ABSTRACT
Henry VII, on coming to the throne, had no difficulty in maintaining vigilance against the lingering 'Lollardy' which still occasionally surfaced. Grateful for papal support, especially in the years immediately after 1485, Henry gave no encouragement to religious innovation. Papal unwillingness to nullify the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon, which had not produced a male heir, had dramatic repercussions. Henry divorced Catherine and their daughter, Mary, was declared illegitimate. It is arguable that what Henry attempted was not so much 'Reformation' as conceived elsewhere in Europe but a 'Reform'. It was not clear how the resulting Church should be defined: Ecclesia Anglicana, as a term, had a history which long anteceded the Reformation Parliament but its English translation could carry various shades of meaning. Ecclesia Scoticana was more clearly Calvinist in theology than Ecclesia Anglicana was allowed to become. After 1660, however, there was an inevitable 'Restoration' of religion to accompany the restoration of Charles II.
