Passive resistance to the dissolution of the monasteries was strong!
Henry VIII was maybe not as feared as we think...
Hello Fellow History Lovers!
This week:
Henry VIII was perhaps not as feared as we think he was when you look at how much passive resistance existed to closing the monasteries of England and Wales.
Schedule Announced for The Tudors Online History Festival!
How many books have you got on the go at the moment? I have a serious problem! 🤣I’m listening to 3 books on Audible and reading 3 other physical books. What it does mean though, is I’m learning so much all the time and finding out interesting stories and facts to share with you. Today, I will be telling you more about the passive resistance shown by many people in the monasteries, to their actual and potential closure.
What I’ve learned this week!
Passive resistance to Henry VIII’s closures of monasteries was high!
At the beginning of the dissolution of the monasteries, many houses began selling off or hiding their possessions and leasing out their land to avoid a transfer of these assets to the Crown.
Book: The Dissolution of the Monasteries. A New History. by Professor James G Clark published by Yale University Press in 2021, and Tantor Audio in 2023.
In 1538 Henry VIII sought to rationalise and streamline the 800 or so religious houses in England and Wales which, since the Act of Supremacy of 1534, had become his responsibility as Head of the Church in England. Across the country, the population couldn’t help but notice, whether they were directly impacted or not, the extent to which the new policy was effecting the lives of the religious and lay people linked to the closing houses. At around the same time, Henry’s subjects were being required to make a public oath accepting him as Head of the Church in England and renouncing Papal authority. The reaction to this was by no means uniform. Some people resisted this change of allegiance, either because they felt a strong loyalty to the Pope or because they feared what changes may come with Henry’s headship. It was by no means a universally opposed idea either, even in the religious houses themselves with some thinking that perhaps a domestic overlord was preferable to a foreign one. Whatever the attitude of an individual towards the insertion of the king into the spot between God and themselves, it did not necessarily align with their actions when it came to the closure of a religious house to which they were connected. What became clear, as the king’s commissioners travelled the country to foreclose those houses assessed as earning an annual income of £200 or less, was that some of the possessions noted in the Valor Ecclesiasticus (a survey of the country’s monastic houses carried out in 1535) were no longer there!Â
New tenancy agreements put land lawfully out of the Crown’s reach, livestock were moved or set free and valuable plate and vestments were sold or hidden. There was no lack of passive resistance to the plans to close these religious houses and transfer their wealth to the crown.
Even in the larger houses the mood started to change as grants from donors began to dry up - why would anyone put money into an institution which could be confiscated by the Crown at any time? There was a growing feeling within many larger houses that they would soon share the same fate as the lesser houses. With a lack of income from their donors, their livelihoods were already under threat and so the diversion of property was not something confined only to those houses officially set for closure but to others as well.
Houses typically disposed of valuable items such as plate or even chalices first, followed by livestock, followed by the daily items required for living such as cooking pots. The most valuable items were also the most difficult to dispose of but were perhaps hoarded for a later date when a buyer might be found. Some houses kept enough items of Mass to allow for worship but sold or hid the rest.Â
What is very clear from James’ incredible book (and talks - please see below for details) is that the dissolution of the monasteries is incredibly nuanced with an almost unique story for each institution closed and for each individual within them. The story is most definitely not the simple one told as a quick appendage to Henry VIII’s story, and it is all the more fascinating for it!
You can watch my mini-series on The Dissolution of The Monasteries with James on Youtube and on listen on the British History podcast (see below for links).
James is also appearing at The Tudors Online History Festival from 17th - 19th November. James had recorded a talk on ‘Henry VIII and the Dissolution of the Monasteries’ and will be taking part in our live Q & A session with all 7 of the historian speakers from the weekend. See below for more details.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries Mini-series
Or find it on the Podcast by clicking below.
The Tudors Online History Festival
Schedule for the weekend announced!
For more information or to buy tickets please »»»Click Here««««
I hope to see you tomorrow for Tea Time History Chat Live (click here to set a reminder) when I’ll be chatting about my visit to a top secret location in London!
Have a great day and I’ll see you soon!
Philippa