DBWI: Henry VIII creates a separate Church.

Just before the Pope Clement VII finally conceded and annulled the Marriage between the King and his infertile Queen, there was serious tensions among the Papal States and The kingdoms of England and Scotland. Do you think King Henry would be radical enough to cut off the English Church from Rome?
 
Despite what amounted to saber rattling, Henry VIII was a fanatical Catholic and not given the title "Defender of the Faith" for nothing. Interestingly enough, there had always been and would remain a strong element of "Anglicanism" in the English Catholic Church, with both kings and more often parliaments often emphasizing the superiority of English law over whatever came out of Rome. And the English would be the only European power to allow non-Catholics to settle in their colonies, with obvious impacts that are still with us today. But historians agree that there was no chance of a King of England throwing in with the Prots.

This would be a fun POD because there would be so many butterflies. Unless you do away with the English conquest of Scotland and have the Kirk survive (plausible because the Scots going Protestant was a big part of the casus belli), Protestantism as something that has actual government backing remains confined to Germany and Scandinavia. Everywhere else -well except obviously for the English colonies- Protestants remain an embittered, often persecuted minority, sort of the Christian world's answer to Shiism. But its very implausible that something like this would actually happen.
 
Despite what amounted to saber rattling, Henry VIII was a fanatical Catholic and not given the title "Defender of the Faith" for nothing. Interestingly enough, there had always been and would remain a strong element of "Anglicanism" in the English Catholic Church, with both kings and more often parliaments often emphasizing the superiority of English law over whatever came out of Rome. And the English would be the only European power to allow non-Catholics to settle in their colonies, with obvious impacts that are still with us today. But historians agree that there was no chance of a King of England throwing in with the Prots.

This would be a fun POD because there would be so many butterflies. Unless you do away with the English conquest of Scotland and have the Kirk survive (plausible because the Scots going Protestant was a big part of the casus belli), Protestantism as something that has actual government backing remains confined to Germany and Scandinavia. Everywhere else -well except obviously for the English colonies- Protestants remain an embittered, often persecuted minority, sort of the Christian world's answer to Shiism. But its very implausible that something like this would actually happen.

Ahem. Pockets of Northern Germany. The Dutch, tried to become Protestant, but the Holy Roman Empire crushed the attempt and was now a part of Germany as much as the Saxons and the Bavarians and the Austrians. The Counter Reformation succeeded in converting most of Austria back, and then there was the big German Religious Civil War. Which the Catholics won. And slowly, slowy, reconverted the states. One big example is Saxony. Very Protestant, but then had a Catholic Elector, and that was the impetus for the Jesuits to start the counter reformation in the electorate..

The only duchies and electorates that officially remain Protestant are Brandenburg, and Schleswig, Holstein, and Hanover, and only because their dukes and electors kept faithful to the Treaty ending the civil war. Otherwise, they would have been invaded by the rest of the Empire.

Today, Germany or if you want to state the full name, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, is largely product of the reconversion efforts of the House of Habsburg. It provided a pretext for the Emperors to centralize authority on a federal structure, and to ensure the control of the Emperor of the German Catholic Church. Elections still happen, but are largely ceremonial, since the three ecclesiastical electors are in the Pocket of Emperor Otto V, and the emperor himself is the King of Bohemia. When Archduke Leopold, his son, comes of age in two years, I have no doubt that he would easily and unanimously be elected King of the Romans.

What if England became Catholic? Would that mean that the Dutch would revolt successfully because they would have received support? And that in turn would mean that the Emperor could lose the German Civil Religious War?
 
So what would this Henrician Church look like, doctrinally? Just "Catholicism with royal divorces" or do elements of Lutherism or Zwinglism get incorporated?
 
So what would this Henrician Church look like, doctrinally? Just "Catholicism with royal divorces" or do elements of Lutherism or Zwinglism get incorporated?

