How did King Henry VIII change the religion in England?

After failed attempts to obtain a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII took momentous steps that led to “The Reformation,” a significant occurrence in the history of religion.  Prior to the reformation, all of England’s inhabitants including King Henry VIII prescribed to Catholicism. In fact King Henry VIII was such a strong adherent that he was bequeathed the title “Defender of the Faith” by the pope for his efforts in protecting Catholicism against the Protestants. However, all these changed upon the pope’s denial of Henry’s request for a divorce.

Through enactment of the Act of Supremacy formulated by Henry VIII and his parliament, England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of England became an independent entity from the Roman Church and the king of England was appointed as leader of the church. As such, the Pope had no influence over any religious matters in England and this paved way for transformation to Protestantism.

The “Dissolution” led to the closure of all monasteries and convents in England and the wealth obtained from such establishments channeled to other courses like strengthening of England’s defense against aggressors. During his reign as leader of the church, King Henry VIII permitted the translation of the bible from Latin to obtain an English version. The “Lord’s Prayer” was also recited in English as opposed to Latin, which was in use when the Pope led the church. In addition to the above, under King Henry VIII, priests were not allowed to marry.