Starting small. Henry VIII took
his most decisive step against the power of the church in 1538, when
he began the Dissolution of the Monasteries. He did it piecemeal,
perhaps to avoid too much outcry at the start. First the small, less
powerful houses had their property confiscated and their buildings
blighted (made unsuitable for use). They were followed the next year
by the large houses.
Philosophical concepts of the power of the king over church may have
played a part in Henry's decision to suppress the monasteries, but
so did greed. The monasteries were rich, and a lot of that wealth
found its way directly or indirectly to the royal treasury. Some of
the monastery buildings were sold to wealthy gentry for use as country
estates. Many others became sources of cheap building materials for
local inhabitants. One of the results of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
is that those who bought the old monastic lands were inclined to support
Henry in his break with Rome, purely from self interest.
Attitudes towards the Dissolution. Many of the clerics themselves
thought that a change was in order. The difference was, they thought
the wealth they possessed should go to charity, "religious and
educational enterprises." Everyone else had a personal stake
in the matter; Henry wanted money, Parliament wanted to raise money
without having to impose unpopular taxes, the gentry saw a chance
to increase their own estates, and the merchant middle class saw a
chance to become landed gentry themselves.
Winners and losers. Henry sold the monastic lands for bargain
basement prices, such was his need for ready cash. The real beneficiary
of the Dissolution was not the king, but the new class of gentry who
bought the lands. The suppression of the monasteries and places of
pilgrimages was devastating for those pilgrimage centres that had
no other economic base. Income for people on the pilgrim routes dropped,
with no way to recover it. The other great loser of the Dissolution
was culture; many monastic libraries full of priceless illuminated
manuscripts were destroyed, with little or no regard for their value.
The fate of the monks and nuns. The monks and nuns were treated
quite well as a rule. Only a few who resisted were summarily executed.
The others, including 5000 monks, 1600 friars, and 2000 nuns, were
given reasonable pensions. Many of the monks and friars went into
regular church office, so they could not be said to have suffered.
Those who did suffer were the thousands of servants attached to the
monasteries. They numbered more than the monks, but there was no pension
for them, no golden handshake.
The English Reformation was slow to gather steam. Catholics
were not mistreated (at least not at first), and in many parts of
the country religious life went on unchanged. Catholic rites and symbols
remained in use for many years.
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