(Henry VIII module) Describe the opposition that Henry VIII encountered in the years 1532-1535 to his proposed changes to the position and role of the Church and Pope in England. (20 marks)

Henry VIII intended to implement the 'Royal Supremacy' between 1532 - 1535, whereby the Pope's jurisdiction over matters in England would cease. The British Monarch would also become the Head of the Church, making the Pope an irrelevance. These proposed changes were groundbreaking and triggered different kinds of opposition: individual, popular, institutional and factional. The opposition, however, was weak and fragmented, and failed to halt Henry VIII's political agenda.Candidates should provide examples of each kind of opposition to achieve an A-grade. For example: (a) Individual Opposition - Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of England, refused to take the oath to the Act of Succession (1533); (b) Institutional and Popular Opposition - groups such as the London Carthusians and Observant Franciscans denounced the Royal Supremacy, and Parliament raised opposition to the King's legislation; and (c) Factional Opposition - Henry was opposed by the Aragonese faction at his Court.