Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/717

 Protestant Revolt in Switzerland and England 6 1 1 Cardinal Wolsey had been the Pope's representative in Henry viii England. Henry VIH's next move was, to declare the v^hole revoit^gainst clergy of England guilty in obeying Wolsey, since an old law *^^ papacy forbade any papal agent to appear in England without the king's consent.^ The king refused to forgive them until they had solemnly acknowledged him supreme head of the English Church.^ He then induced Parliament to cut off some of the Pope's revenue from England ; but, as this did not bring Clement VH to terms, Henry lost patience and secretly married Anne Boleyn, relying on getting a divorce from Catherine later. His method was a simple one. He summoned an English church court which declared his marriage with Catherine null and void. He had persuaded Parliament to make a law pro- viding that all lawsuits should be definitely decided within the realm and in this way cut off the possibility of the queen's appealing to the Pope. Parliament, which did whatever Henry VHI asked, also de- clared Henry's marriage with Catherine unlawful and that with Anne Boleyn legal. Consequently it was decreed that Anne's daughter Elizabeth, born in 1533, was to succeed her father on the English throne instead of Mary, the daughter of Catherine. In 1534 the English Parliament completed the revolt of the The Act of English Church from the Pope by assigning to the king the and'the^^'^ right to appoint all the English prelates and to enjoy all i^"'p °^ the income which had formerly found its way to Rome. In authority the Act of Supremacy, Parliament declared the king to be " the only supreme head in earth of the Church of England," and that he should enjoy all the powers which the title naturally carried with it. Two years later every officer in the kingdom was required to swear to renounce the authority of the bishop of Rome. 1 Henry had, however, agreed that Wolsey should accept the office of papal legate. 2 The clergy only recognized the king as " Head of the Church and Clergy so far as the law of Christ will allow." They did not abjure the headship of the Pope over the whole Church.