What did Henry VIII Believe?

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

History

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The execution of six martyrs—three Catholics and three Protestants—on the same day, was unprecedented in Henry VIII's England. What led to this transformative event?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the fascinating and tumultuous period of the 1530s and 1540s under Henry VIII, examining the religious, political, and personal motivations behind the seeming contradictions of Henry VIII's reformation efforts.

Henry VIII's break with Rome so he could divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn is well-known - but what did the King himself actually believe? As "Defender of the Faith", which faith was he defending? Did England go from being Roman Catholic to Protestant overnight?

With contributions from experts including Dr. Lucy Wooding, Prof. Alec Ryrie, Mathew Lyons and Dr. John Cooper, Suzannah uncovers how the Reformation in England was shaped by Henry's complex and evolving beliefs, the influence of key figures like Thomas Cromwell, and the dramatic changes enforced by royal proclamations, from the dissolution of monasteries to the regulation of Bible access.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb.
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0:16.0	including my own recent two-part series, A World Torn Apart, The Dissolution of the Monastries, and enjoy a new release every week.
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1:02.1	For all teas and scenes, visit edfenergy.com forward slash r-hyphen power.
1:12.2	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb, and welcome to Not Just the Tudors from History Hit,
1:16.7	the podcast in which we explore everything from Anne Boleyn to the Aztecs,
1:20.8	from Holbein to the Huguenose, from Shakespeare to Samarise,
1:25.2	relieved by regular doses of murder, espionage and witchcraft.
1:30.0	Not in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors.
1:41.9	Let me tell you the story of the six martyrs.
1:52.6	In July 1540, three Catholics, Richard Featherston, Edward Powell and Thomas Abel were executed at Smithfield in London.
1:59.0	They'd been in the tower for several years and were hanged as traitors for having defended the Pope.
	...

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