marital difficulties of the sovereign. A leading item in the Reform agenda in Europe had been and continued to be the reform of marriage laws. Yet Henry persisted in obtaining a sanction for his divorce and remarriage from the Church, and throughout the sixteenth century the people of England continued to defer to the ecclesiastical courts and to canon law in almost all matters relating to marriage. The difference between the...
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The English break from Rome in 1529 was precipitated by the marital difficulties of the sovereign. A leading item in the Reform agenda in Europe had been and continued to be the reform of marriage laws. Yet Henry persisted in obtaining a sanction for his divorce and remarriage from the Church, and throughout the sixteenth century the people of England continued to defer to the ecclesiastical courts and to canon law in almost all matters relating to marriage. The difference between the Reformation in England and in Continental Europe has long been a matter of argument among historians. In exploring the reasons for the persistence of pre-Reformation marital conventions in England, Eric Carlson throws fresh light on the issue as well as on the nature of the relations between sovereign, church, state and people in Tudor England. Dr Carlson describes the medieval canon law of marriage and its application in England, and the changing relationship between the English Crown and church during the Middle Ages. In so doing he provides a solution to the key question of the English Reformation - whether it resulted from authoritative action from above or by popular demand from below. This is, then, a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the development of English society at a turning point in its history.