If He'd had the Churches separated for a reason as trivial as a heirless marriage. Probably the doctrine and the rites would be very similar at least at the beginning, since the divorce hadn't been for theological differences. I don't dare to predict 400 years of doctrinal separation.
 
Your attempts at hiding such blasphemous ideas, questioning the power of the Holy Church, as alternate history have been duly noted and reported to the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition
 
Your attempts at hiding such blasphemous ideas, questioning the power of the Holy Church, as alternate history have been duly noted and reported to the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition

This thread only shows the power of the Church to survive and thrive whatever happens. Even if Henry VIII does not get his annulment, he would not surely betray Mother Church. And I'm sure the original poster asked the Holy Inquisition, or rather, the inquisitor mod in this site, for permission before he could post it.
 
It's not like Henry VIII of England's heirs were big one protecting Catholicism throughout the next generation. Edward VI of England, his only son by Anne Boleyn, may have been nominally Catholic, but there's a reason his only daughter married into the very Protestant Danish monarchy (who lost their throne in 1582). Hell, he sheltered the Protestant Oldenburg royal family from 1584 to 1595, only agreeing to exile them after his daughter's death. It's obvious that he was at least interested in the Protestant religion early in his reign.

However, it is important to note there also that Edward did, in fact, accept the rise of the House of Lorraine to the Danish Throne. While protecting the previous royal family, he never spoke out publicly against Queen Christina, nor her son King Charles. Edward VI of England was also instrumental in the marriage between his niece, the former Princess Margaret of Denmark and Prince Christian, heir to the Danish Throne. Some of his children even shared blood with the new Royal family, due to his second marriage to Elisabeth de Valois, the sister to Queen Consort of Denmark, Claude de Valois.

Henry VIII of England, I of Ireland, I of Scotland (b.1491: d.1547) m. Catherine of Aragon (b.1485: d.1536) -annulled 1530-, Anne Boleyn (b.1501/1507: d.1552) (b)

1a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1510)

2a) Henry Tudor, Prince of Wales (b.1511: d.1511)

3a) Stillborn Son (c.1513)

4a) Stillborn Son (c.1515)

5a) Mary Tudor (b.1516: d.1558)

6a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1518)

7b) Edward VI of England, I of Ireland, I of Scotland (b.1531: d.1599) m. Mary Stewart (b.1542: d.1561) (a), Elisabeth de Valois (b.1545: d.1578) (b)

1a) Charles I of England, Ireland and Scotland (b.1560: d.1609) m. Anna Maria of Brandenburg (b.1567: d.1610) (a)

2a) Anne Tudor (b.1561: d.1595) m. Frederick II of Denmark and Norway (b.1534: d.1588) (a)

1a) Margaret of Denmark (b.1582) m. Christian IV of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Lorraine (b.1563) (a)

2a) Anne of Denmark (b.1585: d.1587)
3b) Edward Tudor, 1st Duke of York (b.1567) m. Catherine de Bourbon (b.1559: d.1604) (a)

1a) William III of England, I of Ireland, I of Scotland (b.1583)​

4b) Catherine Tudor (b.1570: d.1623)

5b) Margaret Tudor (b.1575) m. Henry IV of France (b.1553: d.1610) (a)

1a) Marie de France (b.1598)

2a) Elisabeth de France (b.1600)

3a) Louis, Dauphin de France (b.1601: d.1609)

4a) Nicholas, Duc d'Orleans (b.1604: d.1608)

5a) Henri V of France (b.1605)

6a) Marguerite de France (b.1607)

7a) John, Duc d'Orleans (b.1609)

8a) Louis, Duc d'Anjou (b.1611: d.1613)​
8b) Stillborn Son (c.1532)

9b) Elizabeth Tudor (b.1535: d.1536)

10b) Stillborn Son (c.1536)

11b) Stillborn Son (c.1538)

12b) Stillborn Daughter (c.1541)​
 
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