Introduction
Henry VIII, Elizabeth 1st and James 1st are among the most prominent monarchs in the history. A common factor among the three British royals is their strong religious belief. As heads of the British crown, their religious affiliation had a tremendous impact in their governance considering their high influence to their subjects as monarchs. The royal’s religious belief constitutes a significant impact to the life of their subjects, which will be discussed in the following section. The religious belief of the three aforementioned rulers are significantly attributed to life and death of their subjects as religious following is an enormously significant part of the royal decree imposed on the British people.
Discussion
As British king of queen, their religious belief encompasses the same effect as the laws imposed on the English land. Henry VIII for example if a former Catholic king until he broke from the church in 1534 due to the refusal of the Pope to grant annulment of king’s marriage to his first wife Katherine of Aragon (Skousen 145-146). The refusal of the church for such request of Henry VIII resulted to him following the Protestant faith as an Anglican (Murray and Weston 211). The same goes with Henry’s daughter Queen Elizabeth I, which also a devout Protestant as her father since she was a child. The protestant faith continued to be the dominant religion of the British monarchs until 17th century when James I took over the British throne (Bennett). King James is a faithful Catholic who is also an avid bible reader from whom the New Testament was named (King James Bible, New Testament).
During the reign of the three aforementioned British royals, faith is a matter of life and death for their subjects of the strict imposition of faith to the people based on what the religion is following. For instance, when Queen Mary Tudor succeeded her brother Edward VI she prosecuted large number of Protestants based on the allegations that Protestants are seeking to overthrow her government under the banner of her imprisoned sister Queen Elizabeth I (Skousen 144). This encompasses a notion that it is either the subjects convert to their ruler’s religion or suffer the consequences. Converting to the ruler’s religious belief was not made into a law, but its strict imposition is fueled by allegations of betrayal to the British crown (ftp.cordis.europa.eu). Therefore, the rulers seeks radical measures to hold keep their throne by forcefully imposing religious belief; otherwise it is death that awaits them in the gallows.
Looking back at King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I’s Protestant belief, when Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church in 1517 the reformation of the church began with more versions of the protestant faith emerging during the 16th century (Skousen 145). This led to the division of the protestant church in different forms such as Calvinism and the Anglican Church. Calvinism or otherwise the “reformed tradition” was established reformer named John Calvin in Geneva where the doctrine of the faith stipulates that humans can only approach God through his Son Jesus Christ. In addition, the doctrine also mentions that there are individuals predetermined to go to heaven regardless of their deeds. On the other hand, the Anglican Church sets itself apart from Calvinism despite the similarities in its doctrines (Taylor). The difference with the Anglican Church is it’s more complicated bible practices, but the forms of worship, structure and belief have distinct similarities to the traditional Church of England or a cross between protestant and Catholicism (Ammann). Anglicanism is denoted for their religious practice that are regarded as more traditional, but not orthodox in nature.
Conclusion
Kings and Queens are the symbol of a nation both politically and religiously, this is apparent in the written history about Henry VIII, James I and Elizabeth I. Regardless of the people’s faith, the ruler is still the one that commands their subject’s belief. The imposition of religious belief on the people based on the ruler’s faith was considered as an unwritten royal decree that determines life or death to the people. However, regardless of which religion the rulers impose to their subjects, the essence of faith remains as a vital force that puts a nation under a sole God.
Works Cited
Ammann , Lillie. "What do traditional Anglicans believe." All Saints Anglican Church of San Antonio (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
Bennett, David. "Is the King James Bible inspired?" deanburgonsociety.org (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.
Ftp.cordis.europa.eu. "Pluralism and religious diversity, social cohesion and integration in Europe." ftp.cordis.europa.eu. European Commission, 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2013.
Murray, Fred, and R. P. Weston. "I'm Henry VIII, I am." (1965): Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
Skousen, Lesley. "Chapter Two: England." World History: Prehistory to the Early Modern Age. Kansas City, MO: Grantham University, 2012. 144-146. Print.
Taylor, Gene. "Calvinism: Analyzed and Answered." Calvinism White Paper (1995): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
