| Supreme Head of the Church of England | |
|---|---|
 Flag of England and theChurch of England | |
| Church of England | |
| Style | Majesty |
| Residence | Palace of Whitehall |
| Constituting instrument | Act of Supremacy of 1534 |
| Precursor | None |
| Formation | 1531 |
| First holder | Henry VIII |
| Final holder | Mary I |
| Abolished | 1555 |
| Succession | Supreme Governor of the Church of England |
The title ofSupreme Head of the Church of England was created in 1531[1] for KingHenry VIII when he first began to separate theChurch of England from the authority of theHoly See and allegiance to thepapacy, then represented byPope Clement VII. TheAct of Supremacy of 1534 confirmed the King's status as having supremacy over the church and required the nobility to swear an oath recognising Henry's supremacy.[1] By 1536, Henry had broken with Rome, seized assets of theCatholic Church in England and Wales and declared the Church of England as theestablished church with himself as its head.Pope Paul IIIexcommunicated Henry in 1538 over his divorce fromCatherine of Aragon.
Henry's daughter, QueenMary I, a staunch Catholic, attempted to restore the English church's allegiance to the Pope and repealed the Act of Supremacy in 1555.[2] Her half-sister,Elizabeth I, took the throne in 1558 andParliament passed theAct of Supremacy of 1558 that restored the original act.[3] The newOath of Supremacy that nobles were required to swear gave the Queen's title assupreme governor of the church rather thansupreme head, to avoid the charge that the monarchy was claiming divinity or usurping Christ, whom the Bible explicitly identifies asHead of the Church.
| Name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry VIII of England | 1531–1547 | |
| Edward VI of England | 1547–1553 | WithThomas Cranmer, authorised theBook of Common Prayer. |
| Lady Jane Grey | 1553 | Reign's legitimacy is disputed. |
| Mary I of England andPhilip | 1553–1555 | From 1554 the couple omitted the title, without statutory authority until authorised by Parliament in 1555. Promoted theCatholic Reformation in England and Wales. |
 | ThisAnglicanism-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
