🠈 Anglican Church 🠊
Anglican Church
The Anglican Church is a primary branch of the Protestant Movement that started in England in the 1500s. Branches of the movement are common throughout the English speaking world.
The early history of the Anglican Church was interwoven with the Monarchy. Archbishop of Canterbury is the lead cleric and the monarch is considered the supreme governor; However, the influence of the monarch has gradually waned.
The break with the Roman Catholic Church began with an epic drama worthy of Shakespearean verse. King Henry VIII was troubled that his arranged marriage with Aragon failed to produce a male heir. His mistress Anne Boleyn, was sympathetic to the Protestant Reformation. The Pope refused to annul the marriage and the Archbishop of Canterbury performed the annulment in defiance.
In this drama, King Henry VIII married six women but failed to receive a male heir.
In 1534, the English Parliament the Act of Supremacy which established King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
The church adopted ideas of the the Protestant Reformation under King Edward VI (1547–1553) in a period called The English Reformation.
The Anglican Church developed its distinct identity during the Elizabethan Settlement of 1559 holding the Book of Common Prayer as a central text.
Timeline of Events
I am interested primarily in churches of the the United States. This is a timeline of events drawn primarily from Wikipedia and verified by additional sources.
- 1534: The Act of Supremacy by the English Parliament declared King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. The act required public and church officials to swear an Oath of Supremacy to the King.
- 1535: King Henry VIII commissioned the The Great Bible translation.
- 1549: The church published The Book of Common Prayers during the reign of King Edward VI during a period called The English Reformation.
- 1558: The Act of Supremacy 1558 under Queen Elizabeth reasserted the supremacy of the monarchy.
- 1568: Queen Elizabeth commissioned the Bishop's Bible.
- 1562: The Supremacy of the Crown Act made failure to take the Oath of Supremacy an act of treason.
- 1604: King James convened the Hampton Court Conference to address concerns of the Puritans over Biblical controversies.
- 1611: King James authorized the printing of the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible now known as the King James Bible or KJV.
- 1662: The Church of England republished The Book of Common Prayers.
- 1776: The American Revolution caused a split in the Anglican Church in the colonies. Bishops who had sworn to the Oath of Supremacy to King George III, stood down.
- 1783: The clergy of Connecticut elected Samuel Seabury as bishop. Seabury traveled to Aberdeen and was consecrated by the Scottish Episcopal Church which was not under the Oath of Supremacy. This established the American Episcopal Church.
- 1786: The Consecration of Bishops Abroad Act removed the Oath of Supremacy allowing the consecration of clergy abroad.
References:
- Wikipedia - Anglicanism (Drawn 11/4/2020)