Marriage and the English Reformation

The English break from Rome in 1529 was precipitated by the marital difficulties of the sovereign. A leading item in the agenda common to all the reforming movements in Europe had been and continued to be the reform of marriage laws and of the courts which enforced them. Yet Henry VIII persisted in obtaining a sanction for his divorce and remarriage from the Church, and throughout the sixteenth century the people of England - in marked contrast to their continental neighbors - continued to defer to the ecclesiastical courts and to canon law in almost all matters relating to marriage. The difference between the Reformation in England and in Continental Europe has long been a matter of argument among historians. In exploring the reasons for the persistence of pre-Reformation marital conventions in England, Eric Carlson throws fresh light on the issue as well as on the nature of the relations between sovereign, church, state and people in Tudor England. In the course of his investigation, Dr Carlson ranges widely in time and place. He describes the medieval canon law of marriage and its application in England, and the changing relationship between the English Crown and Church during the middle ages. In tracing debates over sacramental theology, ritual, clerical marriage and law reform through the reigns of the Tudors he draws on an impressively wide range of evidence, including canon law texts, ecclesiastical court records, state and parliamentary records, sermons, ballads and parish registers. The key question in the study of the English Reformation has been whether it resulted from authoritative action from above or by popular demand from below. By locking the medieval and Tudor periods together, the author is not only able to suggest a resolution to the question but also to demonstrate that it may be the wrong issue to confront. This is, then, a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the development of English society at a turning point in its history.