Hey guys, I'm fairly new around here. I currently have the task of presenting (in the form of a speech) the major achievements of a significant individual from Medieval Europe. As you can see, I have chosen Henry VIII and am currently working through the reformation of the English church. I have visited various websites as well as read through the book 'The Reformation: For Airmchair Theologians'. I have been able to research the significant people for and opposed to what led to the reformation, however, I am struggling to get a clear view of how the public viewed King Henry during and after the English reformation. Any answers would be greatly appreciated — thanks!
Just as a heads-up: Henry VIII ascended to the throne in 1509, which, according to most definitions, is not considered to be the Middle Ages anymore. I know that some people define 1517 and Marin Luther's 99 Theses as the beginning of Modern History, but the fact remains that the English Reformation would, of course, have happened after that.
The Reformation is an inherent part of early Modern History, not of the Middle Ages. I advise you to ask your teacher/professor if it's ok for you to proceed with this, just to be on the safe side.
So, when considering popular conceptions of the Reformation in England, it is important to consider the context of Henry VIII's reign. His father, Henry VII became the first Monarch and founder of the Tudor dynasty following the turmoil of the War of the Roses (perhaps a bit of an oversimplification, but sufficient for this question I think). As a result of the conflict, Henry VII was primarily concerned with a return to normalcy within his realm, and, upon his accession to the throne, Henry VIII held many of the same concerns. As a result, much of the domestic policy during the early years of the reign of Henry VIII was dedicated to restoring the power and prestige of the monarch, particularly regarding the nobility. To that end, one of Henry's dominant concerns was securing the succession of the throne by procuring an heir. This concern was arguably the primary impetus for his repeated attempts at obtaining Papal annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon.
Without proceeding too far down the rabbit hole of the causes of the English Reformation, historiography, both recent and traditional, tends to agree that English opinion of Rome had declined throughout the fifteenth century. This decline contributed to Henry's ability to break from Rome without facing too much armed resistance, but it cannot be said that the break was met with open arms. Henry's opening salvo in "Reformation" was his threat of praemunire against the assembled English clergy at large when they attempted to block his divorce. Simultaneously, England was a decidedly Catholic nation, spiritually if not politically, by the time of the Reformation, and as such, Henry was forced to tread carefully, largely enacting the Reformation politically, rather than theologically in the isles. Thus, Henry played a delicate historical balancing act, striving to maintain the loyalties of Catholics, nominal Anglicans and more ardent Protestants whose beliefs were typically imported from the Low Countries. His (and perhaps more importantly, his Council's) ability to balance these varied interest groups, combined with the relative peace and prosperity of England compared to the War of the Roses (still a lived memory for many in the kingdom) meant that Henry was able to secure the political, if not theological, loyalties of most within his kingdom.
All that being said, during his lifetime, Henry VIII enjoyed a certain amount of popularity, but that popularity was not unmarred. He did largely maintain loyalty though. The image and memory of Henry VIII as a good a popular king was more a creation of the reigns of his three successors, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I. Edward, whose reign brought England back to war and falteringly proceeded with more theological aspects of Reformation, also failed to produce a male heir and restored the spectre of political uncertainty to the kingdom. Mary, his ultimate successors, attempted (and occassionally violent) restoration of Catholicism to the kingdom, served to convince the English people of their Protestantisation since Henry VIII's time. Upon Elizabeth's accession, a great many Englishmen and women were ready for a return to true Protestant monarchy. Elizabeth, anxious to distance herself from the female rule of Mary and to establish herself as sole ruler, waged an effective propaganda campaign, casting herself as the heir Henry VIII would have truly wanted, in turn boosting Henry's image throughout the kingdom simultaneous to her own. In this capacity, it was perhaps Elizabeth's reign, more than Henry's, which produced the image of Henry as a widely popular king and defender of a proud Protestant tradition.
Some sources on the topic include:
Christopher Haigh, English Reformations: Religion, Politics and Society Under the Tudors, Oxford, 1993.
Wallace McCaffrey, Elizabeth I, London, 1993.
S. J. Gunn, Early Tudor Government, 1485-1558, New York, 1995.
G. R. Elton, England Under the Tudors, London, 1962.
[Edited for formatting]