ABSTRACT
At the time of the executions of Bishop John Fisher and Sir Thomas More in mid-1535, the theology of the English Church was about to undergo substantial reconsiderations. The royal supremacy opened opportunities to reform the English Church. Initially, Cranmer, Cromwell, and the queen thought that they would be able to persuade Henry to reform the Church. The period of greatest opportunity for Cromwell and Cranmer to attempt to make substantial changes in the English Church occurred in the mid-1530s, when Henry was willing to entertain the idea of forging an alliance with the League of Schmalkalden. Dangerous disagreements emerged between Anne and Cromwell concerning the fate of the immensely valuable property that was about to be confiscated when the religious houses were suppressed. The Parliament and Convocation of 1536 lasted six weeks. On the afternoon of the last day, Henry came to the House of Lords, where he knighted his lord privy seal.
