Without Anne Boleyn, do you think the English reformation would have happened?

Question:I'm doing my studies on English History and this question was put to the students. I thought it was a great question and would love to see what others think. I think maybe it would still have happened being Luther was gaining steam with his followers but maybe it would not have spread as quickly????

What do you think?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm doing my studies on English History and this question was put to the students. I thought it was a great question and would love to see what others think. I think maybe it would still have happened being Luther was gaining steam with his followers but maybe it would not have spread as quickly????

What do you think?

I disagree with your opinion that Luther would have caused the English Reformation, if Anne Boleyn was never to have been. Sources at the time seem to tell us that the need to reform was not at all widespread, and was mostly confined to the South East. Money was still being donated to the church, pilgrimages were popular, as were the sunday services. The more probable reason for Henry’s break with Rome was his determination to acquire an annulment from his wife at the time, Catherine of Aragon. His desire for such came down to three main reasons: dynastic, religion and lust. Henry VIII was determined to attain an heir to his throne, so that he could fulfil his father’s dreams and prolong the Tudor Dynasty. For us, knowing what the future held for the Tudor line, it is easy to simply conclude that Henry had little to worry about, as his only daughter (at the time) became Queen. However, there had only been one Queen of England prior to this, Matilda, whom incited a civil war, leaving the population of England even more convinced that women were not fit to rule the country. Although Henry sent Mary to Ludlow to train her in the arts of ruling a country, it has been suggested that he was not fully convinced she would be accepted, most noticeably by the way he started grooming his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy. Henry longed for a (legitimate) son to inherit his throne. By 1520, medical advisors told Henry that it was unlikely Catherine of Aragon would conceive again, leaving Henry with a daughter and one illegitimate son. By this time, Henry had stopped sleeping with Catherine, and, as you can expect, was very concerned for the Tudor Line. His fears were heightened when he came across an extract in Leviticus: “If a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an impurity he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless”. Henry had married Catherine once his brother’s death left her widowed, in order to clinch the Medina Del Camp Treaty, however Henry and Catherine were not childless: they had Mary, so this extract does appear to be of no threat. Nevertheless, it worried Henry so much he ordered Scholars to translate the original Hebrew text, and he faced increasing anxiety with the result. The scholars found that the word used could be translate in one of two ways: the original “childless” but also “without sons”. All evidence shows that Henry was a regular pilgrim and donator to the church, hence he was very religious. This extract, it has been said, persuaded Henry that his marriage to Catherine was cursed, and this is what convinced him that divorce was the only available option.
Anne Boleyn of course also played a vital role in the divorce, but she was to come later. Sources seem to suggest that Henry was considering an annulment from Catherine at around 1522, and considering Anne didn't come to England until 1525, this proves, to myself anyway, that she wasn't as Schama suggested: "Historic Prime Cause Number One".

if you believe in god, yes, because He would have made someone else come and help to start the English reformation, if it was meant to happen. Which it did. So it was.

It would have happened in England anyways as Henry had a roving eye and as such was always looking for another woman. One of his main driving forces was to produce an heir so a new wife was definitely going to come no matter. So he would have broken with Rome as he would have found another wife and divorced the first.

Yes Luther would have made and impact and did. There was also the Huegenots in France which caused the wars of religion in france (4 times). Entire villages were wiped out by the catholics.

No matter if Henry did what he did things were already changing in the religious arena in europe. There would have been the changes even in England over time but maybe a little differently but in reallity Henry was going to have another wife no matter so there would have been no other outcome.

If it hadn't been Anne Boleyn, it would have been someone else, given Henry's nature and the state of Europe. She is sometimes credited (or blamed) for shaping his nature, but she could not have done that had it not already been his nature. Henry himself blamed her when it was convenient, but how realistic is that? Did Henry ever take any responsibilty for his own decisions?

Some things are inevitable. The Reformation, already sweeping Europe, is one of them. People in general find changes easier to take if there is a cause attached to them, and someone to blame if they fail.

MY opinion is that it would have happened anyway. It may have been different in the details, and might have taken a little -- but very little -- longer with a different figurehead.

The Reformation was inevitable. Before Luther, there was Hus, whose ideas gained him a martyrs death, being burned at the stake. Wycliffe, called the "Morning Star of the Reformation", Erasmus, a contemporary of Luther's who fully believed in a reformation, though not one that overrode the authority of the Pope.
The Renaissance, in my own opinion, was responsible for the Reformation. Humanism, education and freedom of thought and expression which occurred during and after the Renaissance broke the hold of the Church. The Reformation was its logical conclusion.
As it applies specifically to England, Henry VIII's dissatisfaction with his marriage was no new thing, nor attributable only to Anne Boleyn. He'd already had an illegitimate child and an affair with the elder of the Boleyn sisters, Mary. Henry first asked officially for an annulment in 1527. In 1531 Henry first challenged the Pope when he demanded 100,000 pounds from the clergy in exchange for a royal pardon for their illegal jurisdiction. The train of events that began with denying his annulment would logically have ended up causing a reformation.

The English reformation didn't occur because of Ann Boleyn . It occurred because of Henry's need for a male heir . Had Catherine produced a male heir there would have been no reformation . Had the pope granted Henry a divorce there would have been no English reformation . If Ann Boleyn had not been there Henry would have found another in his search for a woman that could give him a male heir . Remember the pope had given Henry the title of " Defender of the faith " because of his ardent repudiation of Luther's work . Only Henry's need for a male heir and the popes refusal to grant a divorce caused Henry to split away from Catholicism . Even then he didn't take up the Lutheran cause . Instead he created his own church . One that was half way between the two opposing churches .

Yes, because the English reformation was ultimately a function of Henry VIII's desperation to have a male heir, and his desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon and find a wife who could produce one would have been the same, regardless of whether there had been an Anne Boleyn or not.

Henry was unhappy with Catherine and eventually would have wanted a divorce whether Anne Boleyn was there or not. The divorce would have been denied and the Anglican Church would have been founded. If it hadn't have been Anne Boleyn it would have been some other girl that did it