This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Someone else (talk | contribs) at 23:11, 8 September 2002 (more NPOV regarding origins; change divorce to annulment). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:11, 8 September 2002 by Someone else (talk | contribs) (more NPOV regarding origins; change divorce to annulment)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Church of England is the officially established religion of England.
Although Christians were present in England since the fourth century or earlier, the Church of England traces its roots to Augustine of Canterbury, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, in the seventh century. The English Church was under the jurisdiction of Rome until the reign of Henry VIII. The break with Rome came when Pope Clement VII refused to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry turned to Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, for his annulment, and upon procuring it, married Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII was excommunicated by Pope Clement VII in 1533.
Making himself the head of the church not only made it possible for Henry to divorce but also gave him access to the considerable wealth that the Church had amassed. This was however at a time of major religious upheaval in Western Europe called the Reformation and some split was probably inevitable. As it is the Church of England retained a form of worship closer to the Catholic form than other Protestant churches. For example, the church has a hierarchical organization. The head of the Church of England is officially the reigning monarch, but its effective chief cleric remains the Archbishop of Canterbury.
See also History of England, Anglicanism, Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Communion, General Synod, and antidisestablishmentarianism.