The Church of England

In England, the Reformation had begun when, in 1532, Henry VIII broke with Rome, asserting his authority as the head of the Church in England. Although Henry's church was not affiliated with the German reform movement, it did open the door for the influence of Protestant reform theology in England.

(Image of Henry VIII from website: schoolhistory.org.uk )


Edward VI's short reign (he died at the age of 15) followed the ecclesiastical reform policies of his father but was influenced by Calvinist theology, under the guidance of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Edward's brief reign was followed by the 9-day reign of his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey.

Mary Tudor was one of Edward's sisters and a Roman Catholic and took the throne in 1553. As Queen Mary, she tried to reverse the reforms and suppress Protestantism. During her reign many English Protestants fled to sympathetic communities on the Continent - including Geneva.

The reformers began to return to England after the succession of Edward's other sister, Elizabeth Tudor, to the throne in 1558. Under Elizabeth, the Church of England integrated elements of both her father's catholic church and the Calvinist reform movement. There were Protestant critics who wanted a more purely Calvinist approach and reform akin to what had taken place in places like Geneva.

In the 17th century, this Puritan criticism of the Church of England erupted into the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I in 1649, and the institution of the Protestant Commonwealth (1649-1660). With the restoration of the monarchy (1660) a period of persecution took place and it was not until the Toleration Act of 1689 that Protestant groups outside of the Church of England were legally permitted.